Sorry for the radio silence on the ole' blog, but we've been beavering away on our new website,which should be up and launched by the end of today, gulp!
We're saying 'so long blogger, it was fun while it lasted'. Our new blog is powered by wordpress (all the best things are - if I could have a wordpress powered husband I would - so malleable, so sexy - gah!).
So - we hope you'll come and see us soon on the new Preseli Venture Ramblings... We should be there by tomorrow at the latest, and here's a sneaky peak of the new site...
Pembrokeshire Fish Week has always been one of the highlights of our gastronomic year - and for 2010 it seems that they're gone all out to put together a programme brim full of demonstrations, foodie celebs, and the best in local Pembrokeshire cuisine. And for 2010 ‘adventure’ has been added to this delicious menu!
Our friend Cathryn Nicholas has been working super hard getting the programme of events together, and we've asked her to write some words on the festival so we can see what's new and exciting for 2010.
Preseli Venture are excited to be involved in Pembrokeshire Fish week 2010, we'll be offering a day of adventure on Wednesday 30th June - join us for a full day or half day of coastal foraging, and fishy adventures!
In the morning we’re offering a half day sea kayaking adventure on the North Pembrokeshire coastline, we’ll take in sandy beaches, rock arches, echoing sea caves and tiny traditional fishing harbours. In the afternoon we’ll be going coasteering with a foraging twist ;) All the regular coasteering hijinx will be included (climbing, swimming, travsering and cliff jumping), but this time your coasteering guide will also introduce you to many of the ‘edibles’ that exist along our special stretch of coastline, yum!
So, without further ado – Cathryn’s details of all of the things that we have to look forward to at the festival …
“The countdown for Pembrokeshire Fish Week 2010 is on with only 9 weeks to go till our seriously fishy festival begins. Kicking off on Saturday 26th June at Milford Haven Docks, this really is a date for your diary that is a must for all!
There will be filleting demonstrations & competitions, children’s activities, live music walkabout entertainment, various stalls, a heritage trawler and lots, lots more as well as our new bistro style restaurant marquee where celebrity chefs Mitch Tonks and Matt Tebbutt will be cooking up a feast of fish with several local chefs from the county including Mel & Debs from the Blue Ball, Tenby and Andrew Swales from The Swan Inn, Little Haven.
If celeb chefs are your thing then why not join Valentine Warner of ‘What to Eat now’ on Wednesday 30th June at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven where he will entertain and encourage you with seasonal fish & shellfish dishes from the Welsh Coast
.
You can tantalise your tastebuds throughout the week with many opportunities for food lovers to enjoy seafood extravaganzas, locally-caught fish barbecues, freshly dressed crab salads and seafood chowders.
Sea Anglers and Coarse Fishermen will be in their element with two major competitions. The Stena Line Sea Angling Competition on Sunday 4th July and the Coarse Fishing Championships at Llyn Carfan from Monday 28th June – Friday 2nd July. There are big bucks to be won from both so if this is your sport then get hooked and get involved!! There are plenty more fishing events on throughout the week including learn to fish days and improve your skills events.
On Monday 28th June there'll be a screening of the controversial film ‘The End of the Line’ where host Simon Wright and a selected panel will be debating about the future sustainability of our fisheries! Grab your tickets now from the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven.
Don’t miss crabbing with the kids at Lowertown and Porthclais harbour, as well as craft opportunities in Fishguard, Tenby and Haverfordwest! Also, visit Goodwick beach when the Sea Trust South & West Wales shoot their seine net out and see how fishy Fishguard harbour is on Saturday 3rd July. This is a great way of discovering what marine life is in the tide.
Finally, how about getting your teeth into the Pembrokeshire Fish Week Photography Competition? This years theme is Coast and if your 15 years and over then why not give it a try. Entries need to have a title and can be emailed to: Cathryn.nicholas@pembrokeshire.gov.uk The deadline for entries is Wednesday June 9th. By entering you will be in with an opportunity to win £100.00 and a day in the studio with Ian Richards of Pembrokeshire Photography.
With over 250 events taking place there really is something for everyone as well as opportunities to try something you have never done before. "
For more details of the fishy fun you can connect with Pembrokeshire fish week on twitter and via their facebook page.
It was a beautiful Pembrokeshire day today so Libby got snap happy with the camera and put together a little photo blog - sweet!
This is where is starts, with a big cherry picker parked up outside the new office.
The cherry picker means that we get access to carpet the roof, something that we've always wanted to do (not really, it's because we've got a man coming to plaster the wall with a special splattering approach and we want to keep the roof nice).
It's a lovely view down to Abermawr from up on the roof.
...So Libby and Rob decide to take a walk down to the beach. And look what they found - one of the first bluebells - lovely :) It's going to be a carpet of bluebells down there soon, magic.
Ah bless em. They are allowed out of the office sometimes - and when they do it makes them feel v. happy :)
Oh, and Lily looks happy too.
Knarled tree down in the dingly dell.
A refreshing drink for Lily, the little stream that marks the end of the Abermawr woodland walk.
When we got a little email from VisitBritain saying that they were after some photos for the British Tourism Week poster I thought 'why not' and emailed a couple through.
Well, just imagine my suprise when they chose our little pics, and Sophie and Libby appeared on the poster in all of their glory. Ah, look at their happy faces. Libby is resplendent in the eco lodge courtyard, with Abermawr beach in the background. Sophie is donning a very fetching helmet, fair enough, she is coasteering, so we will excuse her choice of headwear on this occasion. Here we are ladies - you are the poster girls for British Tourism Week 2010 - enjoy ;)
"Bathing in the warmth of late afternoon sun, we glide sinuously out in the still water past the pastel-coloured cottages as a gaggle of gulls eyes us suspiciously from above".
"Kayaking gives you an entirely different perspective to life on land. Suddenly we are in a world of undiscovered caverns, inaccessible beaches, fishermen's 'keeps' bursting with shiny red lobster and gargantuan spider crab, the bald silhouettes of soft, slick seals popping up from time to time as they follow us unpeturbed. Arches, caverns and lonely needles stand proud among the white blasts of spray punctuating the black and silver granite beckoning us closer as the hours on the water pass."
"Our evenings are spent sitting in the cosy Preseli Venture eco lodge and tucking into well earned food which surpasses expectation every night. Candles are lit and a log burner nestles in the corner. A small bar serves much-needed red wine and cold beers..."
Rebecca has a lovely way with words, and she spends much of her time adventuring around the uk and further afield and writing super stories about it - you can live vicariously through her adventuring pleasure on her website - http://www.rebecca-corbally.co.uk
On of our favourite groups of visitors to Preseli Venture has to be our American study abroad students who come and stay with us - we promise them that they'll love coasteering on a weekend of adventures away from the city, we promise them frolics on the beach...and most of all we promise them that they will fall in LOVE with Wales and Pembrokeshire. And you know what? They do fall in love with Wales - they blog about it, they make little films about it, and they hook up with us on facebook. We never forget a face and we love to stay in touch when they hop back over the pond to resume their lives and start their careers post graduation. When Michael Flatt got in touch with a sweet little note about how much he had enjoyed his stay at Preseli Venture and to ask us to spread the word re. the lovely website that he'd developed we said 'yes, we'd love to!' So, here are Mike's ramblings on being an American in London, how Wales changed his life and some words on his new website...good luck Mike - and if you're a study abroad student in the UK check out the website as it's a terrific resource :)
"The old saying about Americans is we are generally oblivious to what goes on in the rest of the world.When you live in a nation as vast and isolated as the United States, it can be very difficult for citizens to conceptualize the cultural, social, and philosophical differences of faraway countries.However, studying abroad affords one the opportunity to live in a foreign city for an extended period of time and break out of his or her protective home shell.I was fortunate enough to be able to study abroad in London, England during the spring semester from January to May 2009.
As an American study abroad student in London, I found myself in a unique situation because of the extensive historical past shared between the British and American people.The United Kingdom is the homeland for many Americans, which lends an unexplainable fascination between the two countries.In Winston Churchill’s famous “Sinews of Peace” speech, he spoke of a fraternal association between the British Commonwealth and the United States of America.I can now look back on my study abroad experience and wholeheartedly agree with Churchill’s sentiment.Throughout my time in London, I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the royalty and tradition that defines British culture while interacting with other students who were just as interested in learning about American society.
This experience taught me a very important lesson: as a study abroad student you have a tremendous amount of responsibility in representing your home country in a positive way because those you interact with will retain your information in their mind forever.I discovered when you have the opportunity to converse with someone from a different country on a regular basis you begin to break away from your own labels and realize that most people generally hold the same core values at heart.
One of the more enjoyable perks of studying abroad was the ability to travel at will.My most memorable weekend trip was with Preseli Venture in Wales.Preseli Venture is an outdoor adventure venue located on the edge of a national park off the majestic Wales coast.It offers students, travelers, and companies an adventure filled weekend complete with both individual and team building activities.While studying abroad is often fun and exhilarating, it can also be emotionally draining on a student who is living a new life abroad.
Therefore, Preseli Venture was critical to the success of my overall study abroad experience because it allowed me to escape the city life and regroup in a relaxing coastal environment.Through the help of positive and upbeat guides who obviously enjoyed their jobs, I was motivated to try adventurous activities I normally would have been reluctant to partake in, such as sea kayaking and coasteering.With sea kayaking, I learned how to paddle through traverse surf while successfully staying in my kayak.In coasteering, I learned the proper techniques of rock climbing and rock gully swimming before proceeding to jump off cliffs into the arctic-like February temperatures of the Wales coast.Now, whenever I tell myself I can’t do something I just remember what I did in Wales.I can’t thank the people at Preseli Venture enough for providing me with such a rewarding life experience.
After my study abroad semester came to a close, I felt compelled to share my learning experience with others.Before going abroad, I had very little information available to me in terms of what to expect while living in London, adjusting to the British education system, and dealing with unforeseen events that may arise. As a result, I created the website AbroadinLondon.net both as a resource to alleviate some of the initial anxiety future London study abroad students may face and as a way for me to document my unforgettable memories from abroad."
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