The Pembrokeshire Coast Path, Wales

               In 1952, the Pembrokeshire Coast received National Park status.  It took until 1970 before the path was opened.  The official distance is 299 kilometers.

Colby Lodge, Amroth

Our first night before starting on the trail was spent in a home that was started in the early 1600’s and then was updated and expanded in the early 1800’s.  In Canada, the age of the home would have suggested a hovel.  Here it was merely a mansion.  The interior reflected loving care and successful forays to many auctions to showcase numerous pieces of art and bric-a-brac that was entirely fitting with gracious living of those previous times. 

           The view out of our room was lovely.

              

11.      Amroth to Manorbier

I should start out by showing you some of trail marks to guide us along the way.  The Pembrokeshire Coast Path is identified by an Acorn Trail Marker.  Walking is very popular in the UK, so trail signs often indicated other trails at the same time.

Quite a bit of attention was directed towards the danger of the cliffs.

All signs in Wales had to be bilingual Gaelic English.

As we started out from our accommodation, we came across a <wishing tree>, which consisted of a snag embedded with coins all over.  Apparently, it is good luck to pound a coin into the wood, and very bad luck to remove one.  These trees seem to be a particularly Welsh phenomenon. 

As we came to the waterfront in Amroth, a beautiful fish sculpture advocated against use of plastics.  The fish was a metal cage with hundreds of plastic bottles aligned within to show the amount of plastic that was found in the water.

It turned out that we did not take a lot of pictures today—Brian was having a tough time.  The trip overseas with the associated jet lag had brought out the worst of the side effects with his current medication.  He struggled to Tenby along the way, and then we caught a bus to Manorbier.

There are few addresses here, for many of the domiciles have their own name.  Tonight we stayed in “Bryntag”.  Our host was Jim, a generous, thoughtful and welcoming host.

22.       Manorbier to Bosherton

We managed to hike from Manorbier to Freshwater East before succumbing to the lure of a taxi to Bosherton.  The day was a little damp although it was not pouring outright.

The terrain is amazing.  There are some extremely rugged cliffs and beaches with clear layers of rock such as these along the way.

Then you come into another beach such as that at Freshwater East which is a beautiful long sand beach.

The vegetation is extremely lush because of the humidity and the amount of mist and rain.  Heather (purple) and gorse (gold) are in bloom at the moment, leading to colourful hillsides.

St. Govan’s Country Inn, Bosherton

Our accommodation was a tiny country inn in the middle of nowhere.  It was pretty rudimentary accommodation and the rooms were noisy because they were right above the tap room.  The variety of accommodation is rather startling, and certainly all part of the adventure. 

33.       Bosherton to Angle

Before we started out on our walk today, we checked a local attraction right alongside our accommodation:  the Bosherton Lily Ponds.  The ponds are artificial waterways established to encourage wildlife, and provide a dreamy quiet area.  We saw a mute swan in the distance and the lilies were still in bloom.

Coming out of the Ponds, we were trying to figure our way at a trail signpost.  The Ministry of Defense had a large firing range through much of the area, and we could hear machine gun fire in the background.  (To complement the swans….)  A couple pulled up in a car, and explained we would have quite a way to go on roads before we would be able to get back on the trail.  They kindly offered us a ride further on to rejoin the trail, and we accepted.  Were we ever smart!!  And were they ever smart!!  We traveled a considerable distance over very boring terrain before we were able to rejoin the trail and the magnificent beach of Freshwater West.

Just to give you perspective, there are two humans in the picture.

Travelling is funny.  I like to think that I arrive with no preconceived notions; the surprises, however, are the least likely things to me.  For example, I didn’t expect the magnificent sand beaches of Wales.  Yes, there are many rocky beaches and steep rocky cliffs.  Nonetheless, the sand beaches are to die for.

They still include rocky stretches, including tide pools, which are fascinating.

This beach was featured in several films including Harry Potter and Robin Hood.

Some historical highlights were featured along this trail, including remains of the East Blockhouse constructed as a defense building during the time of Henry VII to gun placements of the Second World War.  Nothing like spanning a few centuries here and there.

Natural features were also highlights, including this natural arch created in the stones.

Tilted rock beds were obvious along the coast.

I would be remiss to forget the enormous number of gates we passed; they were to enclose animals, separate fields, and otherwise protect private landowner concerns when public paths ran through their property.  ((Or to prevent the MOD from bombing you……)

The good news was that each gate reminded us we were on the right trail.

Unexpected of obstacles came up.  The local natives hogged the path at one point, and were reluctant to let us pass.

The trails themselves were often narrow (the middle cow is standing right beside it), and felt like we were on an elevator up and down.  Except with no mechanical assistance, of course.  Climbs and drops were often steep.

It wasn’t uncommon to find old Welsh stone walls marking the fields.

We ended up in the Welsh town of Angle, and were fetched by our hosts at the next B&B called Little Neath Barn.  It was literally a barn made over into a home; the rest of the farm complex lay around it.

44.       Angle to Pembroke

Brian is still not on the top of his form, so we decided to accept a drive to Pembroke to give him a day of rest, saving 17 km of walking.  (Up and down, up and down.)  The guidebook suggested that the next two days were the least interesting of the whole trail, given the concentration of industry in the area.  Our host was travelling to Pembroke to pick up his daily paper, so he happily took us along.  John was a very mild, soft-spoken man who could hardly say “boo”.  However, when he got into his car, he suddenly became a Formula One Race Driver.  The country roads are extremely narrow, with high hedges on either side.  Few times occurred when there was enough space for two cars to pass.  Now and then there were tiny cuts into the hedges so one car could pull over enough to let another pass. John could go from 60 to 0 and then back to 60 in nanoseconds while waving politely at the oncoming driver.  Once we got to Pembroke, it was imperative to find a tea room and have a calming cuppa before venturing on to further excitement.

Pembroke had its own attractions, including a rather spectacular castle that was the center point of the town. 

In 1093, Roger de Montgomery, a cousin of the Norman King William the Conqueror, built the original castle, consisting of earth and timber.  Through the next 4 centuries, the castle changed hands many times, from Henry I to Jasper Tudor, whose nephew, King Henry VII was born within the castle walls in 1457. Numerous wars and changes of hands followed, to be ended finally when Major General Sir Ivor Phillipps purchased the castle in 1928 and started rebuilding some of the towers.  It is now in the hands of a private trust.

From a North American standpoint, it is hard to imagine the number of centuries in the life of a castle.  The amount of structure is immense, and the amount of restoration required is huge.  Regardless, effective displays and informative posters in highlighted areas help to envisage some of the experiences of the times.

Naturally, I will point out some of the mundane first.

They DID have loos!  They were built in such a way that the deposits went directly into the moat.  Unfortunately, they were often in full view of whatever room they supported.

They also DID have graffiti.  One room had a plexiglas wall covering the old carvings, but you could see the designs.

The stairs were steep, narrow and circular, being designed to give defenders advantage over the attackers.  Many warriors were right-handed, so they had the advantage coming downstairs with a wider ability to sweep their swords.  Even today, the stairs were very difficult to navigate safely, so someone wearing chain mail must have had a challenging time.

Some rooms had a scenario set up to give you an idea of events.

One of the most notable aspects of the castle was a large natural cavern underneath, which gave boats access to the sea.  Artifacts confirmed human use of this site since the Ice Age.  You can see Brian way off in the distance…..

Nothing in our North American timeframe gives us the perspective of these places.

Right by the castle was a souvenir shop, highlighting genealogy.  You could get trinkets with coats of arms or spend approximately $75 Canadian to get a colourful fancy printed history on parchment paper.  The lady was more than happy to give us some highlights of our names, which proved to be considerably amusing.  The motto of Malloy is “Would rather die than be disgraced” while the motto of Cox (my maiden name) is “Faith and Fortitude”.  What a bunch of toughies!

55.       Pembroke to Milford Haven

We ended taking a bus today to give Brian one more day of rest before attempting further hiking. 

I can easily say this morning was another unexpected treat.  Pembroke is not a large town, with only about 7500 inhabitants.  We trotted back down to the castle where the bus stop was situated.  As we are waiting for a bus, there is a tractor convoy!!  And a long one!  Apparently there was an annual tractor run done as a fundraiser with a large number of tractors participating.  Even town roads are not very wide.

Milford Haven is a relatively new town.  The main industry refining Liquified Natural Gas, which is brought in by ships from the Middle East.  Although we didn’t see it, there was a notable arrival from Qatar; the ship was 300 meters long, or 3 football fields (soccer) as our hosts described it.  A few smaller ships were docked across from us.

There was a marina in the central part of Milford Haven, and it was easy to sit (with tea and Welsh Cakes) while watching all the action.  A fascinating range of boats were docked in the marina.

It had become obvious to us at this point that Brian would not be able to handle the physical activity required to complete this journey.  We were able to arrange for alternate flights home, and will go forward to our booked accommodation tonight to prepare for the return journey.  It is unfortunate, but given the circumstances this is the best decision to make at the time.

65.      Milford Haven to Dale

Dale is a huge metropolis of 225 residents.  We weren’t even sure if we were going to be able to get a meal in the evening.  As usual, everything turned out extremely well.

Dale had a lovely tidal beach, where rock-picking was a world-level challenge.  The beaches are so different here.  There are gorgeous sand beaches and fascinating sand and rock beaches where the rocks are all completely rounded from the wave action.  A few Welsh mementos will be making their way home with me.

As the tide was coming in, all the local day-to-day fishermen came out.  It was hilarious for they were all there within 5 minutes of one another.

The local pub, the Griffin, was another treat, as most of the pubs are.  They specialized in seafood, and had a marvelous selection to offer. 

No matter how tiny the village, tiny the home and tiny the yard, there were always beautiful flowering plants everywhere.  All part of the Welsh charm.

Tomorrow will be a busy day because we have to take a taxi back to Milford Haven to catch a train to Cardiff.  The next day will feature an early train to London Paddington with another train to Heathrow airport to catch an early afternoon flight back to Calgary and then to Kelowna.  We covered a lot in just 6 days , so all is not lost.