FOR their summer outing, a number of members of Narberth Ladies Probus club visited Stackpole walled gardens, followed by lunch at the Stackpole Inn.

The visit was inspired by a talk given by historian Gareth Mills earlier in the year about the Cawdor family and the Stackpole estate. A stroll around the historic Stackpole Walled Gardens offers a glimpse into a bygone age. For the past 250 years the garden has produced food for the table and that long tradition continues to this day.

The six-acre walled garden was created around 1770 to provide vegetables and fruit for Sir John Campbell (Lord Cawdor) and his family. The garden has been leased from the National Trust since 1987 to provide local adults with learning disabilities, practical experience and qualifications in horticulture.

2023 has seen the planting of a new vineyard. Three white grape varieties – Solaris, Bacchus and Pinot Gris – will be grown with a view to producing an own label wine within five years. This has been made possible by a generous donation from the Hywel Davies Residuary Trust.

After a fascinating tour of the gardens, members then made their way to the Stackpole Inn for a delicious lunch.

The next meeting is on Friday, September 6,11am for 11.30am, at the Plas Hyfryd Hotel, Narberth. Speaker will be Matt from Avativ who has been in the technology industry for over thirty years.

New members are always welcome – contact secretary Lindsay Oeppen (telephone 01834 818860) for more details.