There and Back

Wicken Fen was the very first nature reserve owned by the National Trust and has been in their care since 1899. To quote the National Trust :  `For more than 100 years we've worked hard to protect the rare species that live at Wicken through intensive management of the fen habitats. This has become increasingly difficult and by the late 20th Century it had become clear we could not protect this unique place because the nature reserve was just too small & too isolated.  The Wicken Fen Vision is an ambitious project to create a landscape scale nature reserve stretching from Wicken Fen to the edge of Cambridge, creating new habitats for both wildlife and humans. In 1999, we launched the Wicken Fen Vision, a 100 year plan to extend the reserve from Wicken to the outskirts of Cambridge, covering an area of 5300 sq hectares.  Our aim is to buy land as and when it comes up for sale, and restore it to fen and wetland habitat. We gradually raise water levels and use ...

The whole purpose of this trip was to visit Skomer and hopefully photograph the puffins, so today was much anticipated. we checked first thing in the morning and to our relief, the ferry was running. In fact, because of the previous cancellations, it was running more trips than normal. We manage to get tickets for the 11:30 am with a return of 5:00 pm. So plenty of time to wander around the island. The day was gray and misty but lifted as soon as we stepped onto the shore giving us glorious weather for our stay. So, onto our boat for the 15 min. trip. One of the first indications that you are entering a special place, is the presents, overhead and on the water all around the boat, of hundreds of puffins. As we landed they were perched all around us just watching and seemingly unconcerned. Having had our guide giving us the details of the great care to be taken around these wonderful creatures and the other inhabitants of the island, we headed off to the main puf...

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 Campbells 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 bro...

Pembrokeshire is one of our favourite places in the UK, and the small island of Skomer off the coast with it's amazing wildlife, an obvious attraction. So, with this in mind we booked a cottage in Little Haven which is an area we have stayed in before, and is not too distant from the embarkation point for the island. The weather did not look to promising when we arrived and was not much better on the Sunday, resulting in the cancellation of the ferry. Monday is a rest day which left us with fingers crossed for our last day of tuesday! Little Haven as we walked down the hill toward the village from our holiday cottage. On Broad Haven beach but not sure what this gate is for! Little Haven beach - such crowds! Some patterns in the sand. Settlands Beach and flowers taken on the path above as we walked between the two Havens. I just loved the colours against the fluffy clouds in the blue sky. Rosey contemp...