A council has commissioned a commemorative structure costing £6,000 - but many passersby have said it looks like a baked potato.
Monmouthshire County Council installed the artwork to mark the beginning of Wales’ coastal path which is supposed to resemble a pebble but not everyone agrees.
The gleaming pebble, created by artist Michael Johnson and which reads “croeso”, was officially unveiled last month by television presenter Iolo Williams and former National Poet of Wales Ifor ap Glyn to mark the tenth anniversary of the path.
Monmouthshire council celebrated the unveiling with various videos on its social media channels.
In one of the videos Iolo explains how the pebble is accompanied by a sound box which tells visitors about the path.
When Iolo dramatically disrobed the pebble he was met with a couple of “oohs” followed by a modest applause. “Isn’t that beautiful,” he said. “I now announce this pebble open.”
But those that have passed the pebble soon began posting online that it looked more like a spud, while others were a little unimpressed at how much the local authority had spent on it.
“I’m beans and cheese but the husband would prefer tuna mayo,” Emma Mee joked.
A spokeswoman for the council said: “The funding for the Wales coast path improvements was part of the Welsh Government access improvement grant, for Monmouthshire County Council and Flintshire County Council.
"The artwork cost £6,000 and was commissioned and paid for by Flintshire County Council. Monmouthshire County Council paid £6,000 out of its access improvement grant to Flintshire County Council for this purpose.”
