Outdoor Recreation Service, Who are we? part 1 Monday 17th February 2020

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It occurs to me when I write the blog that perhaps many of the readers don't really know who I work for, all comments and opinions are my own of course, so as the title suggests todays blog is written to bring clarity and hopefully understanding to some of the previous blogs., I will look at Pembrey and Llyn Llech Owain Country Parks'

 Our readily identifiable logo can be seen across all of the sites we manage

I work as the co-ordinator for volunteers & education for Carmarthenshire County Councils' Outdoor Recreation Service, part of Leisure Services within the Directorate for Communities. The service is responsible for the County owned and managed Country Parks, Green Spaces, Local Nature Reserves and the Pendine Outdoor Education Centre; my remit covers the Country Parks and Green Spaces.
The Country Parks are Pembrey, (PCP) and Llyn Llech Owain,(LLO) whilst the Green Spaces include Mynydd Mawr Woodland Park,(MW)  the Millennium Coastal Park (MCP) and Burry Port Harbour,(BPH), (although the management of the actual harbour is carried out by The Marine Group). The team is small and multi skilled with park rangers, maintenance, campsite, event and administration staff amongst the team. We are all based at Pembrey Country Park, this can give the impression of " a lot of staff at Pembrey" in fact on a day to day basis most of the team are out working at our other sites with a heavy workload covering everything from emptying litter bins, checking the playground equipment, dealing with enquiries and leading groups;  to making sure the coastal public rescue equipment from Lougher bridge to Pendine hasn't been vandalised!


Pembrey Country Park, ranked the 2nd most visited tourist destination in Wales, is at the heart of our work with its 500+ acres offering fantastic range of recreation facilities, children's play area, a 325 pitch campsite miles of peaceful walks, great wildlife and of course eight miles of beach including the first Blue Flag Beach in Wales. The beach and adjoining dunes are  very much a natural beach, being designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Area of Conservation and a European Marine Site; popular with locals and visitors has lifeguards in attendance through the peak season, with the ever important toilets and refreshments just a stones throw away from the sands. Dogs are not permitted on the one mile of Blue Flag beach from May1st until September 31st inclusive with fires and BBQ's not allowed at any time for public safety and to protect the wildlife interests on the beach.



Another popular feature of the beach are the many shipwrecks, discussed in a recent blog; with big tides it is advisable not to wander out on to the sandbanks, the rising tide comes in fast!

As a result of Storms Ciara & Dennis visitors are advised to only access the beach from the main beach access point in the country park; visitors will notice the sheer faces to miles of sand dunes again our advice is to walk at least 10m away from the base of the dunes.

Call into the visitor centre adjacent to the restaurant for maps and leaflets or chat to one of our team, follow the link to our website, www.pembreycountrypark.wales




Llyn Llech Owain Country Park, at Gorslas near Crosshands is a very different park, at just 180 acres with a mix of woodland and forest, bog, heath and of course its wonderful lake offers a different type of experience many of the paths have been surfaced to allow access for wheelchair users. Much of the park is designated a SSSI  and an SAC. Refreshments and a children's play area, can be found near the main car park


Common Crossbill




The wildlife in the park includes a range of interesting birds such as Siskin, Common Crossbill and Willow Tit, whilst on the mammal front Otters are occasional visitors

The attractive visitors centre has displays explaining more about this wonderful park, you can also find out more by going to:-                     http://www.pembreycountrypark.wales/things-to-do/llyn-llech-owain-country-park/
Part 2 will look at the Green Spaces we manage, but that will wait a little while as I plan another update on the storms.....







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