The National Geographic Magazine and Pembrokeshire

A view from Lydstep Headland of  the Caverns.

 Hi Everyone,
Pembrokeshire was once again this week featured  in National Geographic Traveller Magazine about Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and Pembrokeshire.  It was featured last November for being second in the top 99 Coastal Destinations in the World voted by a panel of 340 independent experts in the field of sustainable tourism and destination stewardship.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/parks/pembrokeshire-coast-wales/

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/coastal-destinations-rated/top-rated

The Daily Telegraph online also featured Pembrokeshire in its Travel Section on  recommended walks by the National Trust, which featured a walk around the headland at Solva and the likelihood of seeing choughs.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/walkingholidays/8328407/The-Gribin-Solva-Pembrokeshire-Walk-of-the-week.html

I can also report that I saw a pair of choughs while walking on Lydstep Headland with my dogs the other day.  It is a wonderful walk with spectacular views from Lydstep point of Caldey Island.   This area of land was acquired by the National Trust in 1936.  The headland has a number of climbing routes, and the Black Rock is a favourite location used by fishermen hoping to catch a bass, pollock and mackerel.  Below Lydstep Headland is the Lydstep Caverns where it is possible on spring tides in the summer months to catch prawns.  I have taken take my prawn and shrimp net there but so far have failed miserably to catch a thing .  I obviously am doing a number of  things wrong.  I am either going at the wrong time of year, or the wrong tides or I do not have the right feramones for this activity.!!! I have on the other hand, caught plenty of shrimps and flounders at Angle Bay so I will not give up hope of catching something at  Lydstep Caverns this year!!!  I will keep you informed.

Gorse in flower on Lydstep Headland

Caroline Grove, Stackpole Estate,Pembrokeshire.

View from the Hidden Bridge, Stackpole Estate, Pembrokeshire.

We took a walk today at Caroline Grove, Stackpole Estate to see the renovation work undertaken by the National Trust and Forestry Commission.  The aim is to clear away alders and fringe willow which are silting up the reed bed.  It has made the whole area around the hidden bridge much more open and increased the vista and it was a thoroughly enjoyable walk.

A Photographic Walk from Stackpole Quay to Barafundle Beach, Pembrokeshire.

The Elizabeth Jane Lobster Boat Stackpole Quay, Pembrokeshire.

  Hi Everyone,

I had a walk last weekend to Barafundle Beach, for those that do not know this beach it has been consistently voted as one of the best beaches in the UK by various newspapers over the years.  It was extremely wild and windy but completely deserted except for me and my dogs.  Sadly the Stackpole Tearooms were not open so that I could have a large hot chocolate that would have been a highlight after the walk having managed to loose my mittens with my enthusiasm to take some photographs!!!

Entrance to Barafundle Bay

View towards Broadhaven South Headland

Breaking Wave Barafundle Beach

A Windy Day at Barafundle Bay

Rebus and Murphy on the way home.

serials online

Chinese New Year Celebration

Year of the Rabbit

Hi Everyone,
Happy Chinese New Year.  Last weekend my close friend Daisy, dressed head to foot in red, her daughter and yours truly entered into the spirit of celebrating the Chinese New Year by going to a local Chinese restaurant.  Sadly there was no dragon parade in the restaurant. That parade took place on Boxing Day at Tenby in freezing temperatures and snow on the beach!

Boxing Day Swim 2011

 Luckily we booked  because it was packed out and we had to abandon the car blocking several people in not that anyone seemed to be bothered by that issue.  No knives and forks for us who wanted to enter into the whole spirit of the experience with gay abandon, unlike the other surrounding dinners, chopsticks all the way was our motto for the night. Eating rice with them was a challenge!!!
It is the year of the Rabbit so apparently there is likely to be some calmness restored in the Chinese Calender this year following the Tiger last year.  Apparently characteristic's of people born in the year of the Rabbit is that they are admired, tactful, talented, kind and financially lucky!!  Well guess who is a Tiger me,oh joy!!  Daisy my slightly dizzy friend is a Rat, I think I prefer being a Tiger.  Apparently we are completely honest and expect the same from others, charming personalities, always welcoming, have the ability to lift spirits, are well liked and enjoy a challenge!!!  Thank goodness for that running a bed and breakfast!!  Apparently I am a Water Tiger therefore they are  a bit more tranquil than other tigers who can be short tempered in the Chinese Calender.

So I thought why not tie this in with the whole theme of today's blog and show you a photograph of a Tigers I took not in a safari park in the UK but in Kanha National Park in India where I worked many moons ago.

Tiger photographed from an Elephant Kanha National Park, India

Tiger looking for her cubs, Kanha National Park, India

A Wild Windy Day in Pembrokeshire

A Wild and Windy Day at Manorbier.

Hi Everyone.

Pembrokeshire Wildlife News
We seem to have gone from -14C in some areas of Pembrokeshire to now gale force conditions at the end of the week what has happened to the sunshine we were promised?
Hot off the presses is that for us wildlife enthusiasts red squirrels maybe introduced by the monks on Caldey Island as they have no predators to contend with like foxes, badgers,grey squirrels and rats.  I have seen some in a garden in Scotland and compared to the grey ones they are beautiful.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-12360377.
I am not going to talk about the black panther/puma sighting at Treffgarne as it has been well documented in the media both locally and nationally except to say if you are interested to see how many recorded sightings in the United Kingdom there have been of wild animals you should look at this link which dates back to 2009. .http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109165751156961337979.0004618a779cd5835130f&ll=52.348537,-1.465648&spn=4.712047,9.84375&z=7

The West Wales Decorative and Fine Art Society
 We had our first lecture of the New Year last Tuesday which judging by the amount of people that were there it would appear that everyone wanted to know about "Sleeping Beauties - The Irish Country House".  I had no idea that the Vikings created the ports of Dublin, Cork and Waterford.  It was only during Henry VIII reign  for well over the next sixty years that he tried to become King of Ireland and claim  it for the English monarchy and nobility.  The Irish lecturer was in full swing ten minutes into the talk and then alas I cannot really fill you as I had hoped too, because an elderly gentleman collapsed and suddenly a medical person was requested.  I sat there wondering whether I should offer my assistance and at that point no doctor stood up so I came to this gentleman and his wife's aid.  Luckily I was then assisted by two retired doctors and we managed to get him to another room where his condition greatly improved .  The poor man could not understand  why he was not suddenly listening to the exciting lecture with his wife.

I would like to have given you a brief account of  the great houses of Ireland but I only returned to lecture ten minutes before the end when we were shown a wide variety of styles in the 19th and 20th Centuries.  I particularly liked what was an extremely grand cowshed which was timbered building in the style of a Tudor House except with some Arts and Crafts Architecture thrown in for good measure!!   It must be the smartest cowshed in Ireland, the United Kingdom if not the world.  The cows were kept down below and then the upstairs was where the Lord of the estate entertained his lady friends.  I wish I could show you a photograph but I am still on the hunt for one!  Next month is a lecture is on The Duke of Wellington and the Treasures of Apsley House.  Hopefully it will not be quite be as eventful  as this last one. I do not think the charismatic Irish lecturer will ever forget his trip to West Wales NADFAS!

Here is a little something to make you feel warm when the wind is howling outside!!!

Pembrokeshire Whale Watching and The Milky Way Galaxy Photographs taken at FreshWater West.

Sunset over Manorbier Headland from Manorbier Bed and Breakfast.

Hi everyone,

Pembrokeshire has had some spectacular sunsets recently and clear skies at night to view the stars. I thought you might like to read this little news item with beautiful pictures of the Milky Way Galaxy at Freshwater West at from the Seaweed.  It is hot off the Daily Mail presses!! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1350338/.  His camera is far more expensive than my small Fujifilm but I still enjoyed his magnificent photographs and taking my sunset photograph the other night.

On the wildlife topic there has been some more whales spotted in the Irish Sea just off the Pembrokeshire Coast which I thought might be of interest to any of you who enjoy wildlife.
 http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/01/25/whale-watchers-thrilled-by-the-mighty-fin-91466-28047175/.

The Sea Trust are running a number of different trips whale and dolphin watching around the Islands of Ramsey, Skokholm, Grassholm and Skomer during the summer months leaving from Neyland Marina.  No trip is the same and they can only take a group of twelve people.  The first one is on April 26th for further details, prices, dates and information with regard to booking a trip please click on the following link http://www.seatrust.org.uk/.  I am definitely planning on going on some of their trips!

Manorbier Book Club Evening and a trip to the Apollo Cinema, Camarthen.

Hi Everyone,
For those people who are interested in books we had a meeting of our book club a couple of nights ago at my house.  Manorbier has two book clubs!!!  The original one was started over thirteen years ago and because it was quite a large group various other people thought we should form another one about five years ago.  Each group does not tend to read the same book for the month.  In our book club we take it in turns to choose the book and then when we meet up the following month not only to discuss it but then each of us has to give a score for  the book depending on whether you enjoyed it or not.  Unfortunately my book choice this month will definitely win the prize for the worst choice this year but that is okay with me.  I was due to choose either The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, or Portrait of a Turkish Family by Irfan Orga.  Goodness knows what came over me before Christmas because I suddenly decided to choose a Collection of Short Stories by V.S.Pritchett having read The Saturday Independents 50 Best Books.  I supposed I was swayed suddenly to change my book choice on the basis that I had never read a collection of short stories and neither had we read any as a book club group.  They were all quite dark and tragic in some ways. My favourite was " The Girl Who Came Home".  I can assure you that my choice was extremely unpopular!!!  Anyhow we are now reading Rohinton Mistry Family Matters.  His book A Fine Balance was very popular with our group a few years ago and certainly I have found the first few pages really enjoyable although I am the slowest reader in the entire universe so I hope I finish it by the 22nd February!
A friend and I went to the marvellous Apollo Cinema in Camarthen  to see" The Black Swan" last night. Goodness gracious we were both exhausted watching this very dark and intense film but I can assure you that Natalie Portman thoroughly deserved the Golden Globe for her performance.  Not a feel good movie that is for sure!
I was going to take you on a photographic walk round Lydstep Headland tonight from the comfort of your armchairs but it is so cold and grey I am not going to go out.  Instead you can enjoy the view from where Stackpole House was built originally before it was demolished with panoramic views across the lake. Apparently the Forestry Commission is working with the National Trust over the next five years to manage the woodland and the silted up areas of the lakes by invasive species of shrubs.

View over the lake at Stackpole Estate, Pembrokeshire, Wales.