Expect jaw-dropping beaches, cool castles and a whole lot of fun in Carmarthenshire
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OZZY, a 1kg Bengal eagle-owl, swoops through the Welsh woodland dotted with brightly painted toadstool fairy houses to land gracefully on my three year old's gloved arm.
'Again!' Raffy shouts, with a grin almost as big as Ozzy's head.
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The Taf Estuary, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire
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Hide and seek your way round Dinefwr Castle
It's safe to say, the 90-minute flying experience with expert Alex and three owls – including the tiny but speedy Frodo and barn owl Allan – has gone down a treat.
Experiences cost £65 per adult, £30 for over-fives (Britishbirdofpreycentre.co.uk).
We're in Carmarthenshire, a county in South Wales that most tourists drive through on their way to Pembrokeshire – more fool them.
The wide, sandy beaches here hug the coastline for miles, majestic castles perch on hilltops and local delicacies are plentiful.
A Bug's Life
First to win over the kids is Llanelli Wetland Centre with the pinkest (and smelliest!) flamingos I've ever seen, thanks to our visit coinciding with mating season.
But the highlight is undoubtedly a minibeast hunt, after which volunteer Eric pops the children's finds – a millipede, slug and spider – under a microscope and gives us a zoology lesson way more interesting than I ever had at school.
Who knew slugs poo out of their heads? Entry costs £11.15 per adult, £7.20 for over-threes (Wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/llanelli).
Home for the week is Dylan Coastal Resort, where our swish three-bedroom spa lodge has all the mod-cons and a hot tub to soak up stunning vistas of the Taf Estuary.
On-site is the floor-to-ceiling glass-fronted Milk Wood Spa with yet more gorgeous views of the ever-changing tide from its sauna, steam room, indoor pool and alfresco hydrotherapy pool.
Later, a wander downhill brings us into pretty Laugharne, the town made famous by poet Dylan Thomas.
We follow the scent of wood-fired deliciousness to the sun-dappled courtyard of Ty Glo and head inside to its tiki-inspired interior.
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The vibe is super-family-friendly, with a brilliant basket of games to borrow and fantastic food.
The king prawn, mango, chilli and coriander cocktail with gyoza crisps is exquisite and the goat's cheese bonbons are the definition of moreish, both £10.
Pizza perfection comes in the Ultimate Hawaiian (sorry, Italians) with its ham hock, chargrilled pineapple, jalapeños, fresh corn and onion.
We also dig the Lamb-orgini – roast lamb, caramelised onion, feta and mint yoghurt and the Wild Hog, smothered in wild boar ragù with hog salami and piquanté peppers, £17.50 each (Browns.wales/ty-glo).
Castle on the hill
Wales has more castles per square mile than any other country in the world, so we picnic on leftover pizza the next day in the dreamy grounds of Dinefwr Castle (Cadw.gov.wales).
Dinefwr delivers ramparts, towers and plenty of hidden nooks for hide and seek, plus there's a parkland with deer and roaming long-horned White Park cattle – residents here since the 9th century.
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It shore is nice at Dylan Coastal Resort
Credit: Supplied
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Poppy enjoys the sun and sand at Pembrey beach
Credit: Supplied by Catherine Bennion Pedley
Parking costs £5 for non-National-Trust members, while castle and parkland entry is free.
During our days exploring this enchanting county, Wright's Food Emporium proves a smart stop-off.
The deli is stuffed with local goodies and the pork belly cubano – with its positively obscene slabs of pork belly layered with ham, cheddar, pickles and sriracha mayo inside the fluffiest of ciabatta, £14.50 – is possibly the best sandwich I've ever devoured (Shop.wrightsfood.co.uk).
I'm also a firm believer in elevenses, so I'm thrilled to discover that the Gwili Steam Railway serves Welsh elevenses on board.
We sip tea (hot choc for the kids) and feast on Welsh cakes and bara brith (fruit loaf) as the train, operated by the sweetest fanatics, trundles past grazing animals and the crystal-clear Gwili river.
We hop off to explore an old mail train and ride the miniature railway, before returning to base in Carmarthen.
Tickets cost from £13 per person (Gwili-railway.co.uk).
Cool runnings
One of my favourite memories from childhood holidays in Wales is whizzing down a bobsleigh-like toboggan ride, and the country's longest is at Pembrey Country Park, a 500-acre haven of beach, woodland and grassland.
Soon, husband Andy and I are racing down the metal track on sleds, Poppy and Raffy on our laps squealing with delight.
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Tuck into terrific dishes at Ty Glo where the vibe is super-family-friendly
Credit: Instagram
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The Gwili Steam Railway serves Welsh elevenses on board
Credit: John Jones
Three rides cost £7.50 (Pembreycountrypark.wales).
The day flies by just as fast, as we follow a bear trail through the pine forest, clamber over dunes and fly kites on the golden sands.
A local tipped me off about Pantri Lolfa, a gorgeous cafe nearby, so we're fuelled by excellent coffee and gooey brownies.
Later, as the sky turns crimson, citrus-cured salmon with seaweed, pickled cucumber and a champagne sauce, £11.50, plus crab tagliatelle, £24, make for a tasty tea at Dylan Coastal Resort's Milk Wood House.
Horse play
I always love the idea of horse riding, only to usually spend the entire trek afraid I'll be bucked off.
But I've never felt as relaxed in the saddle as I do riding Apache at the excellent, family-run Marros Riding Centre.
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The British Bird of Prey Centre based in Carmarthenshire
Credit: Instagram
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Catherine Bennion-Pedley in Carmarthenshire
Credit: Catherine Bennion-Pedley
Raffy rides Woody, a fuzzy ginger Shetland, while six-year-old Poppy gets Harry, a grey Welsh mountain pony and Andy, an Irish cob named Hercules.
Having learned the basics – start, stop, steer – we ride through the farm's ancient woodland and I'm pretty certain the kids are now dreaming of owning a pony.
A one-hour trek costs from £42 per person (Marros-farm.co.uk).
Our last night is spent in Laugharne's Dexters at Browns, the older sister of Ty Glo and a steak-lover's dream.
Andy and I splash out on 40-day aged chateaubriand with dauphinoise potatoes, creamed spinach with rarebit topping and béarnaise sauce, £76, paired with glasses of primitivo, £7.75, as the kids tuck into mini rump meals, £12 each (Browns.wales).
It's certainly an upgrade from my mum's meat and potato pie, often squished from the long journey down in the boot of our car as a kid.
But just as those precious memories hold a special place in my heart, retracing family holidays with my own little ones now holds a special place, too.
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