January – birdsong starting to be the background noise, glimpses of garden birds busy searching for food around the garden and farmyard and lots of snipe sitting on the moor flapping up and flying away when we pass on our rounds to check the ponies. Flocks of starlings murmurating at dusk and occasionally flying by during the daytime, while groups of chaffinches hop about in the hedges.
February – Greater spotted woodpeckers knocking out their territory on two large trees either side of the farmyard, and the sound of a lonely goose somewhere on the moor…
This year Wales is celebrating discovery, encouraging visitors to explore and learn about this fantastic and unique little country.
Here in Pembrokeshire we have many diverse and wild landscapes including coast, mountains, estuaries, forest, ancient woodlands, river valleys and moors with their associated geology, archaeology, history, wildlife and culture. The coast and Preseli Mountains are protected by The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and there is a 186 mile National Trail, The Pembrokeshire Coast Path, giving access to every bit of this spectacular stretch of coastline.
Pembrokeshire boasts over 100 beaches, many pristine, wild and beautiful with 11 Blue Flags, 12 Green Coast, 11 Seaside and 21 Rural Seaside awards. We have over 20 stunning beaches within a 20 minute drive of the campsite, some easily accessible with parking, toilets and cafe/ice cream vans and others more remote and truly wild requiring a short walk and maybe sets of steps or even a rope to get to!
Head inland into The Preseli Mountains to find the origin of Stonehenge’s bluestones and discover ancient burial mounds, old quarrying ruins and miles of off road cycling and walking. You may find the Bluestone Brewery for refreshments while you’re there!
We regularly get out and about adventuring ourselves; from walking, cycling, swimming, kayaking, surfing, fishing, snorkeling, running, rock climbing, picnicking, wildlife watching, photography and beach combing to visiting castles, historic houses and gardens, nature reserves and sampling local food. So we can recommend suitable places for our campers to go to get the experiences they are after!
We have links with local adventure provider TYF for organised activities including coasteering, surfing, paddle boarding and rock climbing and can organise discounts for activities for our campers.
We also have discount vouchers for Thousand Island Expeditions who offer guided wildlife boat trips to Ramsey Island and the offshore islands to see seabirds including Razorbills, Guillemots, Gannets and Puffins and cetaceans including Dolphins, Porpoises and Whales in addition to the fascinating geology, history and marine science of this coastline.
On 12th May 2018 the West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre volunteers came to our site to conduct a wildlife survey as a follow up to the one they carried out in July 2017. The night before 3 moth traps were set up.
WWBIC recorders May 2018
On the day of the survey the sun shone all day and the recorders were on site for 9 hours surveying birds, invertebrates, plants and fungi. We were graced with a fly by just as we prepared to empty the moth traps first thing in the morning by a Goshawk – one of only 9 pairs in Pembrokeshire.
Emperor Moth
In the moth traps were less species than last July (a record 120 species) but some nice species like the Emperor Moth and Puss Moth.
The plant list from 2017 was added to with species found in the ancient hedgerows, woodland and field margins, including Royal Fern (Osmundus Regalis) and wild Solomon’s Seal.
Royal Fern: >70yrs old
We have copies of the full lists of species recorded here so if any of our campers are interested we can share this information and point any enthusiasts in the right direction to discover what our incredibly diverse site has to offer!
