Day 21 - Newgale to St David’s
The morning light and tide being out enabled me to see Newgale beach in all its glory - a huge swathe of sand with a pebble upper shore stretching into the distance. Newgale itself is really nothing more than a camping and caravan spot with a couple of shops and a pub/restaurant to serve them. The underdeveloped and chaotically placed smattering of low buildings and the beautiful open stretching scenery really reminded me of New Zealand. Climbing the cliffs gave a great view back down the beach. It must be a fantastic beach to play on for the wee yins!
If anyone can identify this large bird of prey that I spotted hunting around the coastline I’d be grateful! Sorry about the poor quality image.
Today’s walk continued along the coastline, this time going West towards St David’s which is at the upper of the two pointy bits at the bottom of Wales that stick out into the Irish sea (the lower one is where Marloes is).
This view was looking forward along my path. The distant, smaller promontory from the first picture is called Dinas Fawr and the rest of these shots are of me climbing it. It was a tough scramble through scratchy hawthorn bushes and bracken but well worth it for the views, the colourful little alpine flowers growing over the rocks and the feeling that you’re the king of… well, this small corner of Wales.
After some unspoiled, jurassic looking coastline, I found the village of Solva, hidden in a secluded bay with the remains of lime kilns flagging the pretty little harbour. I stopped for a light lunch at The Harbour Inn here and sat taking it all in.
On a small jagged peninsula with high cliffs, an archeological dig was underway in remains of an iron age fort. I've said it before but here goes again…those guys picked some incredible (and inhospitable) places to live!
I don’t know what it is about Wales but it inspired me to song again. I walked much of the rest of the way singing another made up song, this time a sillier, jazzy number. Again more lovely coastal scenery and again more tiny ponies to navigate a path through! I met a (very brave) climber about to scale his way up the cliffs. Then St David’s came into view.
I was staying in the YHA, a 40 min walk out of the town, so as I didn't want to walk there, back again for dinner and then home again I just waited about the town for a couple of hours. St David’s is a beautiful town, or should I say city, as it’s officially Britain's smallest city. I had a refreshing drink sat outside the St David’s Cross hotel, then wanted round the cathedral and ended up in a bar with a fabulously situated roof terrace overlooking the cathedral spire. Here I met a colourful couple, Alan, a folk musician and his lovely partner Bonnie. They were joined by a group of other locals, and the talk of the town was next week’s wedding taking place of a young couple called Sophie and Shane. I wish them well for their big day!
I grabbed a pizza from a pop-up place on a corner and chatted to some local lads whilst waiting for it, then set off down pretty lanes towards the hostel. The YHA St David’s is in a converted farmhouse in rugged coastal scenery, and is the nicest hostel I've ever stayed at. The manager was lovely and I befriended a few other guests, a couple named Alwyn and Jackie, on holiday from Brecon and staying in a pod in the garden, and dab hand and outdoorsman Martin aka El Martino. I took last pic of the three of them was taken the following morning before I left. We stayed up around the kitchen having great conversations and had a thoroughly enjoyable evening at the hostel.
