Harrolds Enclosure

Explorer Tom Manor Wildlife Park, near St Florence, offers a day of animal watching with the occasional surprise of finding yourself inside a walk-through habitat. The residents range from wallabies to red pandas, while tigers and rhinos command the sort of respectful attention that makes everybody stop talking at once. The park is on the B4318 between Sageston and Tenby. Its walk-through areas invite a closer look at some animals, but each habitat has its own rules and keepers, so follow the signs rather than assume every creature welcomes a new friend. The operator lists Sumatran tigers, southern white rhinos and red pandas among its collection. A red panda in the canopy may require patience; a rhino tends to make a somewhat less subtle entrance. The current visitor page says the park opens every day from ten until five, with a few Christmas and New Year closure dates. Tickets can be bought online or at the gate, and the operator warns that severe coastal weather can change the day's hours. Check its latest notice before setting out, especially in winter. The park says it has accessible routes, a cafe in the Manor House and picnic space; some special animal encounters cost extra and need advance booking. Allow time to slow down at the habitats rather than rushing from one headline animal to the next. Ask about any keeper talks when you arrive, keep food where it belongs, and let each animal decide whether today is a performance day. Manor is most fun when you watch what the residents actually do, even if that is spectacularly little for five minutes.

Explorer Tom Carew Castle looks across its millpond in Pembrokeshire with one foot in medieval defence and another in the grand ambitions of an Elizabethan house. Towers, halls and big north-facing windows make a splendidly uneven conversation; I suspect each century insisted its alterations were the last word, then the next one arrived with a builder. Pembrokeshire Coast National Park traces the site from earlier settlement to Gerald de Windsor's fortification on the Carew River. Much of the surviving stone castle was built under Sir Nicholas de Carew, who died in 1311. Sir Rhys ap Thomas reshaped it in the late fifteenth century, and Sir John Perrot added the great Elizabethan north range overlooking the water. Those names belong to actual building phases, not to my imaginary argument between the walls. Carew Tidal Mill across the water has its own machinery and separate story. The National Park runs Carew Castle as a visitor attraction with paid entry and changing seasonal arrangements, so check its current visiting page before travelling for the interior. Paths, old steps and historic surfaces call for care; stay within visitor areas and follow any temporary closures. The millpond gives a striking outside view, but it is no substitute for checking whether admission is available on your chosen day. If you add the Tidal Mill, confirm its separate opening and access too rather than assuming one ticket or timetable covers everything. Walk the castle's different ranges and see how a stronghold gradually acquired the manners of a grand residence. The buildings still disagree about which century dressed best. I vote for the view across the pond, which has been quietly winning the argument all along.