Carriage driving in danger of being lost from Newport Sands

Professional equine therapist Lilwen Selina Joynson has driven a horse and carriage on Newport Sands ever since she was a child.

Earlier this summer she became concerned about whether she would still be able to gain access onto the beach when the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority began imposing restrictions on vehicular access.

“I spoke with an officer and he re-assured me that access onto the beach would continue for my horse and trap,” she said.

“He gave the strong impression that carriage drivers were welcome here and even asked for the measurements of my trap, saying the Authority would attempt to come up with possibilities to ensure that I would be able to continue schooling my horse on the beach.”

But when Lilwen Joynson arrived with her horse and trap earlier this week, she discovered a large rock had been positioned in the car park leading down to the slipway while the gate on the opposite side had been locked.

“When I attempted to move around the side, the wheels of the trap started going up onto the bank which was extremely dangerous for the horse and totally unacceptable.

Selina's cart as she attempts to move it around the gate post (Image: Lilwen Selina Joynson)

“Carriage driving with a young horse such as mine is so much more difficult than normal riding as so many things have got to be taken into consideration such as the wind, the sea noise, dogs and people coming up to talk to us.

"And the reason I train on the beach is because taking a young horse out onto the roads is dangerous. Motorists can get very silly and drive far too close to the horse vehicle.

“And carriage driving across fields isn’t ideal as it’s important to get the horse used to being around people before taking them out to events and shows. So you need somewhere safe, somewhere without traffic, but where there are people.”

Lilwen has appreciated the art of carriage driving since a very young age as her father, the late Martin George of Mount Farm, Eglwyswrw, was himself a renowned carriage driver.

Lilwen's father, the late Martin George, Mount Farm, Eglwyswrw (Image: Lilwen Selina Joynson)

“I’ve been doing it ever since I was a child. I grew up with it,” she says.

“And the interesting thing is that since lockdown, more and more people are coming into carriage driving, possibly because they’re deciding to follow their passion and do things that bring them closer to nature.

“The comments I’ve had from people who’ve watched us schooling down on the beach have been fantastic. It’s obviously given them so much pleasure, just being able to see a horse and trap in action down on Newport Sands.

“It’s just so sad that this may not be able to continue.”

Meanwhile the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority has confirmed that it has not banned horse riders nor horse drawn carriages from the beach at Newport Sands.

“Following a telephone discussion on 13 July 2023 over the beach access changes, the person in question was informed via email that any horse drawn carriage they wished to take onto the beach would need to have an overall width of less than 1.5m," a spokesperson said in a statement to the Western Telegraph.

"The 1.5m gap allows access for as wide a range of recreational activity as possible, while restricting access to motor vehicles.”