Easy morning. Went to the market for bread before leaving Cardiff. Disappointing. 10am train to Milford Haven. Arrived 1pm. Walking west past the town to the trail.
Day 1, Milford Haven to Dales.
In about 30 minutes, we are officially on the coastal path.
Some view of the oil refinery pipes that fuel most of the economy of Milford Haven.
We have 2 river crossings that can be cut short at low tide (otherwise, long detour).
Today is at 3:25pm. Hence the late start of the hike.
Crossed the Sandy Haven around 2:30pm.
2nd crossing is longer.
The coast is picturesque. Saw a ruin on red rocks.
Lots of Sea Thrift (pink) and Sea Campion (white with a bladder).
Walked up to Dales Hill Farm, the only campground marked on my map.
I didn't like it. No other tent. 3 RVs. Looked sad.
Walked down and into Dale to use the washroom. It has a very strange hand wash closet. Impossible to wash anything else than your hands.
Planned to inquire other camping options at the pub. Saw a sign for Point Farms campground 450m. So we walked there. No view, but looks cozy. Already 3 tents and 3 RVs. Owner Phil is out (at the pub). One camper called him, was told to go to the house and check-in with the wife. She's very nice. An expensive camp though. £18 pp, + £12 for an annual Green Camp membership. Nice hot shower, microwave, fridge, kettle, 2 sinks. Wifi only at the facilities.
Met a young guy doing the whole thing in 7 days! He has a very small pack, using a tarp tent. He left the next morning before I crawled out of my tent.
Day 2. Dales to Martin's Haven. 38k steps.
The fly is wet. We tried to air it out before heading out. The footprint is hopelessly wet.
Walked into Dales Fort by mistake, privately owned.
A group of middle aged people were sitting around.
A nice location (see photo, not mine).
More prettiness of the coastline, a lot of Sea Thrift.
We have a boat tour today at Martin's Haven. £40/pp. There's a visitor center at the road junction. Not staffed. Toilet and drinking water on the way to the boat launch. A small exhibition room. The road turns right (east) to a large carpark.
Walked about in Deer Park, hoping to find so-called "wild camping".
Yes, you can pitch a tent here and there, however, it's mostly open, so would be in full view.
It's quite pretty. Great view of the island that we'll be visiting later: Skomer.
Saw a couple of people fishing.
First time to see so many people since we started our walk. No deer.
There's a locked watchout station: Wooltack Point.
Picked up our packs again, and headed to West Hood Farm, the only camp here.
(This photo is taken the next morning).
Large field but slanted, half occupied. No WIFI. Windy. £12/pp.
7pm boat tour around Skomer Island.
(The same outfitter offers different tours, including circling Skokholm Island, or getting onto Skomer.)
Tons of puffins. They flap their wings very fast, not elegant.
Some saw a dolphin, but I didn't.
I sat in the middle of the boat, so not to get motion sick.
The water is somewhat choppy.
Next to me sat mother and adult daughter. They live not far, but it's the first time the mom took this ride.
I could understand maybe half of what the guide was saying.
It was a bit chilly, but we all had a good time.
Tent wet, before I even crawled into it. With the wind, it dried up quickly the next morning.
Day 3. Martin Haven to New Gales. A long day. 17 miles. 47k steps.
I found this poem printed on a standard piece of paper, taped in one of the common rooms.
| THE CONCRETE PUFFINS OR, ODE TO WEST HOOK FARM |
|
|---|---|
MR PUFFIN
I am a concrete puffin:
It's not much of a life.
I'm stuck here for eternity
And so's me concrete wife.
MRS PUFFIN
The way we're fixed here on our posts,
Can't even see the sea;
When the North wind comes it chills our bums;
Gulls poo on us with glee.
MR PUFFIN
And every Friday monring
(That's when the rubbish goes)
Them blackk bags full of stinking stuff
Are pilled up to our toes.
MRS PUFFIN
We've never been to Skomer,
We've heard of it, of course;
We've no chance of migration
When the weather's getting worse.
MR PUFFIN
We've never caught a sand eel,
We've never even flown;
What chance have we of taking off? -
We're sand, cement, and stone!
MRS PUFFIN
We know what other puffins do:
They whizz, and fly, and dive;
But how, good God, could a concrete bird
Go swimming, and survive?
|
MR PUFFIN
Now lest your sense of sympathy
inclines you all to weep,
Life's not so glum when the farmer comes,
And touches up our beaks.
MRS PUFFIN
We're actually quite famous:
Our name is on a bus;
And all the younger passers by,
They stop and make a fuss.
MR PUFFIN
They're photographed in front of us
So we're standing on their heads;
But we'd rather get some royalties,
Than old chewing gum instead.
MRS PUFFIN
Yes, we will be here 'til the end,
In frost and rain and hail;
But at least we gets to see our friends,
Like Martin with the mail.
MR PUFFIN
If you ever come down Deer Park way
Do stop and say hello
To old Puffinus Cementicus
And her across the road.
MRS PUFFIN
Yes, we will always be out here,
As round the seasons go;
By the way: if we need Sandtexing
Do let Rob Thomas know!
|
More prettiness of the coast, more pink and white flowers. Sometimes blue.
Met 1 thru hiker. She came from Broadhaven, going southbound.
At St Bride, we probably walked in the property of a castle-turned-hotel:
St Brides Castle.
Near St Bridget's Church, we met a gentleman who is visiting his wife's ash.
He said that the wife loved it here. So he scattered her ash in the woods nearby.
Now for the last 11 (?) year, he came here on the anniversary of her passing or the wedding. I don't remember well now.
In Nolton Haven, while we were sitting and taking a break, a retired gentleman came out of his house to chat with us. He calls all flowers weed. He talked about nettle-eating contest, and we shall try laver bread - a seaweed product.
Nolton Haven to Newgale is more hilly than before. We settled in New Gale, after the long 17 miles. My feet hurt, my butt hurts. The campground is in the middle of the little town. Wrong side of the main road. No view of the ocean. Very windy here. Eveyone was in a camper van. We were the only one in tents. Unable to put up tent fly. The campground is manned by a cheerful young lady with a broken leg. £10/pp.
I threw away Sawyer syringe (hadn't yet filtered any water) and eye patch, to lighten my load. We are both eating the food I carried, so my pack is getting lighter. I prepared for "wild camping", so brought enough food for a whole week. PS didn't bring any food, except strong coffee. He has a large medical kit, mostly tapes for his feet (which gave him trouble last May at Camino de Santiago).
Day 4. New Gale to St. David's. 37k steps.
More of the same prettiness.
I took a slightly longer detour.
Arrived at St. David's early afternoon.
I booked the hotel before leaving US. £95.
St David's claimes to be the smallest city in UK. It has a proper grocery store.
flower ladden streets, a huge cathedral, and a lot of tourists.
Bought groceries. Fresh tomatoes and salad. PS got olive and I bought yogurt.
We tried lava bread (seaweed).
The room we had is top floor under the attic. Great view below.
Since there's only one bed, I slept in the closet under stairs. There're many blankets inside.
Walked about the town. The cathedral and bishop palace look very substantial. Seems too large for this small town. The cathedral is closed 4-6pm, and then there is a concert at 6pm. Have to come back tomorrow.
Day 5. Fishgard to Parrog (Newport). 35k steps.
5/27, Saturday.
Visited St David's cathedral before their 8am mass (in the chapel).
The roof is quite impressive. Possibly original wood. It was empty, so no one to ask about it.
Full English breakfast at the hotel at 8:30. Black sausage, haggis, ham, bacon, egg, stewed tomato. Of course, toast and jam. I was very stuffed. My first time try haggis. Tastes good. The owner swears by MacSween's haggis. We were asked if we'd like to have some "brown sauce". The waitress herself never tried it. It tasts more like katchup than steak sauce.
10am bus T11 to Fishguard. Cheating out 2 days of walking. Saw a bus leaving as we walked to the bus stop, even though we were 10 min earlier. Got worried. Seems the bus does a loop in town. It came back at 10am. £2.75 pp. The bus takes visa. Just tap. So convenient.
It takes awhile to leave the sight of the town of Fishgard.
More of the same prettiness. Not much wind today. I used my umbrella.
Met an old couple with large backpacks who wild camped along the way. The lady called me "posh" because I slept in campgrounds! Later, met another thru hiker, maybe around 40 yo, going southbound.
At Pwllgwaelod Beach, used WC, topped my water bottle.
I opted to go around Dinas Head, instead of cut across to Cwm yr Eglwys, which has another beach, WC.
At Alberfforest Beach, met another thru hiker with a dog.
More people today. Saturday of some long weekend. Asked a few people, but no one could tell us what kind of long weekend it is.
Easy walk today. More bluebells and white, yellow is Gorse - prickly stems. Saw a truck spray manure into the air.
A fork, and I took to the lower trail (more elevation loss and gain) to have a better look at Guillemots on a sea stack.
Got to Parrog (near Newport), checked into Morawelon Camping and Caravanning, because PS' Camino friend may come tomorrow. They suggested this campground next to the beach. £12/pp/day.
Piched our tents at a corner next to rhododendron. Got 2 chairs too. The lady in charge, Nicki, is super nice. Even offered to deliver our backpack to our hotel in Cardigan on Tuesday morning, so we don't need to carry everything hiking the last section, the supposedly hardest section.
Walked to the sea. The beach is so flat and long.
After I got into water, it's so low that I turn around before water was knee high.
It's not very cold. Took cold shower.
Picked some nettle right by my tent, cooked into my dinner (refried beans + mashed potatos, sundried tomatos). Thistles on the ground. Watch where you pitch the tent, don't walk barefooted. Watched sunset.
Day 6. A 0 day. 19k steps.
5/28, Sunday. No hiking. PS hurt his big toe yesterday.
No bus on bank holidays and Sundays.
Planned to take a taxi to Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber.
But according to Nicki, there's no taxi here.
So I walked there. It's a bit far (almost 5 miles one way).
Headed out at 8:15am. Checked out Newport town first. Saw a small grocery store. Walked to the castle ruin (not on Google Map, but on the printout map Nicki gave us). However seems it's inhabited by a family. A nice garden.
The walk to the burial chamber is not all pleasant, basically walking on roads. The actual site is very nice. Quiet, with green hills and lambs around. Fence that vistors can open to walk in. I had the whole place to myself. I'm fascinated by these old structures. This one dates to ~3500BC.
Got a ride back to Newport from an old gentleman from Milford Haven. He came to the burial chamber when I was leaving.
£1 for a 7.5 min hot shower.
Lunch: nettle with my quick oat mix (milk, cheese powder, green powder). Same for dinner + tea.
Wifi only at the cafe, slow speed.
At 9pm, walked to the beach to wait for sunset.
Saw Nicki on our way back. Said goodbye and thank you. Met her mother-in-law, who owns this place.
Day 7. New Port to Cardigan. 46k steps.
5/29, Monday, a bank holiday which I still don't know what for.
Olli and wife Wendy came to the cafe at 7:30am.
We walked together. Since Olli and PS wanted to chat, I went ahead.
I also took PS' tent. At one point, I spread both tents and groundsheets to dry while waiting for them. They are much slower than me.
When they caught up, we all took a break.
Tried Wendy's veggie balls. It's quite tasty.
Recipe: cook veggie first, then mix with egg and bread crumb, bake at 180°C for 15 min until browned.
Met one thru hiker.
We stopped for lunch at Ceibwr Beach, about halfway to the end.
Tried Wendy's sweet concoction with white chocolate.
Need to ask her recipe for Santiago Tart, which she claims to be very easy.
They turned off the trail to walk to Moylgrove, and then back to their trailer, on road, because there's no bus today.
Before parting with us, they gave us 2 bottles of water, because from now to the end, there's no drinking water.
I showed them my water filter.
I headed out first. Seeing more and more people. One thru hiker. The trail is not any more difficult than any other sections. I don't remember it being hillier or prettier.
Road even before getting to Puppy Sand (the official northern terminus of Pembrokeshire Coastal Path). Public WC has a lot of dirty sands on the floor, so I don't want to set down my pack. The drinking water tap seemed broken.
Walking ~4 miles to Cadigan on the road is not fun. Hitched a ride after 20+ drove by me, about half way. The 2 young guys suggested a hike in Snowdonia and Pizza Tipi for dinner. Thank you!
Checked into hotel ~3:30pm. Hung 2 tents on the wardrobe doors. Laid groundsheet at the room entrance. Showered. Angel Hotel is quite nice. Cheap (£48), clean, friendly employees. I highly recommend it. I requested for 2 beds, and I got them. Rectangular toilet and sink too. I guess rectangular is now the fashion.
PS arrived ~5pm with a kabab takeout. Thus concludes our 7 day walk along Pembrokeshire's lovely coastline.
Washed clothes, and then headed out to see the town, and check out the bus station. PS was too tired to go out.
Pizza Tipi (at the end of the quay) was full for food, could only order drink.
Quite a lot of people at the east bank of River Teifi on this holiday weekend.
Quite pretty but deserted St Mary's Church (well, closed at this hour) is next to the bus stops.
Guild Hall (note, the building is not curved: bad side effect of the panorama shot) is maybe the best looking. I managed to sneak inside for a peek.
Quite a few nice buildings along the High Street and Priory Street.
A few very twisty alleys.
Lost my room key card at some point.
Heading to Snowdon tomorrow.
