Sea views in Wales

PEMBROKESHIRE’S luxury holiday letting agency Experience Môr will be adding a new cottage to its collection this summer: a coastal stone longhouse, Penmynydd Uchaf, midway between Fishguard and Newport.

The three-bedroom house will be the company's eighth property. It has uninterrupted ocean views to Dinas Head and Fishguard, it’s set in almost five acres of land, and is 900ft above sea level.

Available from early July, the house sleeps seven, and has two bathrooms. Prices start from £780 a week, rising to £2,295 during peak season.

It’s 2.4 miles from the village of Cwm-yr-Eglwys, which has a sand-and-shingle beach, while the village of Dinas Cross and a Newport Sands are only minutes away.

www.experience-mor.org


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Picture Credit: www.experience-mor.org

Fishguard opens for business as cruise port

A PEMBROKESHIRE port has welcomed the first of 5,000 international visitors this summer. Nineteen cruise ships are due to dock in Fishguard between May and September.

Fishguard received just seven calls in 2015. This year’s increase is down to the positive feedback received from visitors and support from Visit Wales. The cruise ship industry is expected to bring in £2.5 million to the Welsh economy this year.

A cruise committee has been formed in Fishguard to ensure visitors get a warm welcome and experience its attractions.

A committee spokesman said they were ‘delighted that North Pembrokeshire has been chosen as a major visitor destination for cruise companies’, with only Holyhead on Anglesey receiving more visits in Wales this year.

The group is hoping the 19 calls in 2016 can be added to year-on year to make Fishguard one of the most ‘important cruise destinations in the UK’.

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Fish for all!

THIS year’s Pembrokeshire Fish Festival runs from June 25 to July 3. Established in 1999, the festival has grown into a nine-day, county-wide celebration, with more than 250 events and activities. 

From fishy menus to outdoor adventures, and art and craft to seashore foraging, the festival is a celebration of the county’s superb fish and other local produce, as well as its spectacular coastline and maritime heritage.

www.pembrokeshirefishweek.co.uk

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Picture Credit: to catch a mackerel</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin

Accolade for Skomer nature reserve

THE Wildlife Trust’s #SkomerIsland – less than a mile off the #Pembrokeshire coast – has been voted the UK’s favourite nature reserve by readers of LandLove magazine, whose awards aim to celebrate the best things about the British countryside

Dr Lizzie Wilberforce, conservation manager for The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, said: ‘Skomer is internationally important for its seabird populations, and without a doubt it is the best place to see seabirds in southern Britain. It is a privilege to care for a nature reserve which is so very important, and to know that the island’s wildlife makes such a profound impression on our many visitors.’

Skomer Island has an abundance of wildlife, including 21,000 puffins, 23,000 guillemots, 7,000 razorbills, plus harbour porpoises, Atlantic grey seals, and world’s largest population of Manx shearwaters. The island is covered in a carpet of Bluebells during the spring, while a shade of pink is added by swathes of Campion.

Gina Gavigan, marketing and development manager comments: ‘It’s an amazing place to visit and stay for a unique wildlife adventure. The island attracts a variety of visitors including wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, and walkers. Proceeds raised by visitors and overnight guests support our vital research and conservation work.’

The island will be open to visitors this year from March 25 until October. Trust members get a free landing on Skomer and priority booking on overnight stays.

www.welshwildlife.org/ 01239 621600/e-mail: islands@welshwildlife.org.

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Picture Credit: flickr.com/photos/45252009@N08/9670802679">Puffin on Skomer Island</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin

Pembrokeshire cottage restoration

THE NATIONAL TRUST (NT) has completed the restoration of Treleddyd Fawr Cottage, a Grade II listed property near St David's, and one of the last surviving examples of a traditional #Pembrokeshirecottage.

The one-bedroom cottage and its outbuildings, which date back to the early 1800s, is now on the market as a NT #self-catering holiday let.

The project was funded by the NT’s Neptune coastline campaign, and included essential building works, from underpinning to re-roofing, along with extensive interior repairs and decoration.

The property's simple two-up, two-down layout has been retained, with the downstairs comprising a parlour and living-dining room, and the upstairs with a double bedroom. 

The former dairy, attached to the back of the cottage, has been turned into a galley kitchen and bathroom. The cottage exterior has been lime-washed in a traditional clean yellow and Pembrokeshire soft blue.

www.nationaltrustholidays.org.uk

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Picture Credit: www.nationaltrustholidays.org.uk

Kent top spot for family holidays

KENT is Europe's top spot for a family holiday, according to the compilers of Lonely Planet's Best in Europe 2015, with County Kerry in Ireland in second place. Two other UK destinations – the island of Skomer off the Pembrokeshire coast and nearby Marloes Sands – were combined by the compilers and took ninth place in the top ten list.

Singled out in #Kent was Broadstairs, the White Cliffs of Dover, and #Margate which has become 'gentrified without losing its personality'.

Lonely Planet also drew up a list of the ten best beaches in Europe, with two UK beaches in it. In sixth place was Bantham Beach near Kingsbridge in Devon, and in seventh place was Sandwood Bay, in Sutherland, Scotland.

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Picture Credit: Leeds Castle -Kent -England by Martin Pettitt - originally posted to Flickr as Leeds Castel Kent 3 July 2007-102. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

Skomer … my Go To island

Wherever else you go this year, says Angela Suter, go to Skomer Island ...

‘AMAZING, incredible, wow! – all words we would use to describe our two-night stay on Skomer Island, off the Pembokeshire coast in South-West Wales.

We stayed in renovated barns on Skomer Island, where the accommodation was excellent; it was very clean, and everything we needed was there.

Our seven-year-old old daughter was enthralled with Skomer and the wildlife we found there, enjoying especially the nightly bird log meeting where we talked about the sightings we’d made that day. 

We were concerned that we – wildlife lovers as opposed to learned bird watchers – might feel like the odd ones out; how wrong we were .......... 

The staff on the island are knowledgeable and friendly, answering our daughter’s many questions and involving her in small things such as identifying the moths and letting her help to release a Manx Shearwater.

We saw Puffins, which were so close they walked over our daughter’s foot on their way to their burrows. 

The eerie sound of the Manx Shearwaters after dark was an experience never to be forgotten, and spotting the first Hoopoe to be seen on the island in three years caused quite a stir. 

We wished we had booked a longer stay, but we will definitely be going back, probably at the same time next year. It was the beginning of the migration; we saw the first of many species of birds which, as the days go on, will increase in numbers.

One of the most enjoyable things was to sit and listen to the quiet that descends on the island after the last boat of day visitors has left . . . bliss!’

Skomer is a national nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and a Special Protection Area. Much of the island has also been designated an ancient monument. It is surrounded by a marine nature reserve and is managed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.

Where we stayed: The Barn on Skomer Island. For full details, go to http://www.welshwildlife.org/overnight-accommodation-on-skomer/

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Picture Credit: Angela Suter and family

A glimpse of the past

THE Victorian estate at Scolton Manor, near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, has undergone a massive restoration. 

The re-created walled garden, along with the manor house, stables and 60-acres of parkland and woods, give visitors an idea of what life was like on a 19th century country estate.

Scolton Manor is part of the One Historic Garden project linking heritage and gardens across South Wales, and part-financed by a European Union fund. 

www.onehistoricgarden.co.uk/scolton-manor
www.visitpembrokeshire.com




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Picture Credit: 'Walled garden' courtesy onehistoricgarden.co.uk/scolton-manor; "The Railway Area - static display" by David Martin via Wikimedia Commons.

Head west for the food fest

ANGELA GRAY, food writer and former chef, will be helping to launch the inaugural Haverfordwest Food Festival in Pembrokeshire on May 9.

The event will showcase food from the town and surrounding area. Predominantly under cover, there will be space for up to 40 stallholders......... www.haverfoodfest.co.uk

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Cottage break gifts

COASTAL COTTAGES in Pembrokeshire is offering gift vouchers which can be redeemed against one of its £99 winter short break deals.

The £99 deals are valid between January 5 and March 21 (excluding February half-term), which means recipients can enjoy a four-night winter break in Pembrokeshire as their Christmas gift.

The £99 voucher – valid for couples only - can be redeemed on selected properties, and is based on two people sharing one bedroom in the chosen cottage.

Gift vouchers can be purchased only by telephone are available for any denomination above £10. Reservations: 01437 772760

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Head west for the blues …

HEADLINING the Tenby Blues Festival in Pembrokeshire (November 14-16) will be singer and guitarist Andy Fairweather Low and his band.

He first came to prominence in the 1960s with the soul band Amen Corner before developing a solo career in the 1970s. Since then, he has toured as a member of some of the biggest rock and blues bands, including the late George Harrison, Roger Waters, Bill Wyman, and most recently with Eric Clapton.

www.tenbyblues.co.uk

www.visitpembrokeshire.com

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Gone fishing!

Time to head west for Pembrokeshire's famous Fish Week!   

LISTED last year as the UK’s top food festival by The Independent and known as one of the tastiest festivals in Europe, Pembrokeshire Fish Week is taking place between the June 28 and July 6.  

Start your week at the Fish Week Open Day on June 28 at Milford Fish Docks. The event will have plenty to entertain and keep everyone busy, including new chefs, demos, music and hands-on activities.  Pick up tips at one of the fish cookery workshops, or be inspired at a Bryn Williams demonstration.

Other events for foodies include a fish feast, gourmet nights, tapas, live jazz and tutored tastings.

There are also lots of family activities. Join Pembrokeshire Coast National Park throughout the week as they watch seabirds on the stacks, and go crab catching.

For full details, go to www.pembrokeshirefishweek.co.uk  

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Head west for fish

Pembrokeshire Fish Week, regarded as one of the tastiest food festivals in Europe, is taking place between Saturday June 28 and Sunday July 6.  Among the new events this year will be a night with Celebrity Masterclass Chef Paul Rankin at the Milford Haven Torch Theatre, Proms at Pembroke Castle with the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra, and a family fun afternoon on the beach at Goodwick Harbour.

Competitions throughout the week range from photography to art and craft, plus the chance to catch a £1,000 angling prize or win a weekend hotel break.

For full details visit www.pembrokeshirefishweek.co.uk

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