Attention all our #WagWednesday dog walkers – join us for a fun day on the Great Orme in Llandudno, to celebrate the summer opening of footpaths at our neighbouring National Trust Parc Farm…
Visitors to Paws in the Parc on Saturday, June 16, can enjoy dog shows and demonstrations, and get a chance to look around and learn about the conservation work being done at this special farm.
Our NT Wales ranger Doug Don (seen above with his own faithful hound Flynn) says: “We had 200 visitors last year for our first dog fun day and everyone had a great time. This year it’s going to be bigger and better – a fun day for all the family and four-legged friends.”
The Great Orme is one of Britain’s top five botanical sites. The limestone headland is home to rare species of plants and animals, some of which are found nowhere else on earth, and their future requires a more traditional way of farming.
Tenant farmer Dan Jones (seen below with his family) manages Parc Farm for National Trust Wales where he close shepherds his flock – provided by the conservation charity Plantlife – on the rugged grassland, working alongside Trust rangers and volunteers to manage and maintain the landscape and welcome visitors.
Last year the team created two new footpaths across the farm, which open from June to December (closed in the winter during lambing and while birds are nesting).
Ranger Doug says: “Last year we opened two footpaths giving access to an area which has been closed to the public for generations. It gives people the chance to see the farming going on, spot the Chough in the fields near the summit and the unique wildflowers. Hopefully it will help people understand what we’re doing here and why the sheep are so important for the conservation of the Great Orme.”
Plants such as Hoary Rockrose thrive on the Orme (Image:Plantlife)
Paws at the Parc is being supported by Conwy County Borough Council, Plantlife, Valley Training and Pont. Running from 11am to 3pm, there will be a fun dog show, obedience demonstrations, a sheep shearing demo by farmer Dan and guided walk by ranger Doug, information stalls by local groups and children’s craft activities.
There is limited parking at the Orme summit car park, also public transport available from the town via the Great Orme Tramway and the cable car (which all accept dogs). Follow the signposts for the event from the summit car park. Owners are asked to keep their dogs on short leads within the farm walls, and under close control elsewhere around the headland where there are livestock.
If anyone would like to know more about our work on the Great Orme contact our National Trust office on 01492 650460 or check out @ParcFarmNT on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ParcFarmNT
Our head gardener John Rippin was able to give the well-known horticulturists Bob Flowerdew, Mathew Biggs, Pippa Greenwood and Eric Robson a little pre-show tour of the garden. Mother Nature obligingly set the scene – during the late afternoon the chill wind dropped, clouds parted, even the sun showed itself and (I kid you not) bird song filled the frosty air.
Invigorated (if a little breathless…but the walk to the Dell viewpoint was declared well worth it) our guests then returned to a full house at the Pavilion tearoom where they expertly rattled their way through audience questions, with trademark warmth and humour, providing their thoughts on topics from whether to prune an overgrown magnolia (NO!), to how gardening can tend the troubled soul.
The star on our tree is the Winter Garden. This feature was opened five years ago after a major garden renovation and is now bursting with colour, texture and scent. As other gardens are going to sleep the Winter Garden springs into life; flowers, foliage and bark creating a real winter pick-me-up for the senses. A cold weather forecast is an added bonus – it looks even more beautiful with a dusting of frost and snow.
Our Coast Redwood in The Dell is in the Wales finals for the 
Special evening dining at the Pavilion tearoom will be yet another new venture for the garden’s dynamic catering team. Catering manager Ailsa Morris (right) says: “It’s been a great year for my team. Our next exciting challenge is the launch of seasonal dining evenings – and hopefully the pudding tasting is the perfect way to whet people’s appetites.”
Here at Bodnant Garden we’re inviting visitors to enjoy our own meadows at their swaying, summer peak, swishing with the sound of Yellow Rattle seed-heads and buzzing with insects. We recently welcomed local school children – our events and engagement officer Charlie led the pupils of Ysgol Eglwysbach on a perfect, sunny nature trail around Furnace Meadow, newly opened to the public this year.
Bodnant gardeners Hollie, Christina, Harvey with Trevor Dines of Plantlife on their field trip to Trevor’s meadow, spotting Eye Bright, Bird’s Foot Trefoil and Betany – indicators of a propsering meadow.
Bodnant Garden Blog 