Excitement reached fever pitch at the weekend as thousands of film fans made their way to Pembrokeshire to audition as extras or to see Harry Potter in action.

Visitors have been drawn to the dunes in their droves as the magnificent Shell Cottage on Freshwater West beach reaches completion and the magical set is prepared for the star studded cast.

On Saturday, Pembroke Dock's Technium centre was filled to capacity with wannabe medieval soldiers auditioning as extras for the Robin Hood film, while hundreds more queued outside. Many travelled hundreds of miles for the privilege.

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) and other stars from the film are said to have visited the Harry Potter set on Sunday and a gruelling filming schedule began in the very early hours of Monday morning.

Emotional scenes from Chapter 25 of J K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are being filmed at the fantastic shell construction on the dunes.

Roads near the main car park of Freshwater West beach may be closed while filming takes place this week but pedestrians are still able to access the beach.

Security guards surrounded the areas where filming was in process in the dunes, but providing they kept outside the taped areas, people of all ages were able to gather on the beach and admire the view.

One trio of hardcore Harry Potter fans travelled all the way from Shrewsbury to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars.

Eighteen-year-olds Becky Crawford, Suzy Marrs and Mica Daly-Smith had even kitted themselves out with custom made printed t-shirts for the occasion.

As they waited patiently at the barriers on Monday, Becky told the Western Telegraph: "We came down yesterday for a look and we camped overnight at Angle.

"We came back this morning hoping to see the cast arrive and just as we were about to leave one of the security guards shouted 'Girls, he's here!'"

The three excitable teens managed to get their t-shirts signed by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Evanna Lynch (Luna) and Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix).

"Thank God for the Western Telegraph- that's how we found out about where all this was happening. We saw it on the website," said Mica.

The girls said that they'd been "shellshocked" although they were tempted to stay another night, they unfortunately had to get back for college the next day.

Meanwhile, floods of men from Pembrokeshire and miles beyond, descended on Pembroke Dock Technium on Saturday.

Well over 1000 men fancied their chances to be cast as extras in the Ridley Scott Robin Hood blockbuster, starring Russell Crowe, during filming at Freshwater West from June 15th to 30th.

When the Casting Collective, the agency which supplies extras to large film productions, approached Pembrokeshire County Council's Economic Development department about a venue it said that it was looking to cast around 600 people.

However, the company could only process 1,000 people on the day and when the 1,000th man turned up, hundreds still followed and had to be turned away.

Men meeting the specified requirements travelled from all over Britain to be in with a chance of playing a medieval soldier when filming takes place next month. Some came from far flung destinations, such as London, Anglesey and Nottingham, while some just popped up the road.

The Western Telegraph understands that the agency had hoped to process 150 people each hour but instead the six representatives managed to get through 250 each hour.

With the relevant information recorded, details of the hopefuls who make it through this stage will be sent out to the production team for Robin Hood for their consideration.

See Wednesday's Western Telegraph for more and if you have been down to the Harry Potter set and captured any of the action, send your photographs to: yourtelegraphnews@westerntelegraph.co.uk