Chris Packham hails Welsh trail as one of the ‘most beautiful’ he has ever walked
Nation.Cymru Staff
Wildlife presenter Chris Packham has praised a walking trail in west Wales as one of the “most beautiful” he has ever experienced after exploring the area during a holiday.
The Autumnwatch presenter is currently on a ‘dogcation’ in Wales alongside his two miniature poodles, Sid and Nancy, and his partner, conservationist Charlotte Corney.
After visiting Newport Sands in Pembrokeshire on Saturday 12 September, Packham has been sharing regular updates with his Instagram followers, explaining how he spent the remainder of his weekend in west Wales.
On Sunday, he paid a visit to The Castle Inn for “a moment of bliss”. One of Aberteifi’s earliest coaching inns, it is thought to date back to the 1830s.
An extension of the Albion Hotel, owners say it is a “no frills, no fuss” historical pub that sells sausage rolls, as well as mussels and cockles as bar snacks.
Packham shared that Charlotte, his partner of 19 years who is the owner of Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, visited Craft Festival Wales at the nearby Cardigan Castle.
The festival was first held in the castle in 2024, and has since welcomed thousands of visitors. Its founder, Sarah James MBE, is originally from Cardigan and fulfilled “a long held dream to bring Craft Festival home”.
This year, Craft Festival Wales saw over 100 makers showcase and sell their art and designs, as well as theAur Exhibition, new for 2026, which explored past Gold Medal winners from Y Lle Celf.
The weekend featured workshops, demonstrations, The Capital of Craft talks, live music, new commissions, theatre and free children’s activities.
However, Chris Packham shared that as certain parts of the festival were “unfortunately not dog friendly”, he instead took a trip to the Teifi Marshes.
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The Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve sits within an ancient channel once occupied by the River Teifi, made up of a mixture of pasture, woodland, freshwater marsh, reedbeds, and tidal mudbanks.
The reserve supports a variety of wildlife, including otters, water shrews, deer and many different bird species, with peregrines hunting over the marshes and teal, wigeon, and mallard among the wildfowl that can be spotted at the reserve in the colder months.
Several walking routes also run through the Teifi Gorge, including a challenging path alongside the river which has been used by coraclemen for centuries.
Packham praised the Gorge Path as “one of the most beautiful paths I’ve ever trodden – Stunning!”
The Welsh Wildlife Centre is also located at the Teifi Marshes, at which visitors can sample seasonal food at the Glasshouse Cafe, with a playground and gift shop.
The wildlife centre, which “kindly accommodated” Packham’s request for oat milk when he had a hot chocolate on the balcony, posted to Facebook after his visit, surprised that they had “had a visitor from the land of TV”.
As things brightened up on Monday, Packham took a trip on the Suncatcher boat around Cardigan Bay to see dolphins and seals, and was pleased that he also spotted two Choughs.
He then visited Creme Pen Cei, a traditional ice cream parlour which has served New Quay since 2006, for some “Sensational plant based ice creams and doggie ice creams”.
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Though Packham lives in England, the naturalist and broadcaster is a frequent visitor to Wales through both his television work and wildlife campaigning.
He has previously presented Springwatch from the RSPB’s Ynys-hir reserve in Ceredigion and explored Welsh wildlife with his stepdaughter and fellow presenter Megan McCubbin, including puffins in Pembrokeshire and otters along the River Teifi.
The presenter will be returning to Cardiff on Wednesday 11 November, to present his show ‘World Of Wonder: A Planet On The Edge’, exploring ways people can engage with nature and help protect the environment.
More information is available here.
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