Last weekend, we went on a flying visit to my home county of Pembrokeshire to celebrate our engagement with my family. It came at a good time, as I needed my fill of coastal views and sea air. We started with a dog walk around Pembroke Castle and the Mill Pond in Pembroke, which remains one of my favourite walks of all time. I love walking around the old walls and imagining times gone by when the castle was inhabited. The Mill Pond is also a great place for some bird watching – we saw two herons, four cormorants and loads of swans and ducks.

After a spot of lunch at the Quayside Cafe in Lawrenny, we went for a walk around Carew Castle and the old mill. It’s a magnificent structure and a lovely little walk after a delicious lunch. I wish I’d appreciated these buildings more when I lived in Pembrokeshire and I’d love to learn more about their history. (At the moment, I like to make things up about their history and it’s a bit of a cross between Game of Thrones and The Tudors!) Finally, Sunday morning called for a visit to Freshwater West. As soon as I stepped out of the car and smelt the salt in the air, I felt restored. Sadly, this wasn’t to last as there were thousands (not exaggerating) of jelly fish washed up on the shoreline and they covered the beach. Poppy likes to bite them and fling them about. So we had quite a stressful walk, trying to keep her away from them and a few dead seagulls. Either way, there’s something about being by the sea that just fills my soul, even if it’s just for a few minutes!