My Adventure on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path
By Lynne Hume
After a busy few months organising some great walking holidays for our clients, the staff here at Mickledore will be getting away from our desks over the next few weeks and checking out some of the routes you love best. We’ll be spending our days walking so we can tell you first hand the best bits, the not so good bits (not many of those we hope!) and how tiring the days really are! In the evenings we’ll be checking out the B&Bs and finding the best places to eat for those hungry appetites.
Dale to St. Dogmaels
This week I am walking part of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path from Dale to St Dogmaels, a 95 mile stretch of some of the most beautiful coastline in Britain. This is my first visit to Pembrokeshire and so far, I am loving it. The coastline is just as spectacular as I have been led to believe and even the good old British weather isn’t dampening my spirits.
After a very warm welcome, a great night’s sleep and a fabulous breakfast at the Clock House in Marloes, today’s leg of the walk took us from Musselwick Sands to Broad Haven. With plenty of rain and strong winds forecast we were prepared for what the weather had to throw at us and hoping for some good photo opportunities too. We weren’t disappointed as the waves crashed against the rocky cliffs all day long. There was really only one climb to speak of today with most of the path being high on the cliff tops, but Little Haven provided some welcome refreshment this afternoon before the final hop over the cliffs to Broad Haven. We arrived a little tired and windswept to yet another warm and friendly welcome at Anchor Guest House. Welsh cakes and a cup of tea accompanied the amazing views across St Brides Bay. The only thing missing this evening was the sunset.
After the stormy skies and seas earlier we’ve been blessed with some beautiful weather on the Pembrokeshire Coast this week. The sun has been shining all the way from Solva to Goodwick, about 45 miles of coastline, and the calm waters and blue skies have made for some great photos.
The scenery on this section of the coast is absolutely stunning and always changing, from wild isolated bays with sheer rocky cliffs, to pretty little harbours and wide sandy beaches full of holiday makers enjoying the sun and the surf. By contrast the path is very quiet with few walkers, allowing us to enjoy for ourselves the amazing views and even the odd seal swimming in the clear blue waters far below. The cliff tops are clad in bracken, heather and wild flowers and there are bees and butterflies in abundance.
It’s so difficult to pick out the highlights of the last few days but I hope you’ll enjoy looking at the pictures.
We had been warned on several occasions that the final leg from Newport to St Dogmaels would be the hardest day so far and I have to admit it was quite tough on our now tired feet, but we were determined to enjoy this last stretch of coastline on yet another sunny day.
The cliffs are steeper and higher here and we were rewarded with more stunning views as we made the final few tiring ascents along the path before rounding Camaes Head and descending into the charming village of St Dogmaels on the estuary of the River Teifi. A well-earned drink and a hearty meal, accompanied by a lovely view over the river, finished off our day nicely before we hung up our walking boots, for this week at least!
I can honestly say that the Pembrokeshire Coast Path has exceeded my expectations and I can thoroughly recommend a walking holiday here. The changing coastline and the quaint towns and villages provide plenty of interest and although the path can be challenging in places and should not be underestimated, my memories of tired feet are fading much faster than the memories I have of this beautiful coastline.
I will leave you with a few more images and hope you have enjoyed these little snippets as much as I have enjoyed the walk itself.
As well as the whole route, we have divided the trail into three shorter sections. The first of these is the 63 mile south coast section from Amroth to Milford Haven. This is followed by the central coast section of 43 miles from Milford Haven to St Davids. Finally we have the 62 mile north coast section from St David’s to St Dogmaels. All three are well worth undertaking in their own right, alternatively you could walk each of them in turn until you’ve completed the whole trail. For more information on walking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path email us [email protected] or to speak with one of our walking holiday experts, call 017687 72335.