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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I can now announce that we’ve organised another bŵtcamp week at Garth Newydd - 21-28 August.
This falls towards the end of the school holidays, so hopefully it will suit those of you who have specifically requested a bŵtcamp when the schools aren’t open - teachers, classroom assistants, etc.
Express your interest in the same way - email me (deborah@saysomethingin.com) or send me a message - and include whether you’re OK to share a room.
Remember that there are 6 places for Twin rooms, and only 3 for a Single room, so you increase your chances of getting a place if you’re willing to share.
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Diolch Deborah - have sent an email but confirming here my clear interest in the June 5-12 bwtcamp and happy to share.
Fingers crossed, Chris
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Diolch yn fawr to everyone has sent in an expression of interest! At the moment, September is the most popular month so it likely to be a lottery, whereas August still needs a few people, so if anyone is able to come in August instead of September, they will have more of a chance.
I’m hoping to contact everyone by the end of the week with an idea of how likely it is that they will get their first preference. I know that you all need to organise holidays etc, so I’ll do it as soon as I can.
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Hi Deborah
I’ve just e-mailed you about September but happy to move to August if easier
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All those who indicated a preference for the April bŵtcamp have been emailed - see the note in Bŵtcamp April 2023 - 24th to 1st May - Lampeter
I’m gradually getting the Bŵtcamp places sorted, but I’d really like to have a few backup people if at all possible.
With some of the bŵtcamps being still months away, it’s highly likely that one or two people may need to drop out, so if there are people who would be willing to put themselves down as a possible “reserve” for a particular month, with no commitment at this stage, it would help
The absolute ideal would be at least one man and one woman willing to take a Twin or a Single, but if you have other preferences that’s fine.
I’d love to come to a Bootcamp this year! My family will need our car though, so the challenge is how to get there via public transport or get a lift, or a combination of those, from Bedfordshire. Any tips?
There’s no train station in Lampeter, but its on the T1 bus route so its possible to get there using a train and bus combination Here’s the bus details: https://traws.cymru/en
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Once the participants are all organised for a particular bwtcamp, it’s often possible to organise lifts beforehand if others are coming from a similar location. We even had a couple coming from overseas meet up in Amsterdam and travel on from there together once
I’m looking at building up to a bwtcamp do you know if there are other similar but shorter courses that do a similar thing of no English etc.
Yes @abitinga ! The residential weekends at Garth Newydd provide Welsh immersion weekends at a really reasonable price, with comfy beds and without sharing rooms!! 
https://paned.cymru/
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