Science Workshop - Oriel y Parc

Oriel Y Parc sits at the National Park Visitor Centre and Landscape Gallery on High St in St Davids, Wales, a compact gateway to the rugged Pembrokeshire coastline and the island-strewn waters beyond. The Science Workshop at Oriel Y Parc invites families and curious adults to spend an hour with Wild Science guides exploring the small, often overlooked creatures that define this coastline — from rockpool anemones and crustaceans to the insects and plants that thrive on windswept cliff tops. The program runs about 60 minutes and is designed for ages 4 and up; the meeting point is Oriel Y Parc, St Davids.

Participants use simple field tools — hand lenses, trays, identification keys and nets — to examine specimens up close and learn basic scientific methods: observation, recording, and gentle handling. That hands-on approach turns abstract facts into immediate discoveries: a sea slug's coloring, the jointed legs of a shore crab, the leaf structure that helps a coastal plant resist salt spray. Group sizes are limited to 15, and the activity is described as fully accessible, so adults with strollers or mobility aids can join.

What makes this workshop special is how it reorients attention. Instead of framing the coast as only cliffs and waves, Wild Science trains eyes on texture, behavior and seasonal change. The area around St Davids offers striking geological features — older shales and sandstones— and the visitor center's location gives quick access to diverse microhabitats: rockpools, grassy headlands and sheltered gardens.

Look up and you might spot choughs wheeling against the sea, or down at your feet find mud snails and seaweeds that tell a larger ecological story. This short, structured format works well on family itineraries: pair it with a cathedral visit in town or a shoreline walk toward St Justinian's for seal-viewing. Bring waterproof shoes and a notepad; the experience emphasizes collection for study, not removal, and guides model low-impact handling.

The workshop is ideal for educators, parents wanting a science-positive activity, or anyone who enjoys turning a short hour into a rich, memorable lesson about place. Practical details: the session length is one hour, group size caps at 15, minimum age is four, and accessibility is listed as fully accessible. Pricing and extra inclusions should be checked through the booking link.

Whether you want to spark a child's scientific curiosity or deepen your own knowledge of coastal life, the Wild Science session at Oriel Y Parc reframes the familiar coast as a living classroom. Sessions run year-round with seasonal variations in species and tide access; check tide times and dress for wind. Booking through the link ensures a spot and supports local science education at the centre and community engagement programs.