Spectacular September!

It's 1st September already - the nights are beginning to draw in now but the weather is still fab and the sea is wonderfully warm. September is set to be a spectacular month and there are all sorts of things on around the county. It's a great time of year to be here in Pembrokeshire because...

This coming weekend, 4th and 5th September, St. Davids is hosting its Really Wild Food Countryside Festival - a great way to learn more about the countryside, to enyoy it, cook it and eat it. The festival is packed full of delicious local produce, cookery demonstrations, rural traditions, music, story telling and entertainment.

On Sunday 4th September the annual county classic car run is on, with a route that covers most of Pembrokeshire - great to take part in or just park up with a picnic and wave at the participants as they fly, or chug, by.

To add some late summer colour there are a host of new art exhibitions opening all over Pembrokeshire in the coming weeks, including Picton Castle near Haverfordwest, The Torch Theatre in Milford Haven, St. Davids and the West Wales Arts Centre in Fishguard.

Tenby Arts Festival is on from 18th to 25th September - a great week to visit the town as it's less crowded then in the height of summer and it's a perfect opportunity to take in the wonderful artistic talent the town is home to.

And for all good sports out there, 24th to 26th September is of course The Longcourse Weekend in Tenby. Whether you take part in the entire triathlon or just attempt the marathon, it's the taking part that counts.

September is also a great month for music lovers - St. Davids Cathedral is the venue for the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Welsh coprano Catrin Aur Davies on 4th September but if that's not quite your thing then there is Youthfest on 11th September at Withybush showground - a music festival organised by and for young people.

September is also pupping season - our local Grey Seal colonies are busy with their pups and my favourite thing about this time of year is creeping around the coastal path spotting Grey Seal pups in the hidden coves below. Everyone here in the office is looking forward to enjoying the good weather and quiet beaches over the coming weeks - and of course the dog bans on may of our beaches have now ended.

So make the most of it - it should be a September to remember!

Life's a Beach...

A recent MSN feature listed Britain's top 10 little known beaches and two of those on the list are in Pembrokeshire - Barafundle and Druidston.


Here in Pembrokeshire there are over 50 beaches and no other county in Britain has more blue flag beaches. From long stretches of sand to secret hidden coves, there are so many to choose from. So, here are the favourites from those in the know here in the office; Sarah chooses Broad Haven every time and her second beach of choice is Freshwater West. Freshwater West is famed for its long golden sands, surf and high sand dunes and in 2009 was used as a film location for the new Robin Hood film and also the forthcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The beach is also a favourite of Rona's, as well as the secret Swan Lake Bay which was frequented by pirates long ago. Ruby's favourite beach is also a secret cove which she has refused to reveal (no doubt she is not keen on the idea of all of us polling up on a quiet Sunday afternoon!) Another of Ruby's favourites is Druidston, which was also voted for by Jan. Fran and Leanne both opted for the spectacular stretch that is Newgale and Sadie is particularly fond of magnificent Marloes. Nik is most keen on Tenby's south beach and Skrinkle Haven, near Manorbier. Caroline has voted for Aberporth whereas Sue is a fan of Barafundle, Amy has opted for Amroth, Kelly is keen on Poppit Sands and Mickey enjoys Coppet Hall near Saundersfoot. Linda struggled to choose her favourite as we're so spoilt for choice in this part of the world but she visits Abermawr most often as her dog can walk the beach with her and also loves Newgale and Traethllyfn. I spent a blissful afternoon at Musselwick last Saturday and we had the whole beach to ourselves.

So here's hoping that the weather will brighten up and we'll all get the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful beaches!

Watch the birdie!

Yet another fascinating thing to do in Pembrokeshire at this time of year is a bit of bird watching - the county offers wonderful opportunities to see various species, from waders and wildfowl on the river to migratory seabirds and birds of prey.

Mel has been telling us about the fascinating Osprey centre near Aberystwyth. There are also wonderful places to see Red Kites, such as Tregarron (near Cardigan.) The Welsh Wildlife Centre at Cilgerran is a great place to explore a reed bed habitat and spot its inhabitants. There are wonderful bird watching sites all over the county, from Strumble Head and Nevern Estuary to The Gann near Dale and the lily ponds at Bosherston.

It's a great time of year to visit Skomer Island (the boat runs daily from Martins Haven) to see the bustling colonies of seabirds - spot Puffins, Choughs, Manx Shearwaters, Razorbills, Guillemots, Kittiwakes and even Short Eared Owls and Peregrines. There are weekly RSPB guided walks on Ramsey Island (get the boat from St. Justinians near St. Davids) and just walking the coastal path will give you a bird's eye view! Or for something quieter, don't forget the secret waterways of the River Cleddau and quiet woodlands. So get twitching!

The show must go on!

It wouldn't be a British summer without a bit of rain would it? But the sun is shining again today and the forecast for August is good (apparently.)


This week members of the Coastal Cottages and Activity Wales team have been at The Royal Welsh Show at Builth Wells - today is the last day so pop along to see them if you can but don't forget your wellies! And it's just under four weeks until the Pembrokeshire County Show at the county showground near Haverfordwest. Running from Tuesday 17th to Thursday 19th August, the three days offer a variety of displays, competitions, shopping and entertainment. Sarah, Amy and I are already making plans for those few days - which involve zebra print wellies, macs and umbrellas. The show makes a great day out and is the perfect time to catch up with friends over the mouth-wateringly good pig roast whilst watching everything from motorbike stunt teams to beautiful dressage competitions, stock up on local produce (the fudge is not to be missed) and makes a change to the beach. From the show rings to the wonderful food hall, it's packed full of Pembrokeshire's finest. Just take those wellies just in case!

The Secret Gardens

The fabulous weather continues and as I said in my last post, there is so much more to do at this time of year than sit in front of a huge flat screen watching the football (controversial, I know.)

If Pembrokeshire's beaches aren't quite your thing, this is also the perfect time of year to visit the many beautiful gardens in the county - from the more well-known such as Picton Castle and Colby Woodland Gardens to the most hidden and secret of gardens.

Many gardens throughout Pembrokeshire open their gates to the public throughout the summer and this Saturday Glenowen cottage garden near Llanstadwell will be open for the day. On a much larger scale, Picton Castle near Haverfordwest is set in 40 acres of woodland and has one of the largest private collections of exotic and unique plants in Wales. On 30th June the Chapterhouse Theatre Co. are staging a production of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in the beautiful grounds of the Castle and on 13th July there is a guided RHS walk around the walled garden. Colby Woodland Gardens near Amroth always have an exciting schedule of events over the summer and The Welsh Wildlife Centre near Cardigan is hosting a series of guided walks led by a local medical herbalist on traditional remedies and uses for wild flowers, trees and plants. Other gardens well worth visiting include Bro Meigan gardens and tea room near the Preseli Mountains, Upton Castle gardens near Cosheston, the walled garden at Stackpole, Penlan Uchaf farm garden near Fishguard, the National Botanic Garden of Wales near Carmarthen - the list goes on and many of our wonderful castles also have beautiful gardens to explore (Laugharne and Hean Castle in Saundersfoot.) We have wonderful garden centres too - which cater for coastal windswept gardens like mine. Here in the office Cecilia and Julia are the gardening experts, always good for advice and gardening tips (and plant swapping too!)

How to avoid the world cup...

I doubt that anyone can have escaped the fact that the world cup kicks off this Friday - it's all everyone was talking about here in our staffroom over lunch today (and was met with a rather glazed look from me.) Leanne has organised a world cup sweepstake and Sarah has been collecting football stickers - I may be in the minority but will be doing everything I can to avoid anything vaguely football related over the next month! Sadie is in agreement.

Pembrokeshire is the ideal place to sit it out - local pubs are showing the matches but the next few weeks are going to be the perfect time to make the most of abandoned beaches - long walks and swims with just a few fellow football widows will be blissful (just look at that picture of a deserted Druidston!) And think of the quiet shops and restaurants! Last week some of the ladies here enjoyed a girls evening out in Carmarthen, with its new cinema, restaurants and shops, and i'm sure we'll be heading back soon as an antidote to the football madness.

Some non-football related events on over the next few weeks include photography workshops on Skomer Island, a guided walk around Ramsey Island with an RSPB warden on 10th June, a butterfly workshop and guided walk around the Teifi marshes at the Welsh Wildlife Centre near Cardigan on 13th June and a new exhibition of ceramics is on at Picton Castle until the end of the month. Picton Castle is also hosting music, picnics and croquet on 13th June (ready for the approaching national picnic week) and on 17th June there is a summer concert in St. Mary's Church in Tenby. So the next few weeks don't have to revolve around football - and I know that nearly everyone here in the office will disagree with me (and most of the country in fact) but there is so much more to a Pembrokeshire June and July than sitting in front of a huge TV. I'm actually quite looking forward to it after all!

Oak before Ash.....

Oak before Ash, we're in for a splash


Ash before Oak, we're in for a soak.....


I'm sure you know the old saying and the great news is that the Oak is out well before the Ash this year so here's hoping! Pre-dating the Met Office by a long way, the long range forecast should be wonderful in that case. We have all enjoyed a scorching week and are hoping that this sizzling weather will last until October. So for a perfect Pembrokeshire summer, here are some top tips on where to go, what to do and what to see from those in the know here in the office...

Sarah's vote is for people watching on the beach at Broad Haven, Sue recommends Coppet Hall beach and then a walk through the tunnel to Saundersfoot, Ann says drinks sitting outside The Sloop at Porthgain, Cecilia is all for walking along the banks of the River Cleddau which is so beautiful and tranquil on a summer's evening, Rona enjoys kayaking from Coppet Hall towards Monkstone Point, perfect at high tide when you have the beach to yourselves as no-one else can get there. Amy loves catching some rays on the beach at Amroth, Mel had an idyllic picnic on the estuary at Laugharne followed by a walk along towards Dylan Thomas' Boathouse and warmly recommends it, Ruby would choose rowing around Llys Y Fran reservoir as her ultimate summertime day out and for Fran it's a day at Barafundle Bay. The list is endless - so make the most of it!