THE Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will spend tomorrow (Thursday 9th July) in Monmouth, visiting two venues in town.

In her role as president of the United Kingdom Vineyards Association, the Duchess of Cornwall will open the new winery at Ancre Hill vineyard, unveiling a plaque to mark the event and attending a reception with those who helped bring the project together.

The Monmouth vineyard has tried to minimise its carbon footprint by using technologies such as a grass roof, straw-bale walls and an ecological water treatment works to keep the wine making process as green as possible.

The building is one of the world's largest straw bale buildings and the new winery, completed earlier this year, can process and store up to 100,000 bottles of wine produced by the four hectare vineyard.

At the same time, the Prince of Wales will be visiting High Glanau Manor.

The Arts and Crafts style Grade II listed country house in Cwmcarvan is well known for its stunning gardens and regularly opened its doors to the public as part of the National Garden Society's Open Gardens Scheme.

The gardens are still being restored to their former glory while retaining many of their original features including an octagonal pool, the glasshouse and pergola.

The Prince, well known as a keen gardener, will be touring the gardens and attending a small reception given in the house.

A Clarence House spokesperson said: "The Prince and The Duchess always enjoy their annual summer visit to Wales.

"They are very much looking forward to engaging with communities in many different parts of the country, and to seeing the rich variety of Welsh enterprise."

Keep an eye on the Beacon next week for photos from the visits.