Have you ever imagined being an explorer, sailing the High Seas and discovering some long lost hidden treasures? Well now's your chance. For this week, PLANED, in conjunction with the Experience Pembrokeshire Waterway Group, launched the latest addition to their growing library of area guides, namely 'The Secret Waterway'. The waterway, which is the subject of the informative booklet, is the Milford Haven Waterway, which has been described as one of the finest natural harbours in the world. Indeed, it is internationally famous as a classic example of a ria (a drowned valley), having been formed millions of years ago at the end of the Ice Age. But there is much, much more. For, the wonderful waterway features landscapes of remarkable contrasts as it sinuusly curves its way into the heart of Pembrokeshire. As well as modern ports and townships, ferries, yachts and oil tankers, the Daugleddau - where the eastern and western branches of the river meet - also has many sheltered inlets, villages and wooded valleys, where the sense of tranquility is profound. There's also an abundance of wildlife to be found in the winding tidal creeks. For all too long, though, this little piece of Wales appears to have remained a 'secret' to the big outside world. But not for much longer, not if PLANED and the Experience Pembrokeshire Waterway Group have anything to do with it. The plan is to encourage people to discover the many and varied delights of the 24-mile waterway; to find fascinating places that are often hidden from view and where, to be environmentally friendly, they won't necessarily need their car. And there's no doubt that the attractive new booklet succeeds in its aim, with a mine of information and history contained within its many pages. It's certainly a good read and and an excellent guide, with a whole compendium of facts, ranging from the waterway at work and its coalmining history to its follies and fortifications and riverside communities. And who better to help launch the booklet, than BBC Wales presenter Jamie Owen, who had chaired several meetings of the Experience Pembrokeshire Waterway Group during the planning of the guide. A Pembroke Dock boy, himself, Jamie told his audience of invited guests at the Ferry House Inn, Llanstadwell, that as a youngster he had spent many happy hours on the waterway 'messing about in boats'. And having appropriately arrived by the new waterbus service which is to be piloted in the Haven during the summer months, he felt it was time people started 'boasting' about what the waterway has to offer. "It's the jewel not only of Pembrokeshire and Wales, but the whole of the the United Kingdom," he remarked. Agreeing, Pembrokeshire Greenways officer, Rhian Higgins, felt that the waterway was being under- utilised. "It is time to let the world know what we have here," she urged during a presentation on the waterbus initiative. The three-month experimental service, provided by Alistair Pollard, of Rudders Boatyard, will operate hand in hand with the new guide and aims to link communities from Lawrenny downstream to Angle and Dale. It will be available to both locals and tourists, and the provision of the service follows a feasibility study commissioned by Pembrokeshire Greenways, working with Pembrokeshire County Council, PLANED, the Milford Haven Port Authority and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. Coincidently, the chairman of the National Park Authority, Simon Hancock, was on board the waterbus on Tuesday night, but on this occasion with his other hat on - as an expert on the history of the Haven. Clr. Hancock kept the party of guests well informed as they cruised down river on what was a glorious summer's evening, when the true beauty of the waterway could be enjoyed at its best. Some fasacinating facts and 'hidden treasures' were also revealed... but we won't tell you what they were; we will let you discover them for yourself! Back at the Ferry Inn, meanwhile, a welcome was extended by PLANED co-ordinator Joan Asby, while Richard James, European project manager with Celtic Maritime Connections, gave a presentation on maritime heritage as a tourism theme. Afterwards, it was time to relax and enjoy a session of sea shanty singing, before returning to the waterbus for the return journey home... and (shh) with more than a few secrets to tell!