There is so much to experience at The Little Retreat
Wild Swimming
Guide Laura Owen Sanderson
Join us on a wild swim adventure off the beaten track with Wild Swimming Guide Laura Owen Sanderson
Our we swim wild tours, retreats, micro-adventures and expeditions guide you through our hand-picked wild swimming destinations with like-minded people – whether you’re an experienced outdoor swimmer, or keen newbie seeking out a watery adventure.
Want to take the plunge?
Foraging, Fishing
and Feasting
with Matt Powell
A wonderful bass fishing, foraging & food experience on the Welsh coast.
"Everything we need surrounds us...Most People have forgotten that it is there, I look to the past to guide people to a better future."
“A warm welcome awaits you here on the shoreline of Wales.”
A combination of saltwater lure angling for bass and other species, foraging, food and accommodation on the stunning Welsh coast.
Fish - Fishing for the European saltwater bass on the magical Pembrokeshire coast with the first and only qualified saltwater angling guide with Natural Resources Wales and Wild Fishing Wales guiding qualification scheme.
Forage - Learn to forage sustainably and responsibly along with one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the world.
Feast - Unique food inspired by my surroundings and the Welsh landscape, lovingly prepared and served by a chef with many years of experience gained in Michelin Star restaurants.
Make your experience with me as simple or as complicated as you like but rest assured each of my specialized attributes are an experience not to be missed.
“A warm welcome awaits you here on the shoreline of Wales.”
Art Lessons
with Louise Burdett
Relax your mind and body and book an art lesson with local artist Louise Burdett
"Join me as I show you how I created the series of oil paintings 'Lawrenny Sunrise'. We'll work in high quality acrylics on an 18 x 22” canvas board. I’ll show you how to build your painting in layers, working whole canvas, demonstrating each stage as we go. It will be an enjoyable day where we'll go from blank white canvas to a fully formed painting"
Explore The Cleddau
Bespoke Experiences
Explore the secret waterway by boat, kayak or paddle boarding
You can hire equipment and book local tours through
Outer Reef Paddle Board & Kayak Centre
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Wellbeing Classes
On The Castle Terrace
Wellbeing is at the heart of The Little Retreat; owner Amber Lort-Phillips has worked over 25 years in the wellbeing industry
Amber is an advanced personal trainer/pilates instructor/wellbeing coach, life coach and nutritional advisor
Throughout the summer (July and August) there will be a Stretch and Mobility Class on the Castle Terrace on Saturday Mornings at 9am
You can also join our free online wellbeing app The e-treat which has a host of yoga, fitness, breath work and mediation classes for you to enjoy whilst staying with us or at home
Mindful Walks
Around Lawrenny
There are a number of beautful walks such as the scenic circular walk takes you through the steep-sided ancient oak woodland of Lawrenny, overlooking the main Daugleddau River and along the tidal creeks of Garron Pill and the Cresswell River. This is a great walk to do in any season and takes you past The Lawrenny Arms Pub and The Quayside Cafe.
Here are 3 beautiful walks in and around the village:
You can also visit The parish church of Saint Caradoc is a grade II* listed building founded in the 12th century and altered considerably since, principally in the 19th century. The tower was added in the 15th century.
Lawrenny is on a peninsula of the River Cleddau estuary upriver from Milford Haven where it branches off towards the Cresswell and Carew Rivers and is in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
Lawrenny developed around fishing, boat building and as a staging point for quarried limestone extracted from quarries upriver. In the 1830s there were 422 inhabitants and there was a ferry over the Cresswell River.
Racing stables in the village provided Wales' first and only Grand National winner, Kirklandat Aintree in 1905. Lawrenny also played a role in the World War II as a base for Supermarine Walrus seaplanes and a training centre, known as HMS Daedalus II, operated by the Fleet Air Arm.
Stargazing
At The Little Retreat
Our top tips for stargazing from The Little Retreat are :-
1., Download a stargazing app on your smartphone that allows you to map the night sky from where you are currently standing- we love Skyview and Skywalk.
2.. Use your personal telescope and the stargazing guide to look for the more unique constellations. (all our stargazing tents have these)
3.. Stars twinkle and Planets don't. When you see the stars you are looking into the past. Because light takes time to travel and stars are many light years away from us you could be seeing a star that doesn’t even exist anymore.
4.. Look out for the International Space Station - NASA has a website dedicated to tracking where it is.
5. Use your own telescope to map the craters on the moon- On a clear night, it’s easy to see its craters and bumpy edges. Only 12 people have ever set foot there. But because there is no wind, if you visited the moon today you would still see their footprints.
6. The night sky is constantly changing, depending on the time of year and the time of night. Try stargazing at different times in the year to spot seasonal constellation changes.
7. Make sure you turn off all the lights.
8. If you want to try capturing the starts at night then you need to bring a tripod with you. Its worth listening to the National Trusts video on night time photography
Look out for our Starry Night wild swim events and our constellation nights with Dark Sky Wales.
Heritage and Wildlife
At The Little Retreat
Garry Thomas is our resident heritage and plant expert.
We have created some fantastic videos with Garry in and around the site.
Learn about the plants and the history behind them
Click Here to follow Garry around the Castle Site for some fascinating facts about the nature on the old castle grounds.
