Bosherston Lily Ponds in Flower
Three flooded limestone valleys covered in white water lilies for a few weeks in early summer, with Barafundle at the end of the path.
- When
- late May into June, occasionally into July
- Kind
- Wildlife & nature
- Where
- Bosherston Lily Ponds, Stackpole Estate
- Cost
- Free
The lily ponds at Bosherston are not natural. The Cawdor family dammed three limestone valleys in the 18th and 19th centuries to make an ornamental lake for Stackpole Court, the house burned and was demolished, and what is left is a National Nature Reserve that looks like it has always been there.
For a few weeks from late May the surface fills with white water lilies. The western arm is usually thickest. Because the water sits on limestone it is unusually clear, and you can watch pike hanging motionless under the boardwalks.
Otters. They are here and they are seen regularly, but not by people who arrive at eleven with a picnic. Dawn, silence, and the arms furthest from the car park. Herons, little grebes and dragonflies are the consolation prize and are much more reliable.
The walk. Flat, about two miles round the causeways from the Bosherston car park, and one of the few genuinely level walks on this coast — usable with a buggy in dry conditions, though the boardwalks get greasy after rain. Combine it with the cliffs and it becomes the Barafundle circular, which is the best short walk in south Pembrokeshire.
Parking is the problem. Bosherston village car park is small and fills by mid-morning in summer; Stackpole Quay and Broad Haven South are the alternatives and fill too. Go early or go late in the day, which is better light anyway.
The Stackpole Inn in the village is the obvious finish and needs booking at weekends.
Every year
The three flooded limestone valleys at Stackpole flower with white water lilies each early summer. A National Nature Reserve, open all year, free to walk.
Before you plan around this
Dates change every year — check with the organiser before you travel
We don't sell tickets and take no commission on any of these — links go straight to whoever runs it.
Staying nearby
Bosherston & Stackpole is the obvious base.
Also in June
Really Wild Food and Countryside Festival
Foraging, wild food cookery and countryside skills on the St Davids peninsula, in the landscape the ingredients come from.
early summer, usually a weekend · Festivals
Manx Shearwater Nights on Skomer
Hundreds of thousands of shearwaters come ashore in total darkness. It is the strangest wildlife experience in Wales.
June and July, after dark · Wildlife & nature