earlier blog: Zip World Velocity North Wales

Forget the big city - Pembrokeshire is the place for Castles and Christmas Fairs!

While Christmas preparations seem to get earlier and earlier each year, save some time for the last two weekends in November and enjoy the magic of shopping for gifts, food and wine in Picton Castle and Pembroke Castle.

Picton Castle, a beautiful manor house set in gardens and woodland in rural Pembrokeshire, makes a real effort to provide an inviting setting for a wide range of local crafts and produce. Visitors start in the main hall, warm and inviting with a crackling log fire, traditional ceiling-high Christmas tree stylishly decorated and the delicious smell of a warming glass of mulled wine. A string quartet plays classical carols, adding a soothing feel to the festive atmosphere. Now, the visitor is led through brightly coloured stands that line the corridor, down stairs to what was the wine cellar with low, stone arches that are no problem if you are only three-foot tall, and out to the food marquee and more stands in the main gallery.

You will soon be tempted by sweet, spicy smells of hot food and drinks from vendors in the courtyard, and the Italian café-restaurant has an excellent reputation for producing quality, fresh food.

All stands have a Christmas feel, lots of sparkle and fantastic array of gifts to give or keep as a treat for yourself. Christmas decorations can be personalised and there are original works of art for sale. The most exotic are the hand-painted natural gourds from Jamaica – and no, they are not made from papier mache as the artist’s daughter repeated endlessly throughout the day! Feathers and sparkly organza make perfect fairy wands and, of course, there is face painting too.

This is a family event, children searching out hidden letters to make up the special Christmas-themed sentence plus a wonderful Victorian fairground organ, painted in bright garish colours and worked by gas. Whatever the weather, this is definitely worth a visit that lasts a full day.

Following the success of the first year of Pembroke Castle Christmas Fair in 2012, every year is even more impressive – twice as many stands and a buzz of excitement in the air. What a fantastic venue! Walk up through the castle gates and into the central green now filled with three marquees, the delicious smell of freshly-cooked meats and pastries, and wild hawks that that perfectly fit the ambience of this ancient castle.

As the birthplace of Henry VIII, the castle itself is well preserved and the towers perfectly designed for Santa’s arrival later. On the first day of the show, Friday, you can feel the excitement building. At 4.30pm, the castle walls are lit, towers standing out clearly against the clear night sky, and crowds of visitors crush together trying to find the perfect viewing point. Suddenly, the DJ urges the children to start the chant – Santa! Santa! A roar of excitement – there he is! The spotlight follows Santa as he abseils expertly down the tower walls, children and adults all screaming in delight as he waves and smiles on his way to the podium. He switches on the town lights and fireworks light up the sky - truly spectacular.

The craft fair stays open until 9pm, so there is still plenty of time to shop. Don’t miss the samples of local Welsh cheese from Caws Cenarth – their wonderful creamy-blue Perl Las is a real alternative to a traditional stilton at Christmas. There are fascinating gifts from a wide range of stalls. It is fascinating to watch people browse, asking questions about how things are made which is clearly not the same as buying online or at a big department store. A sign of the quality of stands was the number of people who stopped and considered buying from the silver jewellery stand even though it was closed and the display was only pieces of rock rather than any silver work!

There are plenty of places to sit and enjoy a cuppa and a cake. Throughout the day, local people entertain visitors, from the WI ladies bell-ringing, a brass band, a folk group to an up and coming boy-band. In between the acts, there is the inevitable round of Christmas songs but hey, this is a Christmas Fair!

As a visitor, it is an exciting experience that truly represents the Christmas spirit. Even though they are three long days for stall holders, it is the most efficient, friendly and well organised event of the year so there is a great atmosphere throughout.  Make sure you book these two weekends on the calendar to celebrate Christmas each year.