St David's Bishops Palace and the nearby St David's Cathedral and Tower. Situated in the UK's smallest city is 3 impressive buildings of the medieval past. The Bishops Palace stills conveys the affluence and power of the medieval church and its bishops, with its lavish decorations, corbels carved as human heads and its chequerboard stonework. As well as getting to explore the ruins there are explanation boards within the undercrofts which were still pretty much in tact explaining the operation of the Palace and its staff. The Cathedral is still used today and being set into a hillside it has uneven floors. The interior is magnificent and although the cloisters is small and a later addition there are modern elements which have been added which makes it a living building. The Tower is the only surviving one of the exterior walls which used to surround the cathedral and palace, and contains some local military history. Again a magnificent photographic assignment, although a few more tourists, but from some positions panoramas are possible.

Llawhaden Castle, near Narberth, Pembrokeshire. Although called a castle it was in fact a fortified palace of the Bishops of St David's. It was first created as a ringwork in the twelfth century and totally rebuilt mainly in the 14th century. Today a majestic ruin where some of the original outer walls still stand and the outlines of the undercrofts can be seen. When visiting you need to park up in the village and then walk down the lane to the castle structure.

Strumble Head Lighthouse near Fishguard. A beautiful spot to sit and take in the sea views. It can be accessed along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path,  but it is also easy to access via a car, travelling down some single track lanes with many passing places and coming to a couple of car parks where you can park up and wander nearby or just sit amongst the heather with a cup of tea. We visited at the end of a busy day in St David's (a 20 minute drive away) and it was a nice place to relax and do just that.

Tenby Castle Hill and Museum. Today there is no castle only one of its towers, but from up on the hill you get good views both out to sea, of the town harbour area, as well as St Catherine's Island and its fort, and nearby Caldy Island and the Caldey Lighthouse. From the harbour or beach, depending on the tides, you also get to see the boats full of day trippers making their way to Caldey. Up on the hill is also the Tenby Museum and Art Gallery a good place to explore and find out about the towns history.

Tudor Merchant House, Tenby. A National Trust property in where you can explore the life of a merchant in Tudor times. The exhibition covers 3 floors of the house and unusually apart from a couple of items you are allowed and encouraged to handle what you see on display. The ground floor where you enter is the kitchen with its wide open fireplace and to the right you can see where the effluent left the property for the sewers below. The first floor is made out into the living space with a large dining table covered in toys, games and eating implements from the Tudor period. Also on this floor there are examples of the merchants tools, from counting mats to quills on desks. The second floor is set up as the bedroom with a large 4 poster bed and a babies cradle as well as cupboards.

Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire This is an impressive castle which is surround by water on three sides and you get access from the road on the 4th side. Enough of the structure survives that there is a lot to explore and towers to climb to get good views of the surround town and the castle itself. It was founded in 1093 and is the birthplace of Henry Tudor, later to become King Henry VII.

Wiston Castle, near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. A motte-and-bailey ruin probably begun in the first half of the 12th century. A small ruin across a small field, park up in the village outside the church and walk across the road.

Manor House Wildlife Park near St Florence Pembrokeshire. A small wildlife park but many of the animals displays you can get quite close to the animals and there is very little in that gets in your way of getting some great photos. You can get up close and walk in the enclosure of the large rabbits, wallabies and lemurs,. The rhinos, zebras and ostrich are at your level. The tiger was behind wire of course and could be difficult to see because he had a large enclosure with a lot of grass he could hide in. The monkey's were exploring their island and their was plenty more to see. A good family day out but also a good photo environment.

Carew Castle and Tidal Mill, Pembrokeshire  Standing at the head of the Carew River is a castle which transformed from a medieval stronghold into an Elizabethan mansion. It's history spans over 2000 years and it overlooks a 23 acre mill pond which in turn as the only restored Tidal Mill in Wales. You can access the Castle and Tidal Mill separately, in fact the path to the mill runs alongside the castle, but you can also get a combined ticket if you want to see both.

Carew Cross, Pembrokeshire An 11th century Christian monument within the village of Carew. Considered to be one of the three finest Celtic crosses in Wales.

Most of the places listed above are also within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.  

Dryslwyn Castle, Camarthenshire. Sits on a hilltop overlooking the Tywi valley. A ruin in a stunning setting with a winding river which meanders through this part of the countryside.

Bristol Zoo and Gardens, Bristol. This is the 5th oldest zoo in the world and first opened its doors to the public on the 11 July 1836. Although a more traditional zoo with the animals in cages or behind screens their environments are large and in many cases they have access to outside space as well. It is laid out so you can get close enough to get a good look. The Gorilla house in particular you get to see them from all angles, even above you. Its not a large site, so you are able to get around the different animals and getting back to talks or to see feedings times is possible. As well as the animals, the grounds are gardens are colourful, informative and worth exploring. A good day out for the family, and it has many good photo opportunities.