Eleven members of PNTA were taken on a guided tour by Roddy Milne, Head Gardener at Picton Castle.

For twenty years there have been plans to restore the walled garden. After many written applications for funding sources, with ever changing criteria, Heritage Lottery Fund provided great support.

The pineapples on the entrance pillars are copies of the originals, but the aim overall was to avoid the structures appearing “new”.

Ecology has been respected. Creating holes in the walls has been rewarded by a pied flycatcher nest. In the yard beyond the fernery, where wilder areas were being reconstructed, reptiles were trapped and transferred to similar habitat elsewhere on the estate. Lizards need to be caught early in the day, before they have warmed up, otherwise they move too fast!

The present walled garden was always used for show and prestige. (Fruit and veg were grown in another walled garden, that is now outside the area controlled by the Picton Castle Trust.) The records of the plants grown rely heavily on flower competition certificates, featuring mainly chrysanthemums.

Now visitor numbers to Picton are increasing, enabling the appointment of more staff to the gardening team. The work of 6-8 volunteers on one day a week remains invaluable.

Some beds remain the same, particularly the rose borders, where the bushes have been carefully chosen for their ability to cope with the Pembrokeshire climate.

Other themed borders have been newly planted. The Mediterranean section had a five inch layer of sand spread across the surface, then dug in, to give excellent drainage.

On the outer side of the southern wall, a South African border has been created, featuring 30 varieties of agapanthus, in addition to red hot pokers et al.

Herbs have been moved to an area beyond northern wall, near the fernery. This zone has not yet been opened to visitors, but it will be used for education, with teaching rooms and information displays.  The restored green house has an aluminium frame on a brick base, with excellent ventilation to avoid excessive temperatures.

Roddy was thanked for giving such an informative tour, and members were then free to enjoy lunch at Maria’s and explore more of the castle grounds.

Report by Andrew Weaver

This walk proved very popular, and was fully booked within 24 hours.

PNTA members were treated on a sunny day to a short walk across Amroth beach that allowed us to see many geological features, within a short distance. These were highlighted and clearly explained by our walk leader, Chris Evans, a retired teacher and volunteer at Colby NT.

Coal seams, sunken forest, limestone pavements and iron deposits were seen, with rock faults and folds explained. The band of the marker bed, which occurs across the world, was visible in the cliff and at our feet. (See photos.)

Chris Evans has kindly written a more detailed report on the walks that can be seen by clicking below.

Our thanks to Pat Morgan for organising the walk and to Chris Evans for sharing his knowledge, with clarity.

This post is by Andrew Weaver.

Funds raised from Pembrokeshire National Trust events, before Coronavirus restrictions, enabled a donation of £2500 to Pembrokeshire National Trust.

The funds will be used as follows.

 At Stackpole, a bench to commemorate 125 years of the National Trust will be constructed. An extra picnic bench will be provided for Stackpole Quay. Tenby Tudor Merchant’s House will have a flame effect fire basket for the kitchen. At Colby Woodland Gardens the money will be used to buy backpacks. When filled with equipment and information sheets the packs can be loaned out to help younger visitors find out more about trees, while visiting the estate.

Thirteen members of PNTA joined Richard Ellis, former Head Warden for Pembrokeshire National Trust and wildlife enthusiast, for a gentle stroll in Minwear Woods. Richard coaxed us to listen out for the variety of birdsong.

Here are Richard’s notes on the findings:-

“We gathered at the picnic site in Minwear Wood. Plenty of birdsong greeted us: mistle thrush, song thrush, blackbird, robin and blackcap were all in good voice where we were parked. Chiffchaff and willow warbler – similar species told apart by their songs – sang in the young coppice woodland along the road, the monotonous “chiff-chaff” of the former, and the liquid cascade of the latter. Great tit, wren, woodpigeon and nuthatch sang or called from the wood, raven and long-tailed tit flew over. We then walked up into the tall beech woodland on the south side of the road, and after a few hundred yards found the bird we were looking for – a wood warbler, who put on a fine performance for us near the track. This specialist of beech and western oak woodland, with not many sites in Pembrokeshire, sings and feeds in the canopy, the two elements of his song being a shivering trill and a ringing “pew pew pew”. Further along a surprise bonus – two spotted flycatchers feeding high up. Not everyone saw these, but nice to know they were there. Back to the road and into the woodland on the north side, and another wood warbler. We walked further west and down past the limekiln to the shore, where we added to our total with shelduck, a pair of Canada geese, buzzard, lesser black-backed gull and mallard. Back through the wood and up the steps to the road, clocking up yet another wood warbler and a great spotted woodpecker. We saw or heard around 25 species in all.”

Our grateful thanks to Richard for leading the walk and sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm. Thanks also to Pat Morgan for arranging the event.

A booking system remains in place. The maximum number of members who will be able to attend each walk has been set at 20 and because of this they will be strictly for members only. When booking your place you will need to give your name and a telephone contact number to enable pre or post walk contact if necessary. Your place will be confirmed. Please ensure you cancel if you subsequently find you are unable to attend. If you do not receive confirmation your name will be placed on a reserve list and should a cancellation occur you will be contacted. Members who turn up on the day without booking will not be able to join the walk. 

For those who have not been on our walks before they are not arduous and seek to inform as much as exercise us. You may like to bring a picnic chair and light refreshments to enjoy some time together after the walks. 

The booking contact for both walks
is :-Pat Morgan
Email themorganhouse@btinternet.com or Phone/text 07866242924 . 

Thursday June 17th 3pm to 4:30 pm(approx)
The Pembrokeshire Coalfield and the Amroth coal seams with Chris Evans . Chris ,a knowledgeable and enthusiastic geologist will lead a walk in the Amroth area.His walk will take us on a stroll along Amroth beach to the west side and include facts on the Amroth coal seams, the rocks of the western cliffs, their fossils and faults, and evidence associated with The Colby Estate. 

We will meet at the roadside car park opposite the Templebar and Smugglers Pubs/ restaurants at 3pm. Booking for this walk opens on Thursday June 10th. 

Thursday July 15th 7pm to 8:30pm(approx)
A visit to Stackpole Estate with Lead Ranger Haydn Garlick.
Haydn will lead us from Lodge Park Wood to the Belvedere where the new seat sponsored by the PNTA is being sited. Work has started on the seat so it may be in situ for us to see. We will return by walking through Castle Dock Wood.
We will meet at Lodge Park Wood car park at 7pm. Booking for this walk opens on Thursday July 8th. 

Please note the following guidance.
If you have any COVID-19 symptoms you must not attend the guided walk, When attending a guided walk you may wish to bring your own alcohol based hand sanitiser, face covering and basic first aid kit. Please always follow the Welsh Government’s guidelines on physical distancing. You are encouraged not to share food, drink or equipment such as walking poles. If you develop symptoms of possible Covid within 10 days of the walk, please let the organiser know, and arrange a Covid test. 

Visit to Picton Castle Gardens 

10:30am on Wednesday 30th June.

Roddy Milne, the head gardener at Picton Castle is willing to do a special tour for PNTA members about the renovation of the walled garden. 

Although many projects came to a grinding halt due to the Covid crisis, the renovation work made good progress.
All being well, the tour will start at the walled garden at The cost will be £6 for the tour per person, plus the cost of admission to the grounds for those who are not Picton season ticket holders, or RHS, Historic Houses or Art Fund members. Pay at the entrance hut. The grounds open at 10am, and it will take time to pay and stroll to the meeting place. 

Places would need to be booked in advance. We will need a minimum number of 10 to make it viable, and Picton would prefer a maximum of 16, to enable social distancing.
If the weather forecast is bad, there may need to be a last minute postponement, but a bit of rain won’t necessarily stop play. Following the tour, you will be free to explore the grounds. 

Maria’s cafe offers tasty food if you want to linger for lunch, or it is fine to bring a picnic. 

The advice about booking and attending is the same as for the walks, but please book with Andrew by contacting him on 

andrew.pnta@gmail.com or Andrew Weaver, Larks Rising, Kiln Park, Burton

Milford Haven SA73 1NY

Visit to Bishop’s Palace, St Davids

Monday 13th September : A member of CADW staff will lead a tour. Entrance fee of £4:00 to be paid on the day.

Contact Andrew (details as above.)

Bookings are  being taken now.

In the first PNTA activity since March 2020, a group of twelve gathered at Marloes, for a socially distanced stroll with Richard Ellis, former Head Warden for Pembrokeshire National Trust and wildlife enthusiast. Having seen numerous swallows flying over Marloes Mere, using it as a refuelling venue en route to Africa, we headed across the fields to join the coast path. There choughs made their appearance. Walking on to Deer Park we looked down on the beaches to see grey seal pups.

Thanks to Pat Morgan for organising the event. See below for her detailed account of the of the stroll and extra sightings.

With the benefits of many old maps and aerial photographs Steve Whitehead told the tale of Colby’s mining history and the scattering of mineshafts through the grounds that lead to an exit on Amroth Beach. The tough conditions for the miners, often children, were detailed.

Derek Brockway, in a recent TV programme ‘Weatherman Walking” featured volunteers at Colby with Steve, making areas of past mine workings visible, but safe.

To read Jim Price’s report on the talk click –>5 3 20 Talk Steve Whitehead on Colby Mining

Richard Fenton was born in 1747. Dr Davies described his  early years in St Davids, followed by education at Haverfordwest Grammar School and Oxford.

After a time in the legal profession in London, Richard Fenton was a circuit judge in Wales. An inheritance from his uncle enabled him to build a home in Lower Fishguard. He spent time on various tours of Pembrokeshire, usually on horseback. These he recorded in a book, and Dr Davies detailed some of these journeys, illustrated by some fine recent photographs of places visited.

For Jim Price’s more detailed report click —>Talk 06 02 20

David is secretary of the West Wales Maritime Heritage Society.

He talked about ships torpedoed off the Pembrokeshire coast in the final months of World War 1. A restored memorial at Angle Church has led to new links with Japan in recents years, both at ambassador and family level.

To see Jim Price’s more detailed report click –>Talk 02 01 20

This talk covered the evolution of Postal services from the 1600s to the middle of the 19th century, initially serving Government needs, then the well off, before the penny post made its use widespread. Pembrokeshire featured in the early postal service, as mail needed to get to Ireland, and Rev Antell showed maps of the evolving routes and photographs of envelopes with challenging limited address information.

To see Jim Price’s more detailed report on the presentation click –>Early Postal Services Talk 05 12 19