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Woodcraft Weekend
Wood-turners, lovespoon-carvers, stick-makers, power tools and pyrography are just some of the attractions gathering together in the National Botanic Garden of Wales for a weekend of demonstrations and displays – on Saturday and Sunday January 13-14.
The Garden’s popular Woodcraft Weekend runs from 10am-4.30pm both days and admission is just £4 per person.
There’s plenty to see and do over the Garden’s Woodcraft Weekend, including pyrography demonstrations and children’s workshops by the international pyrography artist, Bob Neill.
There are also demonstrations and displays of powertools and woodturning products, by the likes of Axminster, Isca Timber and local wood-working clubs.
Also putting on a show will be the British Woodcarvers’ Association.
See stunning daily flying displays from the new British Bird of Prey Centre, and warm up with the butterflies in the tropical Butterfly House, Plas Pilipala.
For more information about this and other Garden events visit our website, email info@gardenofwales.org.uk or call 01558 667149.
Keep Fit – For FREE!
Take advantage of FREE entry on weekdays in January to keep fit with a choice of walks, with plenty of plants and wildlife to enjoy on the way. Pick up a ‘Fit For Free‘ trails leaflet at the main entrance on your way in, or take a look here to plan your visit beforehand.
Why not crack on with those new year resolutions and burn some unwanted calories against the stunning backdrop of 568 acres of National Botanic Garden?
We have created a series of trails around the Garden – some on flat paths to suit strollers, pushchairs and wheelchairs; and some more rugged, off-road routes around the estate.
The various trails are clearly way-marked and there’s a free map to accompany you on your journey – and each route has a ‘cupcake’ rating that indicates the degree of difficulty.
If you enjoy this way of staying healthy, think about taking a year’s membership so that you can keep coming in for free for the rest of the year.
Travels with international plant explorers – FREE lunchtime talks
There’s a chance to cheer up the chilly winter days of January by hearing tales of botanical derring-do from around the world.
Three international modern-day plant explorers will be giving talks at the National Botanic Garden of Wales on three consecutive Fridays at 12 noon – the talks are free and admission to the Garden is free, too.
On January 12, Alex Summers, Senior Horticulturist at Cambridge University Botanic Garden, will give a talk entitled ‘Plant hunting in Northern Vietnam’, which will focus on his expedition to the forested slopes of the Hoang Lien Mountains in Northern Vietnam.
On the 19th, it’s the turn of Tom Christian, Project Officer at the International Conifer Conservation Programme. His talk ‘Travel in search of Conifers’ will draw on his many travels in search of conifers both at home and abroad, and will help to present this extraordinary group of plants in a new light.
Guardian columnist Robbie Blackhall-Miles completes the trio of intrepid horticultural hunters on January 26 with a talk entitled ‘Hunting Shapeshifters: the search for Proteas in the mountains of South Africa’. Robbie is a plantsman and conservationist. Fossil Plants, his backyard botanic garden in North Wales, houses a collection of early evolutionary plants.
The talks start at 12 noon in the Garden’s Theatr Botanica. For more information, call 01558 667149 or email info@gardenofwales.org.uk
Food Fair
There are tasty treats a-plenty to cheer up the long, cold month of January at the National Botanic Garden’s Food Fair weekend on January 20-21.
The event takes place in the stunning surrounds of Lord Foster’s Great Glasshouse and offers a mouth-watering array of delicious local produce – and entry to the Garden is just £4 per person.
Nordic Walking Classes
Join Pilates in the Nordic for Nordic Walking Classes every Monday during school term-time, from 12:30-2:30pm.
Nordic Walking is an enhancement of ordinary walking – it makes something we can all do… twice as effective! Nordic Walking uses poles to in order to propel the walker along. This means they work harder than usual yet the support given by the poles makes it feel easier. The use of poles means the upper body muscles are used as well as the legs, taking pressure of the joints.
All classes must be booked in advance. For more information please contact Becki at Pilates in the Nordic on 07502 215827or pilatesinthenordic@gmail.com or book online via the activities page of www.pilatesinthenordic.com