tahl

Has anyone used the service Home Dinners in Wales to arrange, well, a home dinner in Wales? Sounds wonderful. It's affiliated with the fabulously-named Dine with the Danes. Here's an 2008 Orange County Register article about Welsh dining services:
http://tinyurl.com/mrrxrf
The services:
www.homedinnersinwales.com
www.dinewiththedanes.com

I'm also intrigued by the idea of taking a boat trip out from the Pembrokeshire coast to see puffins. Does anyone have advice? I'd be traveling in early-mid September. I found this website for Dale Sailing, which takes marvelous-sounding trips to Skomer and Skokholm Islands:
http://tinyurl.com/lvkzws

BTW, alert Fodorites may notice I've been asking questions about South Wales *and* Poland *and* Scandinavia lately. I call my current state of mind "Schrodinger's Vacation:" until I make a final decision, I am traveling to *all* places, with all the fun of thinking and planning and staring at maps.

HollydaleK

I have been puffin watching, but not in Wales, and absolutely loved it. In the Treshenish Isles (Scotland) we were able to walk through whole colonies of those wonderful birds. They were so close that you felt like being able to reach out to touch them.

However, I remember the guide telling us that one day in June or July (can't remember for sure which) they all take to the sea and are not seen on land again until the next spring. So you might ask a few questions before booking a puffin tour.

hetismij

Puffins arrive in March/April and leave again around mid-August usually so I doubt you will see any in September.

GeoffHamer

Puffins live at sea and only come to land to breed. The best times to see them are June and early July. You won't see any in September.
The Pembrokeshire coast is still really worth visiting. There are various boat trips, including these:
www.ramseyislandcruises.co.uk
www.thousandislands.co.uk

tahl

Thanks all for the information; sounds like I would be out of luck on puffins. GeoffHamer, have you been out to any of the islands?

wrenwood

We've only seen Puffins in Alaska so can't help on the Puffin question

We stayed at Hafod-y-Garreg in Wales. Annie cooked us a superlative dinner (another couple was also there, great fun!) We stayed around the dinner table for hours. John and Annie are a treasure trove of information and knowledge of Wales and it's history ~ as is their house. On first glance at the website the house may look a little strange, but check out the interior views and the history.

http://www.hafodygarreg.co.uk/

Trip Advisor also has reviews

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...wys_Wales.html


The dinners sound interesting have never heard of them before.

Haven't been to Poland or Scandanavia but we loved Wales, will go back sometime again.

cri80

Puffins can be seen in Europe also at the end of August. I saw them last year in Gjesvaer Island, Norway, near the North Cape. There were hundreds of thousands... I had one of the happiest days of my life. For further informations, you can check their site: www.birdsafari.com

tod

You are absolutely right about the Treshenish Isles Hollydalek! We got eyeball to eyeball with the puffins by creeping forward on our stomachs over to their underground burrows. Walking near them is a big NO NO as the weight of a human could cause the nest to cave-in.
To get there you must first go to the Isle of Mull and take a day trip from there. The boat also took us to Staffa to see the other end of The Giants Causeway (which is much more spectacular in Scotland).

We have also been on "Puffin Patrol" in Guernsey.
You go out for the morning or afternoon and help observe seabirds and puffins. This pales in comparison to Treshenish because you only see them from afar. The boat bobs around making it difficult to get them in the sights of your binocs.

Cholmondley_Warner

I'm only popping in to tell you that a baby puffin is called a puffling.

This makes me feel warm inside.

Now back to the thread....

Judyrem

Oh wrenwood, that looks fabulous...brings tears to my eyes. I do want to go back to Wales and Scotland,,this will be on my list, thanks! BTW, I was reading Rhys Bowen's Evans series set in Wales, and a character in the book, was bemoaning that all the quaint hamlets and villages will be turned into a giant Wales Disneyland...he was being fecitious...I hope.