Helo. A couple of friends and I would be interested in a bwtcamp. Exhausting but brilliant I think 
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I live in Ceredigion not far from Tresaith and have young children so donāt want to be away from home overnight. Is it possible to come to bwtcamp for daytime activities alone or does that defeat the whole purpose? Thanks
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The idea is to be totally immersed in Welsh for the whole week @Ros. Do you speak nothing but Welsh when youāre at home? If not, then you definitely wouldnāt get the real bwtcamp experience.
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Bwtcamp sounds amazing! Hope to be able to go on one soon! 
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I am really looking forward to attending a bootcamp in 2019. By then i should be well up with my Welsh. having completed the ssiw 6 months course and more.
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Iām hoping that by replying to this message i will see updates! Thank you.
You will. If you thinking about the June bwtcamp there is a separate thread for that. There may still be a place or two left as Iestyn hasnāt updated the thread as heās been on bwtcamp this week. I expect a lot of updates will happen over the weekend when the current bwtcampers are released from only being able to use Welsh.
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I have just returned from bootcamp and want to share what a fantastic experience it was 
I was extremely nervous before bootcamp as I had very little confidence speaking to adults in Welsh as I was worried about getting things wrong. Now I can safely say after returning i am confident speaking Welsh. I have kept up speaking mostly welsh over the last few days to my family and even had the confidence to make a few phone calls to book things in welsh which I never would have done before Bootcamp. I was a little worried about sharing a dorm at bootcamp but it really isnāt anything be worried about as the room is huge with 3 different sections so you still have your privacy. Everyone on the bootcamp was lovely and friendly and despite everyone being at different levels we all got on and managed to communicate all week just in Welsh. Iestyn planned lots of fun, varied activities for us to do which were really enjoyable. Thanks Iestyn, Kat and Dee for a wonderful experience x
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Diolch Nicola!
Iām always a bit nervous at the beginning of bwtcamp as well, but I certainly didnāt need to be for this group! What a hoot we had!
And wow, Nicola - nonchalantly making a few bookings on the phone - ON THE PHONE! - is a massive massive step, I am doubly chuffed for you now!
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Ditto what @nicola-l-goodall said, great week, really nice people who will put you at ease and help you embrace your mistakes, really built up my confidence, do go on a bwtcamp if you have half the chance
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Although I get more practice speaking Welsh than some, I was feeling a bit nervous about going to bootcamp because Iād missed weeks of classes and my regular sgwrs in the pub by the time it was time to head to Tresaith. I also didnāt have any time to refresh the last bits of SSIW like I wanted!
It didnāt matter though - Iestyn and Dee put us at ease straight away and put on a massively fun week of activities. I havenāt been as silly as I was at bootcamp in ages, especially not with strangers 
The day after I got home I was still having to actually decide which language to use in my head before starting each conversation, and even today Iām wanting to use words like āfellyā and āondā when using English.
What a week! Diolch Iestyn, Dee a Cat!
If youāre wavering - just go for it, embrace the mistakes and enjoy yourself!
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Please would you say what dialect Welsh is used at each of these bwtcamps. Itās in Ceredigion - West Wales Welsh? Iād like a North Wales Welsh vocab group - or doesnāt it matter? Thanks.
Hi @Pengwen, we get people doing the southern course and people doing the northern course at the bwtcamps. Itās a great opportunity for each to hear some of the slight differences between the two regions, and we soon all understand each other. Iestyn, who leads the bwtcamp, comes from south east Wales, but now lives in Ceredigion so youāll get a blend of the two areas there, but Iām happy to swap to northern Welsh as required.
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I am very interested in Bwtcamp but I doubt I could come to any this year-2018 as we are in the middle of moving to Wales and the actual moving date has not been fixed but is possibly August/Sept this year if all goes well so donāt think I could fit in a Bwtcamp too!!. So might be 2019.
I do have some concerns and questions about Bwtcampā¦I have some health issues so I am concerned about the sleeping arrangements in dorms (what are theyā¦single beds/bunk beds etc?) and the food (I am diabetic and on a low carb diet so donāt eat bread, potatoes or pasta which I imagine will be the staple and usual meals!!). Is the evening meal cooked by the Bwtcampers every night?
I am often up very late and unsettled so I would hate to disturb anyone. Is there alternative accommodation? I would try to join in with all the activities each day and night as I know total immersion would be the best thing to do in Bwtcamp but I would prefer private sleeping arrangements. Also I will not have transport probably although I would get a lift to and from Tresaith so how is the transport to the various outside activities achieved??
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I expect someone who has already been to Tresaith may be more helpful.
My understanding is that it is possible to rent your own space next door to the centre for an additional fee if you so wish.
If you could make people aware of your exact dietary requirements Iām sure they could be accommodated, if you make this clear before the Welsh-only rule kicks in, as that might be a challenge as the language may be quite technical. Otherwise you are free to cook your own meals.
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Thank you very much for responding. That all sounds promising. My diet isnāt too exacting as it is basically protein and above ground vegetables and saladsā¦ but I agree trying to explain it all in Welsh would be a challenge to me at the level I am now.
There are a couple of flats next door that can be rented, but the dormitory accommodation isnāt as bad as you might be anticipating. Yes, there are bunk beds, but no one needs to take an upper bunk. The dorm is divided into bays, so there is always an element of privacy.
As to food some people on special diets deal with their own food during the week.
In the weeks before the bootcamp members get to know each other and their requirements. Bootcamp can certainly work for you, both in having a great time and in developing confidence in your Welsh.
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Iāll be finishing the 6MWS course in August so I will look out for Bwtcamp dates and see if I can make the next one.
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Thanks Margaret. I do have problems with sleep and may have to move about in the early hours or sit up in bed and I donāt think that would be possible in a bunk bed and a dormitory situationā¦ apart from not being fair to anyone else in the dormitory. A flat would be perfect as long as it isnāt too expensive.
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Others have answered your questions well @glynsig so thereās not much for me to add. We are happy to work around special dietary requirements. Generally people bring some of their own food to eat if a particular meal isnāt suitable, but we discuss food issues before we go into the āWelsh onlyā rule, so that everyone is clear and pairs doing the cooking can sometimes make a side version of a meal with/without particular ingredients to suit.
We do quite often have someone who prefers to sleep in one of the flats next door for various reasons, and they just come and join in with all the activities the rest of the time. Here is a link for you to have a look at what is available: http://www.tresaith.net/
With transport, we usually see who has brought a vehicle, who is willing to taxi people around and how many they can take, then we ask passengers to contribute towards their fuel costs at the end of the week. Iestyn has a large vehicle that can take quite a few people, so we usually only need one or two other vehicles.
Good luck with your move to Wales and we hope to see you on Bwtcamp next year!
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