Family Fun at Rendlesham Forest

Rendlesham Forest is a great place for walks if you want to get closer to nature. It is a place we visit most years and today the family descended onto the forest to see what fun could be had.

One of the first things we tried was rounders, with pine cones being the ball - great fun!

Emily tries her hand at another game on site.

Even the adults are allowed to be a bit silly

Emily in playful mood.

Emily was very good on the zip wire.

Izobelle needed a help from mum but loved it anyway.

Finally we all sat down to a well deserved picnic. A great day which everybody appeared to enjoy.

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More Fun with the Birthday girl

Izobelle had her 3rd birthday on 10th May and a meeting with her cousins was a first choice. The party day started at Hollow Trees farm, which is a great place with it`s farm shop, cafe and trails for the youngsters. Then we were to move on to Hayley`s home to have cake etc.

So, starting at the farm, first picture is of the birthday girl herself.

Emily in reflective mood on the tyre swing.

And then driving the `static` tractor. A great favourite.

Throwing the wellie

Back at home with the cake. `This cake is rather yummy Izobelle`

Looks like some face painting has been taking place.

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Stackpole Estate - my first visit

A `must visit` place in Pembrokeshire is the NT Stackpole estate which has some of the most stunning coastal views to be found anywhere. It’s difficult to imagine the many buildings that may have graced the Stackpole Court site over the centuries. Occupied since Norman times, the Stackpole Estate has seen its fair share of boom and bust over the centuries. The Campbell's built the early Georgian mansion of Stackpole Court in the Palladian style in the 1730s on the site of the earlier fortified house.

Two world wars heralded a century of decline at Stackpole. Half of the estate, around 6,000 acres, was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence to form Castlemartin Range in 1938.

Sir John Campbell II inherited the estate in 1777 and began landscaping work on a grand scale. What was once a valley was later flooded to create the Bosherston Lakes, as part of a designed landscape, and thousands of trees were planted.

Thirteen years later, what was left of this historic estate was broken up and the farms were sold. Thankfully the coast, woods and lakes passed to the National Trust and were saved for the nation.

Stackpole Quay

Today we intended to walk the remains of a once grand Stackpole Estate. We started near Stackpole Quay, a small harbour nestled in amongst the cliffs which is a favourite venue for kayakers who can be seen bobbing up and down exploring the caves and cliffs nearby.

Then onto Stackpole Head itself, a stunning piece of coastline with the amazing Stackpole towering cliffs with bird life in abundance nesting on it`s ledges.

Further along we came to Barafundle bay – a small bay backed by dunes and pine trees.

Then we reached Broadhaven South beach and before turning toward the lakes of the Stackpole estate, over the Eight Arch bridge picking up a cache and eventually arriving back at our car park.

Sandwich, cake and coffee at The Boathouse was a great finish to a stunning walk.

The rugged coast near Stackpole Head

Stackpole Head where the sea has sculpted stacks, caves, arches, inlets and headlands, and where razorbill, guillemot, chough, peregrine and raven live. Unfortunately the tide was high at the time we did our walk but from the top it was still dramatic to say the least.

Rosey photographing Gannets nesting on the ledges of Stackpole Head and Stackpole Headland itself, one of the most spectacular parts of this walk

Barafundle Bay

Barafundle Bay – a small bay backed by dunes and pine trees, accessible only by a half mile walk from the nearest car park. Swathes of golden sand and crystal clear waters, Barafundle has been voted many, many times as one of the best beaches in Britain and the world; it’s often likened to a Caribbean beach! This pristine beach is isolated which means no facilities; so everything you take has to come back up over the cliffs.

A large jellyfish stranded on the sands at Barafundle bay

Church Rock - I guess it looks a bit like one.

The Eight Arch Bridge on the Stackpole Estate is a grade II listed construction.. It is owned and maintained by the National Trust.

The bridge was built in 1797[2] to connect Stackpole Court and Home Farm to Stackpole Quay and the New Deer Park. At some point face-to-face iron ties were added to hold the bridge together.

On 2 August 1996 it was listed by Heritage in Wales (now Cadw) as grade II for its eye catching nature as a major feature of Stackpole Park, and as part of the Stackpole group of buildings.

The bridge is built over a weir between two ponds (part of the Bosherston Lily Ponds). There are eight segmental arches in limestone, one with slightly projecting keystones. The arch rings are in ashlars; the rest of the arches in common stonework. There are a low rebuilt parapet walls, with slight wing walls at each end, on either side of the 3.3-metre (11 ft) roadway.

There is a series of interconnecting lakes, created at the turn of the 19th century by Baron Cawdor, once the owner of the Stackpole Estate. He dammed a small tidal creek which then flooded the three tributary valleys. Subsequent drifting of sand has created a large marram grass-covered dune system behind the beach. The lakes are abundant in wildlife, with herons prowling the shallows, swans, ducks, moorhens and coots all easily visible on the surface, and shyer creatures such as kingfishers often spotted. The Lily Ponds, which are made up of the two westerly fingers, are managed as a National Nature Reserve, and the lilies themselves are at their best in June, while the woodland is a magnificent spectacle in spring and autumn.

Well, all good things come to an end, so promptly the following morning we pointed our car east and headed for home.

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A trip to Skomer

Today a trip to Skomer! We boarded the 11am ferry with 15 or so other passengers for our short 10 min crossing, the sea being really calm. On the approach to Skoma we saw Puffin in large numbers flying around, or just swimming in groups on water.

After a short talk by the Wardens, we were off to see what we could see toward the center of the island, photographing the trigpoint on the way and walked toward The Wick.

This was the area that we saw the most puffins in their burrows – brilliant. While strolling along this area we also saw choughs flying around.

We stopped and had our picnic lunch and continued before deciding to head back through the centre toward the old 19th century farm buildings and the landing stage in hope more puffin pictures Saw some on the water only, but great walk anyway.

The boat very crowded on way back but it was only a short journey. All in all, a great trip and well worth doing.

Trig point on Skomer marking its height above sea level at this point of 79.357 m

What would a trip to Skomer be without a picture of a Puffin?

These delightful birds with their brightly coloured bills are part of the largest colony of puffins in Southern Britain. Each year around 6,000 of them return to spend the spring and summer on Skomer.

Puffins arrive on Skomer in late March, but don’t immediately settle down on the island. Initially they collect in rafts at sea, as if to build up their confidence to storm the island. But soon they return to the cliff tops to re-occupy burrows where they will lay a single egg which will hatch in June. After, the birds can be seen flying into the island, with beaks lined with sand eels. By late July the birds depart the island and return to a life at sea. It is then that the brightly coloured bills, for which puffins are so recognisable, fade, to come to life again next spring.

Many people are surprised when they first see a puffin by how small they are, just 30cm from beak to tail. They also marvel at how relaxed they seem around visitors to the island, crossing the paths to reach their burrows, while navigating their way through feet and legs.

The day we arrived, many had gone fishing, but we managed to see several around their burrows.

Our boat returning to the mainland.

Harold`s Stone

The Harold Stone is an erect monolith, 1.7m high by 0.8m by 0.5m. It tapers from a broad base to a point, with its edges aligned nearly north-south; its wide face is orientated to face the sea to the east and the island to the west. It is one of several stones in south-west Wales bearing the same name. Gerald of Wales asserted that the stones were erected by Earl Harold to commemorate his victories over the Welsh in 1063. Although the Harold Stone on Skomer is currently undated, excavations at other similar stones in Pembrokeshire have always yielded a prehistoric, or Bronze Age, date. It is therefore safe to assume that this stone is also a Bronze Age monument, marking a burial (in a cremation urn) or an area of now concealed ritual and funerary activity.

It has be said that not everyone thinks it is that old – but it sounds good!

Lime Kiln on Skomer

Awaiting the boat from the mainland

Once back on the mainland, we moved a short distance to a car park closer to Marloes Sands where a walk revealed another Earthcache.

Marloes Sands is another stunning beach and the Earth Cache well worth seeing. It`s a 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) long remote sandy beach where the Earth Cache was situated. Not a soul in sight!

The Three Chimneys

Geologists journey here to this remote spot from all over the world to take a look at an exposed stretch of Silurian rocks known as The Three Chimneys – near-vertical beds of alternating sandstones and siltstones demonstrating different states of weathering. Geological Surveyors have carved in the rock a small arrow, not difficult to find, to mark where the Silurian rock ends and the Old Red Sandstone begins. This picture was proof of my visit to the Earth Cache.

Wild flowers galore this time of year.

The end of another lovely day - we definitely will come back to Skomer!


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A Geocaching day in Pembrokeshire

Tuesday we decided to try and pick up a few local Geocaches and our first stop was for one at Nolton Haven, a pretty beach as usual. If you have never tried Geocaching follow this link for an explanation. As a worldwide treasure hunt, it is suitable for most ages, and is great fun - and addictive!

In the 19th century this was a busy port, as coal was exported from Nolton and nearby Newgale. It was a good easy cache to find.

Newgale – great surfing bay with beach berms (Piles of shingle / stones) 

Maidenhall was our next stop, where a great view from the car park viewpoint and another cache awaited. Well hidden in the wall. 

Then a short drive to Newgale with it`s great surfing beach and berms. Here, one earth Cache and two regular ones completed our tally before heading back to Broad Haven for a steak pie lunch – lovely! So, a berm, a dictionary definition is: A nearly horizontal plateau on the beach face or backshore, formed by the deposition of beach material by wave action, or by means of a mechanical plant as part of a beach recharge scheme. 

So, there you have it, a bank of stones piled high by the action of the waves, and quite a sight it was. To log the Earthcache, I had to send a picture of myself on top of a berm holding a large flat stone from the top of the berm. Plus, answering the question as to `why the largest stones were on the tops of the berms`. 

Musselwick beach 

After lunch, we headed down to Martin's Haven on the The Dale Peninsula to check on our intended trip tomorrow across to Skomer. One cache at Musselwick beach and another at Ye Olde Bridge on the way home, and that was it for the day. 

On the wall by Ye Old Bridge

So, a few Geocaches found and logged and another few of the amazing scenery viewed. Just reinforcing why this part of the UK is one of my favourites.

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The Marloes Peninsula

The Marloes Peninsula coastal walk was our target for today.This walk starts near Marloes Sands and passes Marloes Mere, an area of wetland pools and marsh important for ducks and other wild fowl. Hen harriers and short-eared owls can often be seen quartering the marsh, not that we saw any I am afraid. After passing an impressive Iron Age fort, the route joins the Coast Path. It stays just inland from the cliff tops, but offers great views of the coast and the islands of Skokholm, Skomer and guano covered Grassholm in the distance. All three are home to important seabird colonies in the summer. The walk crosses coastal fields which are managed to encourage chough, something that we did see, and watched, for a considerable time – magic!

Finally arriving at the Deer Park with spectacular views of Skoma and then onto Martin's Haven, the embarkation point for Skomer. 

Islands seen from the Marlos Coastal footpath

The caterpillar of the Oak Eggar (Lasiocampa quercus) moth.

Could not resist the pink sea at this point.

Was I pleased to get this ? – a Chough – and with a compact RX100 camera!

While its black plumage identifies it as a crow, the chough (pronounced ‘chuff’) has a red bill and legs unlike any other member of the crow family. It has a restricted westerly distribution in the British Isles and because of its small population size and historically declining populations it is an Amber List species. It readily displays its mastery of flight with wonderful aerial displays of diving and swooping. Found in flocks in autumn and winter.

Martin`s Haven which is the embarkation point for the isle of Skomer.

Nolton Haven - A really beautiful area to walk, and places to explore. No wonder people want to return here year after year. So many lovely beaches in this part of the world, although photographically, they look the same, they are beautiful!

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Solva and St David`s Head

Sunday saw us drive the coastal road to Solva. On the way passing Newgale and it's great surfing beach and massive pebble beach called a BERM – a term I had never come across before. We will return to have a closer look another day. Then a return visit to the lovely sheltered harbour of Solva where we went for short 2 mile walk followed by a hearty lunch at the Ship pub. After lunch, on through St Davids to Whitesands beach and a walk around St David’ Head. Stunning beach and walk – very weary on finishing as the ground was quite rough, but well pleased with ourselves..

Looks cosy to me! as snails crowd into a crack of a tree.

Gorgeous coloured leaves emerging on the coastal path.

Lime kilns on Solva beach

Limestone would have been brought in by boat and heated in these kilns to produce the lime mortars that Newport’s stone built houses would have been constructed with, they would also have been lime washed (a quicklime and water mix) on a regular basis to protect them from the elements.

A temperature of some 900-1000°C would have been required in the kilns to create the reaction that turns the limestone into quicklime. The lime kilns would have been loaded with intermittent layers of coal and limestone and from start to finish a time scale of some seven days would have been required to produce a batch of quicklime.

This was a dangerous and very strenuous job but the benefits when applied to acidic soil were, and still are, enormous.

The entrance to Solva harbour

This way please!

Mind you don't get your feet wet. On route round the Solva walk.

A secluded beach near St David's Head

Whitesands beach, a bit bright as I was shooting into the sun, but I had to get a picture!


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