The 2020 and 2021 Reunions did not take place due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic.
Reunion 2019
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The 2019 Reunion was organised by Janet Rice and Rob Williams as Reunion Secretaries and took place as follows:
WEDNESDAY
12 and THURSDAY 13 JUNE 2019
Wednesday 12 June: Dinefwr Parc National Nature
Reserve
Directions to Dinefwr Parc By road: NB Do
not use Sat Nav because the postcode will mislead
you! From
Swansea in the South, take the M4 to Pont Abraham, then A48T to Cross Hands,
and A476 to Llandeilo. Dinefwr Parc is off the A40, just
west of Llandeilo. From the roundabout on the A40 at Llandeilo, take the A40
towards Carmarthen and after 0.7miles turn left onto Carmarthen Road at the
brown tourist sign to National Trust Dinefwr Parc.
After 0.5 miles, turn right into the ornamental gates at the signposted
entrance to Dinefwr Parc, continue for 0.7miles to
the car park and look for the yellow balloons! By public transport: The nearest bus
stop and train station are in Llandeilo. There is a
local taxi company: Llandeilo Taxis – 01558 822020. 10.00 Members
arrive at the National Trust for Wales’ Dinefwr Parc. National Trust members are asked to scan their membership
cards at the Visitor Information Centre in the car park. Walk to the right of
the Centre, through the gates and bear right to the main entrance of Newton
House, where we will have refreshments in the Tea Room. 10.30 Welcome by our chair, David Goode
Introduction to Dinefwr estate by Dai Hart (Lead
Conservation Ranger) and Mike Howe (Land and Nature Management Planner).This
will cover the estate’s history, its conservation designations, and priorities
for land conservation in the context of the National Trust’s Land and Nature
Initiative. There will be time for questions and discussion. 12.00 Picnic
outside Newton House, in the grounds of Dinefwr Parc.
12.45
Members choose one of the
following routes around this 800acre microcosm of Welsh heritage and natural
history: •
Longer walk –
led by Dai Hart and Mike Howe (3.5
miles, 2 – 3 hrs) Starting from the front of Newton House at 12.45, the
route will take in the deer park, mill pond, floodplain of the river Tywi and oxbow lakes before returning to Dinefwr Parc via Llandyfeisant church,
with an opportunity to talk about the White Park Cattle herd on the way back. •
Shorter walk –
led by Carol Bailey, Ranger (1.5 miles, 1 - 1.5hrs) Starting from the front of Newton House at 1pm, the route
will cover the deer park, mill pond and boardwalk, following Brown’s path (named after Capability
Brown, who is said to have suggested the route). The focus will be the deer
herd and its management, and the parkland and its veteran oaks (some 200 oaks
in excess of 600 years old). •
Tractor Trailer
Tour – led by Rhodri Thomas, Stockman/Ranger and Sarah Jones, Ranger (about
1hr) Leaving from the Visitor Information Centre at 1.15pm, the
tour will be based around the White Park Cattle Herd, its place in Dinefwr’s and Welsh
history, and how the herd is used to support conservation of the in-hand land
at Dinefwr. The trailer can take a maximum of 16 people – please indicate on
your booking form if you would like a place and we will be in touch after the
closing date. Members return to Newton House and disperse to
accommodation. Annual dinner at Newton House, Dinefwr Parc 17.30 Bar
opens in the Tea Room 18.00-19.00 Pre-dinner discussion in
the Dining Room on “Leave or Remain – securing European-level protection for
SSSIs”, led by Mike Wilkinson (NCC/EN/NE).
As usual, there will be no seating plan for
dinner. After the discussion, please
collect your place card from the Tea Room and choose your seat for dinner. Those not joining the pre-dinner discussion
may meet in the bar beforehand and collect their place card. 19.15-19.45 Business meeting at tables. 20.00-22.00 Annual
dinner. This will be a three-course meal, chosen in advance from the enclosed menu. Drinks, including house wines, beer and
cider, may be purchased from the bar. Thursday 13 June: Waun Las National Nature
Reserve
Directions to Waun
Las NNR, National Botanic Garden of Wales, SA32 8HN By road: The National Botanic Garden of
Wales (NBGW) is most easily accessed from the A48 east of Carmarthen. From Llandeilo, travel south on the A483. After just over a mile
at Ffairfach, turn right onto the A476. After 0.5
miles, fork left to stay on the A476 until you reach a roundabout on the A48.
Turn right on the A48 towards Carmarthen and travel just over 3 miles to the
exit signposted to the B4310 and the NBGW.
By public transport: Unfortunately, it
is not possible to reach NBGW in time for our 10.00 start. 09.45
Members assemble outside
gatehouse of the NBGW (mobility scooters are available to hire for £5 and may
be booked in advance on 01558 667149; some manual wheelchairs may be available
free of charge on the day). 10.00 Introduction
to NBGW and Waun Las NNR by Bruce Langridge
(Head of Interpretation). The 400acre NNR is an organic working farm, set on
Regency parkland, farmed primarily to improve its biodiversity, with a herd of
60-70 Welsh black cattle and a flock of Tywi Valley Balwen sheep. 10.30 Members choose one of the following
routes to explore 370acres of lowland grassland, wet woodlands and rhos pastures, and debate the innovative management of this
organic farm: •
Longer walk
– led by Bruce Langridge:
Exploring Waun Las NNR (2.5 miles, 2hrs) The route across grazed fields will include a waxcap meadow of international importance and a wet meadow
rich in Carmarthenshire’s county flower, the whorled caraway, as well as a
species-rich hay meadow (Cae Tegeirianau
– Welsh for Orchid Field) and Cae Waun,
a pasture which was experimentally converted to a hay meadow in 2016 using
green hay from Cae Tegeirianau.
If time allows, the group will visit a strip of species-rich rhos pasture that was translocated
here 10 years ago. The walk will also take in the Garden’s developing arboretum
and the £6m Regency lake restoration project. It will conclude at the world’s
biggest single span Great Glasshouse. •
A shorter,
easier, walk – led by Huw Jones, NNR farmer (1.5
miles, 1 hr) This group will leave the longer walk group at the field
called Cae Calch, explore
the waxcap meadow, Cae Treillon and return to the world’s biggest single span
Great Glasshouse. •
A visit to a
species-rich hay meadow - led by the
garden’s Science Officer Dr Kevin McGinn The meadow is a 5-minute walk from the garden’s Stable
Block, a Regency building that now houses a shop, gallery, restaurant and
toilets. The Stable Block is 0.25 miles from the Gatehouse entrance, but
visitors can use the buggy service to avoid the walk. Although most of the
formal garden area is wheelchair accessible, damp ground often makes Cae Trawscoed unsuitable for
wheelchairs. A bench is situated halfway along the path through the meadow. Cae Trawscoed
hay meadow was mapped predominantly as an improved meadow in an early 1990s
Phase One Habitat Survey, but since the late 1990s, it has been managed as a
hay meadow, with one late summer cut, occasional winter grazing and no
artificial fertiliser. As fertility reduced, Yellow Rattle spread, and it has
gradually, evolved a species-rich flora that includes over 1000 spikes of four
native orchid species, including Greater Butterfly-orchid. 13.15 Lunchtime
picnic outside the Stable Block Members will be free to spend time in most other parts of
the garden without charge, although there is a fee to visit the British
Bird of Prey Centre. Members’ farewells and disperse. |