Whilst the overcast and cool weather that we have had so far has probably not been ideal for sitting on the beach, for walking it has been absolutely perfect. Today however the beach weather retuned and the sun shone, meaning that for us, it was a little hot.
Those of you who have been following our blog from the start may recall our encounter on the first day with 91-year old slightly eccentric author Roscoe Howells who delighted in telling us about the huge number of books that he had written. Well today on the shelf in our B&B we found proof to back up his claim in the shape of a copy of one such book 'Roseanna'. Described as 'the final volume of a trilogy spanning almost two centuries of life in rural Pembrokeshire', it looked a real page-turner, and it was just a shame that we had a days walking ahead of us and didn't have time to read it before we left.
We were joined today by Dan's younger brother Ben, who has had a bit of ribbing over the past few days that with the distance we have covered and levels of fitness we have now reached, he could no longer claim to be the fittest brother. He definitely disproved this today however, by setting the pace and leading the way for most of the day!
After a relatively late night last night split between The Harbour Inn and The Ship (pub numbers 15 and 16!), the steep hill that greeted us as we first left Solva was a bit of a struggle. Soon however, the aspirin started to kick in, and we were able to get back into our stride.
We continued for a couple of hours past some very rugged and stunning coastline, and then just past the beach at Caerfai, we came across the chapel of St Non's. Perched high up on the cliff alongside a nunnery, apparently this marks the birth place of the patron saint of Wales, St David.
Alongside the chapel, was a well that is supposed to have magical powers and cure any infirmities or illnesses. We had a brief stop to allow Dan to dip his dodgy knee into the water to test the claim. No conclusive results as yet, so we shall see... Possibly the resumption of a very promising football career beckons (given how rubbish they were this time around, a call up to the England 2016 world cup squad could well be on the cards)!
After stopping for lunch in the small harbour of Porthclais, we soon rounded a headland and were treated with some magnificent views over Ramsey Island - views that we were soon to be able to see at much closer quarters thanks to a free boat trip around the island courtesy of Voyages of Discovery, organised for us by Ieuan Jenkins.
The trip was great (thoroughly recommended for anyone who has not done it before!), and a very welcome break from walking in the hot sun. We saw porpoises, seals and any number of different sea birds, whilst hearing about much of the history and geology of the island. A big thank you to Ieuan for sorting it, and also for the detailed weather forecasts that he has been regularly texting us over the duration of the walk!
After leaving the boat, the last couple of miles to Whitesands was quite quick and easy. Whitesands is a lovely beach, but it was absolutely heaving with people. We have seen quite a number of other similar sandy beaches along the path, many of which have been pretty much deserted and therefore much more pleasant, and it makes you wonder why people don't head for those instead...
Tomorrow, we head for Porthgain - home territory for Dan. No doubt a few drinks at The Sloop will be on the cards!
Tight calves
Dan and James
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
No comments:
Post a Comment