If for you the sight of palm trees, sand and sea conjures up somewhere tropical, you may be surprised to see just how many palm trees are growing in Tenby.

This June, there are well over 100 palms in bloom within the walls and along the coastal stretch from the Jubilee Gardens to the North Cliff estate, with the highest concentrations being found at the Park Hotel, War Memorial Gardens and Gilroy Philips Gardens. And each bloom releases an overpowering perfume into the air, obliterating the sweeter scents like honeysuckle, rose and hebe, and no doubt triggering allergic reactions in those prone to hay fever. (Try dosing daily with local honey from March onwards to minimise this effect.) On the other hand, palm trees do attract plenty of bees and appear to thrive in Tenby’s temperate climate, so the sight of them is an endorsement akin to the blue flags that celebrate our clean, safe beaches. Many palms around the world have succumbed to the devastating appetite of the red palm weavil, examples of which were found in the UK last November. So we should appreciate our palm trees while we have the chance.