We don’t have any dates for 2023 yet, but when we do, we’ll post them here.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, suggestions or comments, feel free to ask in here 
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I’d be interested in next year’s Bŵtcamp. I’m currently working on Chalkenge 5 level three and just finished Cers Sylfain at Nant Gwythern. Unfortunately most of the conversation was in English and I had difficulty hearing in the classroom which had poor acoustics. I don’t have any difficulty listening to
SSIW but I do have a slight hearing impediment at higher frequencies. Hope to get some conversation through Slack group. I would want a single room. I was born in 1951. Lynne
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Such a shame about Nant Gwrtheyrn! It can depend so much on the particular group you’re with when they don’t enforce a Welsh only rule. A Welsh tutor once told me that she really liked having SSiW learners in her groups as they tended to stick to Welsh and that encouraged the others.
Watch this thread for the announcement of the dates for next year. Then you’ll be invited to send in an application.
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I’m keen to attend a bwtcamp in 2023. I’m going over level 3 for a second time and can talk to myself fairly fluently in Welsh, but dry up in conversation! Do you think i am ready for a bwtcamp?
Definitely! You may still find you dry up in the early days, but with the immersion experience you’ll find yourself using more and more of your Welsh until it becomes natural, and speaking English seems weird!
While waiting for next year, you could go through some of the original course material, if you haven’t already. There are some Vocab units that are especially aimed at preparing you a little more for bŵtcamp, vocab that we found was lacking a little in the early days. Have a run through those between now and the first bŵtcamp next year and you’ll be totally ready!
Hi, i am interested in a bootcamp also
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Same here!
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I’m also interested in Bwtcamps, especially in Lampeter
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Me too - I would really like to attend one of these in 2023.
TrevJ
Just finished level 1 (challenge 25) and would be very interested in a bootcamp this year, especially if it’s anywhere near Lampeter (I’m on the South Wales SSiW, but West Walian would be most useful for me ). Dorm accommodation would make me extremely unpopular with everyone as I snore, so would prefer a single room, or make my own accommodation arrangements!
Discussions on the logisitics and feasability of running bŵtcamps are taking place at the moment. We hope to have some news for you all before too long.
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Not to worry, to I’ve been waiting since 2020 after that one was cancelled. A few more months won’t hurt. Unfortunately last year’s ones coincided when I was in holiday and with my daughter’s wedding which timed them out for me.
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Is there any news on the dates for 2023 bootcamps? I know end of Feb was mentioned, which is very near. Is there a waiting list for places?
Not yet - discussions are on-going, but hoping to announce something soon.
There isn’t any plan to hold a bŵtcamp at the end of the month. We’ve found in the past that a lot of places are still closed until Easter, so we’re more limited in where we can go and give you genuine Welsh language experiences if we hold a bŵtcamp before then.
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Drumroll please! The announcement you’ve been waiting for - the dates of the 2023 Bŵtcamps.
We have 3 dates agreed with Garth Newydd in Lampeter, with a possible 4th to be decided. The Bŵtcamps will all run from Monday late afternoon to the following Monday morning.
- 24 April to 1 May
- 5 June to 12 June
- 18 September to 25 September
After lengthy discussion with SSi management about the financial viability of running the bŵtcamps, we have had to increase the charges and change what they cover.
There are 3 twin rooms and 3 single rooms. The charge for the single rooms will be £550+VAT (£660) for the week, with the charge for a bed in the twin room costing £500+VAT (£600).
Those charges include your accommodation, the organisation and time that Nia and I put into running the bŵtcamps, and the evening meal of the first night. We hope to also cover most of the costs of the activities, but if there is a particular special event during a bŵtcamp week, we will ask if participants are willing to pay to attend it.
There will be a communal ‘purse’ which everyone will need to contribute to equally at the beginning of the week and that will cover the costs of the food for the other meals prepared in Garth Newydd and picnics. When we eat at a cafe, individuals will pay for their own meals.
Bŵtcampers who act as drivers during the week will need to be compensated for their petrol costs, so we will ask those who are passengers during the week to contribute towards their driver’s costs at the end.
If you have general questions, feel free to post them here. Otherwise, I’ll be setting up individual threads for the specific bŵtcamps and you can ask in there.
SO - the first step is expressions of interest! If you’re interested in coming to any of the bŵtcamps, send an email to deborah@saysomethingin.com with Bwtcamp as the subject and stating which date/s you’re interested in, and whether you would be willing to share a twin room.
NOTE: The Bŵtcamps can only go ahead with a full number of 9 participants. Below this they are not financially viable, so we will only take expressions of interest initially. Once we’re sure that we have the numbers, we will contact you to pay a £50 deposit and guarantee your place.
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Oh, fantastic! I have everything crossed that I can get into the June one. I’d already applied to go on a one-week course at Nant Gwrtheryn on the exact same dates, but have been on a waiting list for ages as it’s full, but I’d much prefer Lampeter as I know the town well and am organising a Summer School for our students (they’re all distance learning students from all over the world on a Cultural Astronomy course) there. I’m employed by the university at Lampeter, but don’t get to visit often as all teaching on our course is on-line, but my mission since last July (the last time I was there) has been to improve my Welsh to a level where I can have meaningful conversations with the staff who are based there, who pretty much all speak Welsh - tutors, admin staff, porters, caterers, cleaners - and my conversations have been very stilted so far! This would be so, so ideal. Email sent
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What is the minimum level needed for this to be a worthwhile experience? By the time I could make one I would be well into level 2 hopefully: too much of a novice still? Or worth having a go?
Gareth
This is the information from last year - sorry, I thought I’d posted it somewhere in this year’s as well, but it still applies:
Bŵtcamp is NOT a Welsh course. There are no “lessons” or class type activities. Rather it is a chance to have a total immersion holiday in Welsh - enjoying fun activities and outings, meeting new people, having new experiences, all through the medium of Welsh.
For that reason, the experience is most successful if you have a certain amount of Welsh under your belt already. A minimum is to have completed Level 1 SSiW, though if you’ve completed Level 2, you are likely to benefit more. It’s also useful if you’re already started using your Welsh a little with others - either face-to-face, or in a Zoom chat group - however, if you haven’t had that opportunity but feel confident you could cope in a Welsh Only situation, don’t hesitate to apply.
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Diolch Deborah. Dw i’n meddwil mod i dal angen ymarfer mwy! Medi efallai.
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