{"id":15037,"date":"2022-03-30T07:39:27","date_gmt":"2022-03-30T05:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/?p=110562"},"modified":"2022-03-30T07:51:23","modified_gmt":"2022-03-30T05:51:23","slug":"walk-bosherston-lily-ponds-pembrokeshire","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/walk-bosherston-lily-ponds-pembrokeshire\/","title":{"rendered":"Walk: Bosherston Lily Ponds, Pembrokeshire"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Julie Brominicks\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 30 March 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Bosherston Lily Ponds<\/a>, or\u00a0Llynnoedd Bosherston, are special, forming one of very few hard-water mesotrophic lakes in Wales. They are spring-fed, so lucid, but artificial \u2013 created in the 1780s by the Cawdors of Stackpole (Stagbwll), and testament to that era\u2019s zest for water features.<\/p>\n

Weirs were built across three adjacent valleys to slow the water\u2019s flow to the sea, and the resultant ponds stocked with lilies and fish. But it is the underlying limestone, responsible for the concentration of calcium carbonate, that encourages the growth of the stoneworts that are sensitive to nutrient enrichment. The combination of natural ecology and human intervention has resulted in a biodiverse site (12 species of bat<\/a>, 40 species of dragonfly<\/a>, 30 species of butterfly<\/a>) that requires continued stewardship. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are few benches on this circular route, the path is narrow, and the wooded valleys steep, so lingering on busy days is ill-advised. Choose a quiet time, then walk very slowly, for maximum immersion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Being both popular and environmentally sensitive, Bosherston Lily Ponds in the western extremity of Pembrokeshire<\/a> (Sir Benfro) is one place that deserves careful and imaginative planning to visit.<\/p>\n

\""Lily\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Catch the bus to Bosherston Lily Ponds to help minimise the impact on the local environment\/Credit: hansok, Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Reaching Bosherston by bus<\/h2>\n

The narrow lanes of Pembrokeshire were not made for modern traffic \u2013 especially not the density seen in the summers of 2020 and 2021. Try the Coastal Cruiser<\/a> shuttle bus; it runs seven days a week in summer and departs from Pembroke Dock (Doc Penfro) railway station, cheerfully chauffeured by Gordon, an expert on itineraries and birdlife.<\/p>\n

If driving is essential, park at either Castle Dock Woods (Coedwig Castell Dock) or Stackpole Court (Cwrt Stagbwll ) to avoid choking lanes to the car parks at the lakes, Broad Haven South (De Broad Haven) and Stackpole Quay (Cei Stagbwll), which are often full by 9am.<\/p>\n

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