A Pembrokeshire Landmark for the UK's Camping & Caravanning Club!

I haven't properly blogged about it until now but my family run the Dyfed Shire Horse Farm in Eglwyswrw, north Pembrokeshire. I'm delighted to blog that they have become the 1,500 Certificated Site of the UK's Camping and Caravanning Club!

The farm, which is just a few miles south of the Ceredigion border and my home town of Cardigan, is run by my brother after my mother retired at the end of 2009 after running it for 15 years. We opened the farm for a month in 1992 and properly for the spring and summer season in 1994 as a means of diversification so that we could sustain the long and proud tradition of keeping the family shire horses on the farm in memory of my maternal grandfather J.R.Lewis who passed away at the end of 1991 and who was a Shire Horse man to his bones.

I spent my summer months as a teenager working on the farm whilst friends would be enjoying the freedom of their summer holidays. Looking back, it was a great experience for me as it put me into constant contact with people and it certainly stood me in good stead many years later for my time in public service.

Horses and Hills - A Perfect Camping Match!

Huw, the eldest of us 5 children (I'm the baby of the family!), has now been running it for some 18 months and has renewed the farm attraction and is now expanding out into unchartered waters.

The Camping and Caravanning Club!
A new chapter in the development of the family business was opened last week when, after much inspection, the farm became the 1,500th certified member of the UK's Camping and Caravanning Club as can be read here in their own press release on reaching this landmark.

To quote the Friendly Club's own website:

The site is in a secluded and picturesque area of the farm and campers have free access to its facilities for the duration of their stay.

The farm is a member of Farms for Schools, which means their facilities meet required standards for health and safety and educational resources.

Site owner, Huw Murphy, said: “We were looking to diversify from our core business and noticed that a lot of our visitors were camping in the area.

“As campers with two young children ourselves, we wanted to provide a smaller, less commercialised site similar to those we often look for when booking our own holidays.”

Facilities on site include toilets and showers, a farm trail and an onsite shop and cafe where campers can pre-order breakfasts and lunches.

Attractions on the farm itself include Shire Horses, rare-breed sheep and pigs, indoor and outdoor play areas and donkey rides.

The Club’s Exempted Camping Manager, Damien Field, said: “We are delighted to have achieved this milestone, which means we can offer our members more places to camp than ever before.

“Dyfed Shire Horse Farm is an excellent example of some of the diverse attractions our Certificated Sites offer and we’re pleased to welcome owners Huw and Nikki to the network.”

With stunning, peaceful views of the Preseli Hills, it really is a great location to pitch up for the evening - particularly as the field adjacent is the home to our month old filly foal and her mother!

If you would like to book a pitch at the Dyfed Shire Horse Farm, please contact the site directly on 01239 891 107.

Well done indeed to Huw and Nikki! An excellent piece of rural diversification!

Milford Haven Coastguard Centre is Saved

Excellent news this afternoon from London as the UK Government have announced a much welcome u-turn in its original decision to close Milford Haven and Holyhead Coastguard Stations.

The original plans were widely condemned as 11 of the 18 UK-wide bases were earmarked for closure under extreme measures to cut down on costs with only 3 remaining open 24 hours a day. But now, 11 will remain open and all of them will be open 24 hours a day.

A large campaign to save our station here in west Wales has proved successful as this BBC News article states. Holyhead will also remain open in north Wales to ensure that this part of the union is well guarded but the bad news is that Swansea station which was to be downgraded is now to be closed all together under these revised plans.

For us here on the fringes of the Welsh coast however, it is vindication of the campaign to ensure that we are not forgotten here in rural west Wales.

Local Pressure
The centre of the campaign to save Milford Haven was of course concentrated in Pembrokeshire itself but here in Ceredigion, we more than did our bit. Mark Williams MP wrote to the Government calling on it to change its decision as did Ceredigion County Council. We even sent a strongly felt and worded letter from Cardigan Town Council to the same end.

It's therefore very gratifying to see that public pressure and concern has been listen too by the powers that be and that this essential resource is to remain open and will allow the invaluable service that it helps provide to go unimpeded in the years ahead.

Tragedy at Pembroke Oil Refinery

The news this evening is that 2 people have been killed in an explosion caused by a collision at the Chevron oil refinery near Pembroke in west Wales.

Details are sketchy at present and it is not sure whether it was two petrol tankers that collided with one another or otherwise at 6.30pm this evening but in addition to the unconfirmed fatalities, it is said that one man has been flown by air ambulance to Morriston Hospital in Swansea with burns injuries.

The site, which can refine 220,000 barrels of crude oil a day into petrol and other products, first came on stream in 1964. The refinery was initially owned by the Regent Oil Company, a large domestic marketer of Trinidad-produced oils. Regent was fully acquired by Texaco in 1956. Today the refinery is owned and branded by the Chevron Corporation, as a result of their acquisition of Texaco. Chevron put the refinery up for sale in late 2009, and have agreed the sale for £750M to Valero Energy Corporation



Relatives of friends of mine work at the plant and indeed my father's brother, my Uncle Desmond worked at the plant for many many years when it was owned by Texaco before he retired in the late 1990s. He passed away in 1999 and his retirement present from his colleagues at the Texaco plant, a large wooden mantlepiece clock with an engraved plaque now takes pride of place in my living room here in Cardigan. So this has come as quite a shock as one who knows of the area extremely well.

Indeed, I blogged here back in September of my many Pembrokeshire haunts and as I said then, one of those is the eery village of Rhoscrowther which sits in the shadow of this giant of 20th century energy production. I actually passed by the refinery only last summer on a random day-trip tour of the county with Matt King who needed ingratiating in many of our fine castles. I asked him to indulge my need to visit the village which my parents told me as a child had been cleared in the 1960s in preparation for the coming of the new refinery. All that remains now of what was an old medieval village is it's church and a few old pre-fab houses. Standing above it all, is this huge refinery. You really have to go there to realise just how much it overwhelmes the visual senses.

Tonight, it and everyone connected with it is in a state of shock as what looks to have been an awful accident has resulted in fatal consquences. My thoughts are with those families who are associated with this 1,400 strong operation at this deeply distressful time.

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Post Script
The news this morning is that 4 people have been killed with Dyfed-Powys Police saying that the explosion was in a 730 cubic metre storage tank, where maintenance was being carried out.

It's a horrific industrial accident and my thoughts are with everyone involved with the plant.

A Word of Congratulations to Paul Davies AM - Interim Welsh Conservative Party Leader

One of the big stories from Thursday's Welsh Assembly election was the Welsh Conservative Party's loss of its leader Nick Bourne AM.

Because of the vagaries of the AMS electoral system used here in Wales, the Conservatives' success in winning Montgomeryshire and holding onto Preseli Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire constituencies meant that their Mid & West Wales regional Assembly Member and leader lost his seat. Their very success, meant that their leader was ejected from his seat in Cardiff Bay having led his party there for a decade. As he himself admitted, it was a 'bittersweet moment' - the pleasure of political success tinged with the personal loss of his own position.

Step Forward Paul Davies AM
So one of the early post-election questions has centred around the person of Nick Bourne's replacement. Because now that the Conservatives have for the first time in the Assembly's history, overtaken Plaid Cymru by 14 seats to 11, they are now the seond largest party in the Senedd and their new leader will automatically become the leader of the opposition (a post also held by Nick Bourne in the last Labour-Plaid Assembly Government).

Nomination papers for Nick Bourne's successor will be sent out on May 11th and the winner will be declared on July 14th. Monmouth's AM Nick Ramsay and South Wales Central AM Andrew R.T. Davies are said to be considering leadership bids as is Clwyd West's Darren Millar.

In the meantime, it is the Assembly Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire, Paul Davies AM who has been tasked with leading this strengthened group over the weeks ahead.

I think the Welsh political world was slightly taken aback by this development when he was chosen by a joint meeting of the management board and assembly group on Saturday. But in many ways, it makes complete sense. Paul is a well respected and liked local west Walian politician. He grew up in Pontsian in southern Ceredigion and stood in the 2000 by-election and the 2001 General Election in Ceredigion where he posted his party's best results before or since in the constituency since 1992 with 19% of the vote in 2001.

He then stood in Preseli Pembrokeshire in 2003 where he scored 29% of the vote and on standing again in 2007, increased his vote by 9% and won the seat from Labour with an impressive majority of 3,205. This May, despite a concerted effort by Labour to win the seat back, Paul held onto his seat with a decreased majority of 2,175. But that figure hides the fact that whilst the Labour vote went up by 7%, Paul's also went up by almost 4% to 42%.

I've met Paul a few times. He now lives just over the border in Pembrokeshire, a few miles south of Cardigan in Blaenffos. I've been on Welsh language political media panels with him in the past such as Pawb A'i Farn and he's a very decent, reasonable, likeable man. Compared to many in Welsh politics, he's a 'quiet man', but he's well respected and will in his own words, be a 'safe pair of hands' as interim leader before Nick Bourne's successor is unveiled.

Paul has said that he does not intend to put his name forward himself and will quite rightly remain neutral in the contest that is to ensue. No doubt this stance made him an easy choice for the Welsh Conservatives as their interim leader but his supposed lack of ambition on this front should not take-away from the fact that he will be a popular and well respected leader of his party in the short-term.

Well done Paul - a deserved appointment for a decent man.

My Pembrokeshire Karting Championships Debut!

I've loved F1 since I was about 9 years old. Watching Mansell Vs Senna in Grand Prix's throughout 1991 and 1992 alongside my father has made me a fan for life.

I've always loved karting. I guess the two are linked. Ever since I began watching the former, I enjoyed when possible, the latter. Be it on the little go-karts in Oakwood or the slightly larger ones in Heatherton or the real thrill of donning overalls and gloves at the indoor race track in Haverfordwest, the want to be the next Damon Hill, the next Mansell, was always something I craved.

Of course it was never going to happen and I never expected it too but that childhood fantasy could at least in small part be brought to life with those rare glimpses of speed on the karting tracks of Pembrokeshire.

Having done a fair but of karting when I could with my school friends as a teenager, I went nearly a decade without barely touching a kart. Then there was Kevin O'Connor's stag do in Eastbourne a few years back and the 12 or so of us had a Grand Prix session where we did heats, a semi-final and a final. To my surprise, I realised that I still had that aggression behind the karting wheel which I had when I was younger but now, with the contact lenses instead of the old glasses, I had one less thing to be inhibitive about. I did well and got through to the final 6 and finished a podium-shy 4th place. A good result fair play I felt!

So when my old school mate Luke contacted me some 10 days ago asking if I wanted to take part in the up-and-coming 3rd annual Pembrokeshire Karting Championships in Carew, on a Sunday which is my quietest day of the week and for just £35, I was unable to resist.

Pembrokeshire Karting Championships
Now I've never competed in any proper, organised motor racing championships. It's all, as written above, been for fun. But the prospect of at least, on maybe just this one occasion, taking part in a bone-fide competitive racing environment was something that I just had to do.

The Carew Karting Track

The fact that I'd never done something like this before was new. It being in Carew was even newer. For all my years as a child of attending various Carew Sunday Markets on the site of the old WWII air strip, I'd never actually driven around the 500m karting track there.

So Luke and I arrived on Sunday wondering exactly what it was we'd let ourselves into.

But we needn't have worried because what transpired was the well oiled machine of a well organised event now running in its 3rd year. In its first year in 2009 there were 3 race days. Last year in 2010 there were 4. This year, clearly demonstrating a growing interest, there are 5 rounds and this was to be the first of those 5 - with the series concluding 5th round in October.

An all-time record 23 competitors arrived for the day and we were soon all suited out and ready to go. We knew that there was going to be some real tough competition because a number of those who turned up did so with their own karting overalls and helmets! No messing!

GO GO GO!
So on went the overalls, the gloves, the balaclava (that was a first!) and the helmet and we were ready to go!

We were given a number of laps to acquaint ourselves with the track but I, typically, far too hot headed for the moment found myself instantly in 'race mode'. So instead of testing the limits of my ability on the race track, I found myself going hell for leather and driving far too quickly down the back straight into the final double right-handed turns 8 and 9. Because I was trying too hard too early, I found that I hadn't mastered that final double-hander until much later on in the day and even then I'd have a few to many spins there for my own liking.

After the practise laps, it was time for the real action. This action also required a new skill with which both Luke and I were unaccumstomed - the rolling start!

Across 16 heats, we all ran in 3 each with each heat lasting 10 laps each. Points were awarded for the various placings and those total scores when added up, as well as contributing towards the overall championship standings, also determined the starting places for the 3 (non-scoring) semi-finals with the top 2 in each of those qualifying for the round final where extra points are awarded.

My first heat wasn't great. I started it in 4th and I struggled with my over enthusiasm and inability to keep my foot off the throttle long enough to get around those last two bends. Spinning furiously, I kept losing time and ground on my rivals. Yet, I somehow managed to finish in 4th which must've meant that whoever was behind me was struggling even more than I was!

My second heat was even worse! Far from improving and getting to grips with where my braking points should be, I found myself continuing to make the same mistakes. I began the race in 2nd but after a poorly judged lunge down the inside on the first corner of the rolling start, I found myself well down the positions and more mistakes soon relegated me to a poor and distant 6th and last position for the remainder of the heat. Talk about frustrating! Yet, that frustration must've had some benefit because amidst this poor showing, I managed to clock up what would be my fastest lap of the day in this heat - a lap of 24.57 seconds as opposed tot he quickest of the day of 22.92. The winner of the fastest lap for each round gets additional points and the overall fastest lap winner at the end of the season wins the Fastest Lap Challenge.

The 3rd and final heat saw me competing on much better terms. I began in 3rd and made a decent start before what I presume was a shunt into me from behind which tipped me surprisingly high considering that I was in a kart! But despite being knocked about a fair bit in the collision, I managed to extricate myself from the melee that followed behind us to get back underway having only lost one place. I then dealt with myself in a much more measured way and found that my now 4th place became relatively secure. I finally mastered that final double right-hander and finished what I felt was a very creditable 4th, with a more than reasonable margin over the two who were behind me. What did frustrate me however was that the 3 in front of me slowly drew away and I struggled to keep up with their pace. But in terms of consistency and actually mastering the circuit, this was a good result.

Semi-Finals
So with the points accumulated, I started my semi-final in 7th out of 8 but thankfully there were no points to be awarded here because my perfomance was abysmal! For all the good work I'd done in the final heat, it was as if I hadn't learned anything come the semi-final! I was spinning into that infernal final double right-hander left, right and centre and I finished a poor last!

The Championship Standings after
Round 1 of 5

I wasn't expecting to make the final of course but performing so lously in what I knew would be my final race of the day did irk me!

Luke meanwhile, scored one point more than me in the heats and finished a very credible 5th in his semi-final. He certainly showed some of that raw aggression that he always had as a teenager.

So overall, I must say that I didn't disgrace myself and that's a good enough start for me! For my first such competitive ride, an overall finish of 19th out of 23 is no bad shakes! Luke finished in 17th and in the Rookie of the Year competition we were placed 10th and 8th respectively out of 14.

Round 2? Bring it on!
So we now have 4 more rounds of the championship to navigate. The next is in June and I'm looking forward to it! Having now given it a go, I can now set myself reasonable targets from which I can judge my progress. I want to be able to prove that I can be more consistent and in doing so, set faster lap times.

No doubt Luke will say the same!

So my debut has been made and though I've still, 2 days later, got the bruises and the aches and pains to prove it, it was bloody good fun!

Michael Schumacher I am not. But Ralf Schumacher? Well, maybe indeed!

The Cole Family's Royal Connection

Last Tuesday, I was delighted to get on a bus to Windsor with friends and family for what was a pretty special day out.

In a twist on the Dick Whittington story, we all went to see the formal debut of our family horse Dyfed Celt as a member of the Queen's Household Cavalry.

As a family, Shire Horses are in the blood. My grandfather John Rees Lewis (or J.R as he was known) worked the land at Carnhuan, Eglwyswrw, with the Shires and latterly showed them with help up until his death in 1991. Our family, not wanting to sell his wonderful legacy, decided to diversify and open the farm to the public as the Dyfed Shire Horse Farm in 1994. We've sold horses to Germany and to the USA over the years, but never, until now, to the Royal Family.

It seems like an age ago when the BBC Wales cameras reported on Celt's new adventure in London, away from his Eglwyswrw home in west Wales.

Now, exactly 2 years later, we've gone full circle.

Eglwyswrw to London
As the report above shows, we as a family saw an advertisement for a Drum Horse in the Heavy Horse World and got in touch with the powers that be.

For only a young 3 year old, we knew his attitude and tempremant would be what was required. We weren't disappointed when the offer was made to purchase him for the Household Cavalry.

But that didn't mean that he'd make the grade and for the past 2 years he's been living in the underground Kensington Barracks in London and grazing in Hyde Park whilst undertaking the training required for him to be officially welcomed into the Cavalry.

The regiment have been excellent in communicating with us Celt's progress and last summer, the family and friends had a bus trip to Kensington to see Celt in his new surroundings. I was unfortunately unable to make it - being on holiday in France at the time.

Windsor & the Emir of Qatar
So I was really pleased to have a second opportunity this week to have a trip to the bigger smoke to see Celt at work. Now, 2 years on, it wasn't just a matter of seeing him in training, but actually seeing him in action.

The Emir of Qatar and his entourage were due to arrive on an official visit and were to be met by the Queen, Prince Phillip and the family.

We arrived in good time and found a place en-route just a 100 or so yards from the main welcoming platform. In the light drizzle, some 50 of us waited attentively for the star of the day to arrive - no, not the Emir or the Queen, but Celt!

See here a slideshow of photos taken by BBC Berkshire of the day and in particular, photo 6 of our gang, manning the barricades!  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-11630223 As the caption says, the bus left west Wales at around 4am - but I think the locals must've been bemused as to why we were there in the first place!

The reason arrived at the head of the procession just after 11am. Celt, 2nd in line of some 200 horses of the Household Cavalry, passed us in his full regalia, carrying those solid silver drums and the musician on top.

He behaved very well throughout the short welcoming ceremony and we could see him in the distance, at the heart of the action, as the respective anthems were played.

The Household Cavalry's Mounted Regiment Training Wing
We were then fortunate enough to be given a tour around Celt's home for the day at the regiments' near-by training wing. There, we saw him back in the stable after the exertions of his day out on formal parade.

We were told that this was the Queen's first opportunity to see him in action and in a matter of days it is expected, we shall hopefully find out what his new formal, Roman name will be. His stable name however will remain Dyfed Celt which will remind all of his roots. He will also be given the rank of a Major - not bad going for a West Walian!

He will next be on parade at the Lord Mayor's Parade in London in a few weeks time and next year there's a very good chance that he'll be on Horseguards Parade in the Trooping of the Colour.

It really was great to see one of our family's horses taking his place, centre stage, in the Queen's Household Cavalry. It was great in addition, that this was witnessed by a wide community of family and friends who had willingly paid the £20 coach fare and got up ridiculously early, to see a real 'one-off' occasion in the flesh.

More Media Coverage
Just as before when he left for the bright lights of the city, the Welsh media have again been enthusiastic in their interest of Celt's progress.

S4C's 'Ffermio' programme recorded the proceedings and will be transmitting the footage this coming Monday at 8.25pm. Meanwhile, my oldest brother Huw, who did a great job in organising the trip, went live on BBC Radio Wales' Jamie Owen and Louise Elliott programme on Wednesday morning. This clip on iplayer is only retrieveable for the next few days. Wind forward to 2:30:30 for an 8 minute interview with Huw.

It's a lovely story and one, that as a family and a community, we are rightly very proud.

Coast, Castles and Community - Why Wales' West is Best

At the new 'Parc Y Scarlets' rugby stadium in Llanelli, the Ray Gravell inspired wording 'West is Best' is indelibly marked in the seating.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45341000/jpg/_45341522_parcyscars_empty_huw466x300.jpg

It's a sense of self which I have shared and felt throughout my life.

Of course I would. I'm a Pembrokeshire boy, educated in Carmarthenshire who for the past 10 years has lived in Cardiganshire. Like most people, I am fiercely proud of my roots and mine are very much in the soil of west Wales.

When I think about it, the 3 constants that make this part of the world very much my own can be encapsulated in the 3 C's - Coast, Castles and Community.

Coast

To my absolute horror, at the age of 28, I still can't swim. Yet, living near the coast for me is a staple part of my whole being. My upbringing in southern Pembrokeshire near Loveston (south west of Narberth) meant that I was never far from the sea. I can remember vividly, those idyllic moments from my very happy childhood in Tenby (up on Castle Hill) or Saundersfoot (buying Premier League stickers at the shop opposite the Wimpy's) or further along the coast at Manorbier and continuing along the path of the Pembrokehsire Coast Footpath, to St Govan's Head and the Bosherston Lily Ponds. St Govan's in particular is a place I re-visit as often as possible and always with those who have not been initiated before in the joy of counting the steps down to the Chapel, built deep into the rocks, and then on counting them on the way back up, realising that as the fable goes, the two numbers don't tally!

Head further north and Angle marks the sadder memories for me of witnessing the stranded Sea Empress spewing 72,000 gallons of oil into the estuary in February 1996.

http://www.itopf.com/information-services/data-and-statistics/case-histories/images/casehist_seaemp.jpg

Further east is the village of Rhoscrowther which sits in the great shadow of the Texaco Oil Refinery where my Uncle Desmond worked for many years. The village was cleared in the1960's for the coming of the refinery and little now remains apart from the picturesque church. It is an odd sensation that goes down the spine when you go through this old medieval village with it's church and see this great 20th century construction overwhelming the visual senses.

Heading in-land though, deeper into the Cleddau estuary and my childhood memories fondly recall my times at Cresswell Quay, Lawrenny and Lanshipping. I particularly recall in my mind seeing my father, a keen photographer, taking photos and film of the sunset in Landshipping by the bridge down from where my (great) Aunty Dolly used to live. I remember often standing with my father on the site of Lawrenny Castle, which was a large towered and turreted mansion, overlooking the estuary. I'd always be so frustrated that the 'castle' had been demolished in 1950 so I'd never be able to see it. But my father, born in 1936, could at least tell me where exactly it was located and what it looked like.

History tells us that Henry Tudor landed off the coast at Dale in August 1485 on his way to defeat Richard III at Bosworth. With one of my maternal great-aunt's, Aunty Claudia and her family living down in Marloes, it was another wonderful part of the coast that I well knew.

My life as a student in Aberystwyth continued my love affair with the sea. Where is there better to live by the sea than Aberystwyth? The views from the top of Constitution Hill are quite simply exceptional. Now these past 5 years, I'm back in Cardigan and on the estuary here, the sea salt is still there, as it should be for me.

Castles

'A load of stones' I think I recall my father calling them. I admit to being one of those many boring historians who just love castles and my parents were saints for putting up with my calls to go to any castle that we could go too whilst on our holidays.

Here in the glorious west though, I really was spoilt. Living less than 5 miles north of Carew, it would be one of my favourite castles. Manorbier, a romantic castle if ever there was one always wowed me. Pembroke Castle? Well, what can you say? Majestic quite frankly is the word that comes to mind. Then there's the smaller castles which I loved for their own stories. Llawhaden, where I was a member of the Young Farmers for 5 years before going to University, Wiston, Roch, the imposing Haverfordwest and the one that scared me witless every day of my school life, Narberth Castle. Indeed, this latter one only finally opened to the public after being made safe, back in 2005. When I took my first steps in this castle which, because of its ruins and inaccessibility had always had a haunting effect on me, I found myself overcome with an incredibly crippling sense of absolute fear! I've never felt anything like it! My childhood fears of this spooky, scary castle came rushing back as I finally confronted those very fears. When was this? It was last year - 2009! I was 27 years old! It's incredible how those childhood sensations stay with us. When I finally overcame my fears, I walked in and enjoyed putting this particular ghost of mine to rest!

http://www.castlewales.com/narberth.jpg

Carmarthen Castle, like Haverfordwest has fascinated me though little of substance of either remain. Cilgerran Castle is just beautiful, perched as it above the gorge looking down onto the Teifi River. Mind you, my relative hopelessness with heights means that I have never been able to look to my left when crossing the drawbridge into the castle - I couldn't stomach that sheer drop!

http://www.castlewales.com/cliger.html

Aberystwyth Castle during my University days would provide a place for sanctuary if I needed some time to collect my thoughts and then, here in Cardigan, our very own superstar! Birthplace of the Welsh Eisteddfod in 1176, I can remember as a child crossing the old bridge and always wondering what lay behind those great walls. Never in a million years could I have thought that I would one day become Mayor of Cardigan and donate my Mayoral Fund donations to the Cardigan Castle Fund. If current plans being pursued by local Building Preservation Trust Cadwgan are successful, then the castle could well be totally renovated and open to the public by 2014. It will be a great day for Wales when this happens.

As a historian, west Wales is just brimming with gems and the memories they've given me will always stay with me.

Community

Finally, but most importantly, it's what binds us all, particular in rural Wales together that matters most - community.

I take great pride in being able to say that I have a foot in both Pembrokeshire 'camps'. My father's family are from south Pembrokeshire - below the fabled Landsker Line in Anglicised 'Little England Beyond Wales'. My mother comes from the Welsh north, in Eglwyswrw near Crymych, on the the main coastal road between Fishguard and Cardigan. Be it in the community of Martletwy where I went to Sunday School and where my paternal grandparents are buried, or in shadows of the Preseli Hills around Crosswell and Pontyglasier where my maternal grandparents are buried, there has always been this strong sense of togetherness. Communities of people who know each other and help each other.

The same could be said of my years in school. I fondly recall my years as a pupil in Whitland Primary and Secondary Schools between 1987-2000. There was a sense of belonging and depsite our age-old annoyances of having to go to school, a pride in our own school against all of the others in the area. Or as the Beach Boys song went, 'Be True to Your School'. The community of the Young Farmers movement is also a firm one and during my 5 years in Llawhaden, I had the good fortune of being able to meet those of my age who went to schools in Haverfordwest. I can see it now too in Llanboidy where my girlfriend Alyson lives. The annual carnival occurred recently over the Bank Holiday weekend and I gather everyone had a good time!

The sense of community in Aberystwyth of course is a rather special one - that of the 'Town and Gown'. Back here in Cardigan, it's less of the cosmpolitan kind that annually regenerates itself in Aberystwyth, and more of the traditional kind that I grew up with in Pembrokeshire. I have great neighbours who I can rely on to look after my house on my many excursions away and it's impossible to walk down the street without bumping into someone I know and having a chat.

That's the way it should be. Shouldn't it? Well it's certainly the way I like it and want it to remain.

Don't get me wrong, I love Cardiff and London and enjoy my trips there. But there's nothing quite like the sense of travelling home on the train heading west from Swansea. When I come into Carmarthen I know that I'm homeward bound.

As many who know me will be bored of hearing me say, I'm a farmers boy and proud of it. To add to that, I'm a farmers boy from west Wales.

It's the Coast, the Castles and the Community for me.

Ray Gravell wasn't wrong. West is most definitely Best.