Walk 123

Pestatyn to Sealand 24miles

A cold frosty but cloudless day greeted me on my final walk in Wales, I can't quite believe I have completed a whole country on my walk .....though I should have known it would happen eventually!!!

 

As I strolled towards the next main town of Mostyn I tried to calculate the amount of days I have spent walking the Welsh coast, and that number eventually came to 34, I thought not bad for a man over 50!!! Just after Mostyn the path moves away from the road I had been walking along and starts to hug the bank of the River Dee. I then came across the highlight of all my walking weekend , the wreck of the Duke of Lancaster.  Words cannot express what an amazing site this ship is as you walk towards it, its just incredible!!!!!!! Here is a link to information about this ship. http://www.dukeoflancaster.net/index.html.

I had to walk back inland for a while taking in Baglit and then Flint. At Flint there are remains of a castle, which is free to roam around and makes a change from the usual £5.90 you have to pay to look at castle remains. From Flint I picked up the cycle path to Connah's Quay and then across the Hawarden bridge finally arriving at the Wales/England border where I let out a loud Whoooooo as I crossed into England

Walk 122

Llandudno Sea Front

Llandudno to Prestatyn 20miles

Prestatyn Beach

A damp start to the day as I walked along the front at Llandudno towards Little Orme, I dived into a bus shelter to miss the worst of the rain and succeeded in doing so! Little Orme was to be the last climb of my walk around the Welsh mainland coast and it was a difficult one as well, not so much the climb but due to the slippy paths the decent into Rhos on Sea was a little hairy to say the least! I took a pic from the top looking towards Rhos on Seas. Just after Rhos the path once again runs next to the busy A55 this takes you through to Colwyn Bay where I managed for a while to walk along the beach and in the process under the pier which is now derelict, the signs said to walk around the pier as it was not safe but whats life without a bit of danger!!

Rhos on Sea

Colwyn Bay Pier

The path stays with the A55 until just after Llanddulas where at last it heads inland, it was here where I jumped on the beach and walked the next 3 miles all the way to Rhyl. Now Rhyl is another town I haven't visited in 40 years and once again I was very sad to see how the town had become so run down so I walked quickly along the front and onto Pestatyn which I must say was surprisingly nice!

The Albion Hotel, Bangor

What do you mean "the door doesn't fit"

Trenchfoot going to the loo

Shower Anyone!!!!!!

I had been let down at the last moment by my original choice of accommodation which is why I ended up in this dump.  Firstly its a pub not a hotel, secondly they have a licence to play music until 1am and thirdly the room was a disgrace. The owner apologised for the leak in the bathroom but said at the time that  " he couldn't find where the water was coming from!" well I'm not a plumber but I could tell where the leak was located!!  I had to wear my walking shoes to go to the toilet the carpet was so wet (and getting wetter by the minute) the shower was just disgusting I wouldn't wash my dog in it let alone myself.  So here are a few pics....enjoy.

Walk 121

Bangor to Llandudno 24.5 miles

After a night to forget in the worst accommodation so far on my walks, £20.00 for the night and I thought that they should have paid me! In order for people who read this blog to avoid at all costs I have made an entry all of its own c/w photos.

Penbryn Castle

 The day started with crisp clear air and blue skies, I walked down Bangor high street and was pleasantly surprised on how nice it was, people were busy setting up Christmas stalls for a festive market...very nice! Just after the high street I had to walk along a busy main road which took me past Penryn castle (see pic) even though you can visit this castle you can't walk through the grounds to get to the coast path. So I walked on through Tal-y-Bont and took a left turn down a track that leads to the coast pausing only to take a picture of the snow capped mountains that surround Bangor.

Conwy Castle

 The coast path is really well maintained and flat, the first town you arrive at is Llanfairfechan (easy for you to say!) this is where you pick up cycle path No5 which runs parallel with the very busy and noisy A55. I followed the cycle path through Penmaenmawr and onto Conwy where I stopped for lunch in the shadow of their magnificent castle (see pic) I crossed the bridge and made my way to the Great Orme (see pic), unfortunately the weather was starting to close in and by the time I hit the first slope it started to rain, by the time I reached the summit the mist and fog had descended and you could barely see 10ft in front of you this was a great shame as I was looking forward to the views from the top! I trudged back down the other side of the hill into Llandudno just as it stopped raining and started to clear....typical!

Great Orme

Walk 120

Caernarfon to Bangor 10miles

 

A really easy day today finishing off my 11 day walk of 234miles. The walk to Bangor is along for the most part the old railway line and in places they have left the old track switchgear in situ which is really nice. The actual path is made up of one long leafy avenue (See Pic) and made a lovely end to a long week of walking.

Walk 119

Nefyn to Caernarfon 26miles

 

The rain was falling steadily as I started today's walk, so I decided to take the safe option and road walk most of the journey. The paths have been getting gradually worse as I've made my way up this coast and after yesterday's fall I really didn't want to risk disappearing off a cliff edge, the road runs pretty well parallel with the coast most of the way to Dinas Dinlle. The road journey was quite good as there is a cycle path that runs parallel with the main road for a good part of the trip which is very useful as these were very fast roads. Halfway into today's walk decided to walk down to the beach at Aberdesach and have my lunch (see pic) this a lovely little bay and here you can actually walk the coast path for about ½ mile, you then have to walk back inland to carry on along the road.

 2 miles up the road you finally lose the fast road and take a country lane down to Dinas Dinlle, this seemed a very nice seaside village but like a lot places I've visited this week everything was shut for the winter. The road from Dinas Dinlle takes you up to and past Caenarfon airport along to Morfa Lodge following the river for a while until just after Saron you turn left onto the road that takes you along the coast to Caernarfon. As you round the corner just before Caernarfon the magnificent castle comes into view (see pic) one of the best in the whole UK. A word on Caernarfon.....its a dump....really no other way to describe the place, if it wasn't for the castle I don't think anyone would come!!!!

walk 118

Aberdaron to Nefyn 25miles

 

Yet another sunny day in Wales and I strode purposely to my first climb of many for the day. The ups and downs came thick and fast but the views and bays were just incredible. At Melyn something in the water caught my eye and I stood transfixed for 2mins watching a very large seal languishing in the bay it was great to see. Here's the video...enjoy

So it was onwards passing Dinas Fawr and Dinas Bach on my way to Whistling Sands (see pic) where I picked up a sandwich ,and a good job as well as this is the only place to buy anything for the whole journey today! Just after Whistling Sands you have to head inland to walk along roads for a few miles, I picked up the coast path at Morfa and this took me all the way to Nefyn, not before falling over on my bum for the first time this week but also seeing a few more seals on the way. Great but tiring day!

Walk 117

Pwllheli to Aberdaron 22.5miles

 

Another sunny day as I left Pwllheli walking along the lovely beach at Traeth Crugan and onto Llanbedrog, here you have to walk through the grounds of a big stately home and up a hill to take you to a fabulous view of Lanbedrog bay and beyond (seepic). The path then winds it way down the other side of the hill to St Tugwels and the village of Abersoch. At Abersoch my map told me I had to head inland but I later found that the path is now open all along the coast to Port Ceiriad. So I picked up the coast path at Trwyn Fulfran and walked down the hill to Porth Neigwl or its other name is Hells Mouth, this is a 4 mile long stretch of beach which is just a pleasure to walk along. Once off the beach you have a really steep road to walk up and boy do people drive down it fast so beware! This took me trough Rhiw and finally onto Aberdaron which again is a very pretty picture postcard village.

Walk 116

Talsarnu to Pwllheli 23miles

 

The day started with a short walk to a narrow bridge across the river Afon Dwyryd, this is quite a tricky bridge to cross as there is only room for 1 car and not much else so you have to time your crossing and walk quickly! This took me through Minffordd and onto Porthmadog where I took a photo of the narrow gauge railway that runs to the bottom of Snowdon this is a railway I haven't travelled on for 40 years....ahhhh the memories....!

. The path then takes you through Borth-y-Guest and around the headland to Criccieth and yet another great castle! The path then picks up the main road until Afon Wen where it hugs the coast all the way to Pwllheli. It was in Pwllheli that I found the answer to a question which has been puzzling me for sometime, “does anyone in Wales actually speak Welsh” and the answer in Pwllheli was YES EVERYONE!!!! Lol

Walk 115

Barmouth to Talsarnu 15miles

 

The weather forecast was that today was the best day of the week and they weren't wrong! I walked along the promenade for the first mile past a rather grey pebbled dash covered housing estate, I thought why do councils do that? Why not a nice bright cream to liven the place up, however I later found out due to the fact that I had entered the Snowdonia National Park the people who run this organisation insist that the houses are all that colour and style! Yuch get some taste guys!!!!

The journey to Harlech was along roads so no chance of making a mistake today, this took me through the pretty villages of Llanber, Tal-y-Bont and Llandanwg. At Harlech I bought a sandwich and ate it in the castle grounds, this is one of the great castles in Wales (see Pic) and is just fantastic!

Halfway through my sandwich I spotted a big ginger cat walking along the edge of the (now dry) moat, he soon jumped up onto the wall in front of me and made a beeline for the bench I was sitting on! He obviously loves snuggling up to tourists for food which worked on me easily, but once Id finished my sandwich he was gone onto the next victims....they had corned beef!!!

The rest of the journey to Talsarnu was along a nice quiet road, very uneventful and frankly after yesterday I was thankful.

Walk 114

Borth Estuary and back 6.5miles

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Aberdovey to Barmouth 22.75miles

 

Today was split into 3 parts due to the estuary between Borth and Aberdovey, I had made a decision not to walk along estuaries (where possible) at the start of the journey as I personally do not class them as coastal, some may call it cheating but hey ho they are entitled to their opinions!

Part 1

A 6.45 start in order to walk the 6.5 miles from the B&B to the edge of the Dovey Estuary all I can say is that it was extremely windy and a pretty tedious.

Part 2

Train to Aberdovey via Machynlleth

Part 3

Aberdovey to Barmouth

The walk started well with a nice 5 mile stroll along the beach to Tywyn. Just after walking through the town of Tywyn things started to go downhill........there is a road clearly marked on my map across a river that takes you along the coast to Cefncamberth, however when you arrive at the river there is no longer a bridge! This means a very big 4 mile detour across fields and a marsh where I promptly sunk up to my knees in cold muddy water! So I squelched my way through Bryncrug picking up the main road to Rhostefan it was here I made mistake No 2, I decided to disregard the map and follow the Wales Coast Path signs.........BIG Mistake the theory of these signs is great, but in practice I found myself wandering to all corners of fields with various livestock in residence it was just a complete nightmare! Anyhow I managed to find my way back to the main road and trudged unhappily through Fairbourne but my spirits were lifted as I crossed the bridge from Fairbourne to Barmouth a fantastic wooden railway/footbridge with a 90p toll walkers when you reach the Barmouth side! Barmouth itself was OK except the B&B had no idea I was booked in! Good job they had a room :)

Walk 113

Llanrhystud to Borth 16.5miles

The day started with a monster hill out of Llanrhystud but at least it was bright and sunny! I was soon into the routine of going up and down valleys, however the paths due to the overnight rain were becoming more and more treacherous and this was highlighted by the hill on the way into Aberystwyth, the rain had started an hour beforehand but it was monsoon time when I reached the brow of the hill! I slipped and skidded most of the way down but miraculously not falling over. Once in Aberystwyth I found a pub with a large radiator and dried all my stuff out whilst I had lunch. :) The town seemed very nice and full of students going about there business, it had a great atmosphere I would like to return when its a bit more sunny.

So obviously as I had negotiated a hill into town sure enough there was another big one for me to climb on the other side of the bay! This hill though did have a really nice cliff railway which I nearly beat to the top, now that's sedate :) It was then full steam ahead to Borth via Clarach Bay which itself was very nice and scenic

Walk 112

Penbryn to Llanrhystud 23.75miles 

 

Another long day beckoned and as the rain battered my bedroom window I thought the worse as it was going to be at least an 8 hour walk, however after breakfast the rain came and went....lucky ole me!! The first part of the walk was downhill to Llangrannog (see pic), and whilst I was taking photos of the village I got chatting to a lady who was renting a cottage and she was not happy, as she described the living room as “slug city” when she got up in the morning! So I walked downhill and the inevitably uphill back onto the path, this again was the theme of the day but I must say the scenery in this part of the world is stunning. I stopped at Craig Caerlian to shelter from a rain shower and got chatting to the shop owner to firstly ask if he was open, but unfortunately he was closing up for ever as after 43 years he had decided too call it a day, as we said our fairwells he gave me a free Twix for the journey, the people in Wales are so nice and friendly!!!

So on I walked, eventually arriving in New Quay just as the sun popped its head out of the clouds!

I hopped onto the beach to walk around the bay (see pic)and again got chatting to a couple who told me about the dolphins in the bay first his this morning, now I must say I'm getting a bit fed up with missing all of the wildlife.....I'm either to early or too late, its like they know I'm coming!!!!. The next part of the walk took in Sheraton where the hills came to an abrupt end. I must say after the last few days I was glad to have a break from the constant up and down, but this however only lasted for 6 miles to be precise! I ambled into Llanrhystud 8.5hrs after starting out, hungry and a little tired.

I have a lot of people ask me”what's the best part of the coast you've walked” and I must say the section from Penberthy to New Quay is going to take some beating!

Walk 111

Poppit Sands to Penbryn 19miles

A 7.30 start today to try and miss the worst of the wet weather which was forecast for the afternoon. The first few miles were along roads through St Dogmels which marks the end of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and the start of the Ceredigian Coast path. I wandered into Cardigan and promptly got lost due to a new road system put in place for a Supermarket, eventually I gave up looking for the coast path markers and walked up the B4568 out of town in the general right direction, this took me to Gwebert which is opposite where I started my days walking, here you have to turn right along more roads until you reach Mwent on the coast. The going from Mwent to Aberporth is a little bit up and down but nothing too serious. I stopped in Aberporth for lunch which is yet another lovely coastal village(see pic) The rain still hadn't arrived so I ploughed on to my final destination at Penbryn, where ½ mile just before my B&B I came across this fantastic waterfall (see pic), a great end to a dry day!!! oh yes 10mins after arriving at the B&B the heavens opened...now that's timing!!!!!

Walk 110

Fishguard to Poppit Sands 26miles

Its very late September and I have 11 days off work to complete the Fishguard to Bangor section of the Wales Coast Path. Today's walk starts from where I left off in July and guess what?......... they've strimmed the paths....hoooray, maybe they are reading my blog!!!?

The day is warm and sunny(unlike July!) and I have a lot of hard miles ahead of me, the 10 miles or so to Newport are supposed to be the easy part of the walk but as I trudged up and down another valley I'm starting to wonder what the rest of the walk is like! Newport (unlike its namesake in south Wales) is lovely, a really nice village feel to it and with a nice beach to boot! (see pic) The hike out of Newport is uphill and 2 miles out of town there is a warning sign that there are no facilities for the next 12.8 miles(unless you want to take big detours inland), but you have to ask yourself why this sign is so far away from Newport? Surely it should be at the bottom of the first hill out of Newport, its just ridiculous being in its present location!!! So I battled on uphill and down-dale all the way to Poppit Sands YHA which is in a very convenient location and one of the best YHAs I've stopped in.....this was mainly due to me being their only customer for the night, so I got a fantastic nights sleep!

Walk 109

Pwll Deri to Fishguard 9 miles

A 5.45am start today as I have a train to catch home.  The weather was damp and drizzly and my feet were wet within the first 1/2 mile, and squelching within a mile! I only took one pic today and that was of Strumble Head, the rest of the journey was very forgetful.

 This is where I have a mini rant.....the Pembrokshire Coast Path is the worst long distance path I have walked upon so far, not because of the views and scenery I hasten to add, but due to the badly maintained paths. At one point on my last day I was faced with a "wall" of undergrowth 5 foot high which I would of being better off with a machete rather than an OS map!! I know we've had a lot of rain but some of these paths haven't being touched for years.  GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!! a man and a strimmer twice a year would suffice.

Walk 108

White Sands Bay to Pwll Deri 22miles

Llamas

Porthgain

A grey misty morning to start the day, and also to end the day as well!!  A couple of small climbs and then the rock climbing started! I hadn't had this problem since Cornwall with large slippy boulders to climb up and over for many a mile,  this made progress slow going. As the path regained its level I came across a field with Llamas in so I had to take a pic! I have seen plenty of other wildlife on my travels but very few Llamas! A few more miles along the path and I came upon Porthgain a very nice little village nestling in yet another valley. The up and down valleys were coming thick and fast and so was the fog! The final climb of the day was an absolute beast, with the path bearly marked and I imagined great views from the top....if only I could see them!  Finally I made it to Pwll Deri YHA and I must say its got to be one of the most picturesque in there portfolio. 

Walk 107

Roch to Whitesands Bay ( including a short detour to St Davids) 17miles

A fantastic day greeted me today on this relatively short walk, the first port of call was Newgale with its long shingle beach which leads to a nice uphill 1/2mile climb, today was going to be fairly hard going as there were a number of up and down valleys to negotiate.After the fifth of the up and downs I reached Solva and this village is just stunning I thought I'd taken a wrong turn and ended up in Cornwall!!! 3 miles after Slova I decided to take a 2 mile round trip inland detour to St Davids which is the smallest city in the UK.  St David's is just lovely with its cobbled streets and little cathedral, it was well worth the visit, there was also a pilgrimage though the streets of St Davids cumulating in art and performances from the local children.

Once back on the coast path I made my way to St Justinians where you catch the ferry to Ramsey Island which is another popular birdwatching and wildlife sanctuary. 2 more miles and I'd made it to Whiesands with a very burnt neck but happy that the rain had finally abated. The 2 pics are of Solva and Whitesands Bay.

Walk 106

Dale to Roch 27miles

Today is going to be a long day, not only mileage but the fact rain is forecast for midday which means it arrives when I will still have 5 hours of walking to go!:(   The path from Dale climbs steeply out of the village through a dense wooded area, the path is extremely slippy and I have to keep grabbing hold of trees to stop myself from falling!  The path soon opens up to a flat grassy field and I'm on my way to St Ann's head which is at the mouth of Milford Haven and has not one but two lighthouses! there is only one in use now but if you fancy living in a remote location the cottages are up for sale at a bargain 900K! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2158058/Britains-isolated-street-cottages-boasting-best-sea-views-country-sale--1m.html

Once at St Ann's head the island of Skomer came into view, this is a very popular place for the bird watching fraternity and once I arrived at St Martins Bay (which is where you catch a ferry to Skomer) I could see they were going to have a busy day ferrying passengers. The rain started bang on time just after St Martins Bay, so I plodded on through firstly the drizzle and then the heavy stuff arrived an hour later, its a real shame because as I made my way down towards Little Haven and Broad Haven I could only imagine how picturesque these villages must look when its sunny.  Just after Broadhaven I made a decision to finish the rest of the days walk on the roads to Roch as I felt with the already saturated ground, the persistent rain and now the fog moving in!!! I didn't want to slip off the edge of a cliff having not being able to see where I was going!!  The only pic of the day is of the lighthouse at St Ann's head.

Walk 105

Milford to Dale 10miles

I'm back in Wales again for another 5day walk preceded by a 6.5 hr train journey! The train journey is one of my favourites so the time goes quickly before I have to disembark in Milford Haven.  I have to get a move on today as I have 2 stepping stone river crossings to make before the tide rises and covers the path, this saves me 2 very lengthy detours.  The first part of the walk takes me through the streets of Milford and the town is very ordinary with the main business being oil refineries. The Pembrokeshire coast path eventually winds its way to Gelliswick which is a nice quite bay but the oil refineries are always shadowing the coast in these parts. Just after Gelliswick the path starts to hug the coast and becomes a lot more rural with tall grass, nettles and the inevitable mud, I say inevitable but as its 5th July this shouldn't be the case......and then there was summer 2012!!!!.  I wound my way along Milford sound and fortunately the sun is shining, the first river crossing is at Sandy Haven and the tide is nowhere to be seen! there used to be a ferry here but that is long gone, the stepping stones are caked in thick moss so its small baby steps and very slowly does it!!!  I have another 4 miles to get to Musselwick for the next river crossing so I really start to get a move on, there isn't much to marvel at in this part of the walk so I'm happy with my head down and getting to the crossing point ASAP.  Once again I make good time and these stepping stones are a lot easier. The last mile is along a busy country road but you are rewarded with the lovely village of Dale at the end. The pic was taken just before Musselwick looking towards Dale.

Walk 104

North Landing to Scarborough 23miles

The day was very cold and damp, feeling more like November than May!  The first part of the walk today was along the cliff tops and the east wind was bracing to say the least!  At Bempton cliffs the birdwatchers were out in force, not surprising really as the Gannets were in the process of nest building, and the Puffins were busily fishing.  I stopped for a while to watch the Puffins fly in and out of the cliffs, this is the first time I have seen them in the wild which is another first for me this week! I continued to walk along the cliff tops and at Speeton I found a very precarious path down to the beach, the next 4 miles were along the sandy beach all the way to Filey where I stopped for a cuppa and a piece of cake!  After Filey I picked up the cliff top path to Filey Brigg, I started to walk to the end of the Brigg but turned back due to the narrow path and my lack of head for heights! I picked up the Cleveland Way at Filey Brigg and this path will eventually lead me all the way along the coast to Saltburn where it heads inland.  The final part of today's walk took in Cayton bay and then on into Scarborough. The first pic is of Bempton cliffs, 2nd pic is Filey Brigg

Walk 103

Hornsea To North Landing (Flamborough) 18.5 Miles

Today started off dull and cold, it then turned wet and cold!  The walk today was very straightforward, and I decided to have an early start (7.30am) so as to catch the tide on its way out.  I hopped onto the beach and walked the 12 miles to Bridlington in one continuous straight line, I really love this type of walking as its easy on the eye and very easy on your feet. So 4hrs later I walked on through the seaside town of Bridlington, with all its bucket and spade shops and amusement arcades, there nothing quite like this scene in any other country in the world and I love it !!!  After Brid I climbed up onto the cliff tops and 2 miles along the path I came across a steep valley with steps!!! I thought I must be in the wrong county!!!! :), shortly after it was onto South Landing and yet another valley, what a treat for me...2 in one day!! a few more miles along the path and I took a pic of Flamborough Lighthouse, it was then onto North Landing and a bus back to Brid for my Bed&Breakfast for the night.

Walk 102

Withernsea to Hornsea 19miles

Withersea Lighthouse

Coastal Erosion

Today was the best day of the week weather wise, and you can see this by the 2 pics I have posted, both taken in Sunny Withernsea.  Someone described to me Withernsea as "a council estate by the sea!" and they were not wrong!! I have never seen so many "Hoodies" in such a small area!!!! 

So, onto the walk....I hopped onto the beach with the intention of walking most of the way to Hornsea, but due to the on rushing tide I had to abandon this idea at Monkwith. I was in a bit of a panic because of the tide, but fortunately I managed to find a spot to scramble up the cliff before I was caught out!  The only reason I could climb up the cliff was due to the coastal erosion in this area and my  pic highlights this problem!!!

 The rest of today's walk was along roads through the villages of Hilston, Garton, Aldborough and Mapleton and then finally Hornsea.  Hornsea is a nice little town and 100% better than Withernsea

Withernsea Seafront

Walk 101

Kilnsea to Withernsea 18miles

The Westmere Farm B&B I stopped in last night is the best accommodation so far on my travels. The hosts Sue and Andrew could not do enough for their guests, right down to the packed lunch I was given just before I left!!!!  The first part of today's walk was the 7 miles to the end of Spurn Point and back, things were going well and I managed to take a pic of the lighthouse, which looks a bit tatty at the mo but I have been reliably informed that it is to be renovated soon.  The weather soon turned and as I rounded the point the rain was lashing down complete with a fierce wind!!! however as I trudged along the beach I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, and there in the long grass was a small Deer I couldn't belive how far onto Spurn
Point it was, it must have been lost!!!  I guess in the weather it was thinking the same about me!!!!  I walked on back into Kilnsea and then picked up the road to Easington, I had no choice today than to roadwalk all the way to Withernsea as the tide was very high, and this was born out on my second pic taken from Holmpton looking back towards Kilnsea.

Walk100

Hull (Heddon) to Kilnsea  23 Miles

Its May, its cold, its wet and windy so I must be on the East Coast again!  A treat for me this week was that I was able to catch a flight to Leeds in order to get to my start point in Hull, mind you it did take another 2 buses and a train to get to this point!!!  By the time I reach Heddon the weather is much better, so I hop onto the road for a mile and then pick up a path along an estuary which takes me down to Paull where I took a pic of the lighthouse which is now someones home!  The one thing that struck me about Paull was that even though it is only a small village it has a lot of pubs, there must be 1 for every 10 people that live there!! :) All of today's walk was along the north bank of the Humber, passing through Skeffling, Easington and finally onto Kilnsea.  I did have a couple of problems today, the first was with the route being closed a mile before Hawkins Point, but fortunately the foreman let me walk on as there wasn't anyone working today. Just after Hawkins Point there is an interesting monument marking the point of 0 degrees latitude, so I took a pic to mark the occasion of passing through it !!  The second problem was just before Skeffling where I thought I could cross at a sluice but I was mistaken and so had a lengthy detour upstream and then through high high wheat fields, nettles and long grass in order to get back on track. Today I heard my first Cuckoo of the spring and I also saw a short eared owl but I couldn't get my camera out quick enough to take a photo !! :(

Walk 99

Bosherton to Angle 15miles

Today was a quick march to Angle where I had to catch the only bus on a Monday in order to get my train home! The day didn't start too well though as I managed to get lost on the Castlemartin estate, I decided to follow a route marked by sign posts but not on the map....big mistake you could of found me that morning quite easily by listening out for a loud voice uttering various expletives in a farmers field!!! Anyhow I managed to find my way back onto the correct route which is basically the road around the Castlemartin Artillery range and on through Castlemartin itself. The route then took me onto the beach at Freshwater West which is where they filmed various Doctor Who and Harry Potter scenes !(see pic) Shortly after Freshwater West I caught up with an interesting young woman who is running 39 marathons in 42 days for charity, which is the whole of the Welsh coast(including Offas Dyke). We had a good chat and I donated to the £25,000 she is trying to raise....here is the link please donate yourself www.dragonrun1027.wordpress.com/....... many thanks. The rest of the walk to Angle took in the sights and sounds of the various Oil refineries at Milford Haven.

Walk 98

Tenby to Bosherton 18miles

A clear crisp 1st April morning greeted me first thing, and the first order of the day was the 2 mile walk across the beach at Tenby which was lovely!!! Once around the headland I could see exactly where I had to walk to today and that can be a very daunting sight at the start of a days walk!!! The first bay you reach after Tenby is Lydstep Bay which sounds very nice but is in fact a caravan site butted up against a shingle beach....Yuch!!! I then had a small detour around the barracks at Manorbier before dropping down onto the lovely bay at Manorbier Beach (see pic). Next up was Swanlake bay and then Freshwater East (see pics), the fantastic scenery was coming thick and fast and so were the people!!! for 2 days I had hardly seen a soul out walking but today....you couldn't swing a cat without hitting someone!! The terrain was a little bit up and down, but a whole lot easier than yesterday. Finally I made it tho the military ranges at Castlemartin, and to my horror( where despite there being warning signs every 20 yds telling you not to stray from the path due to the possibility of unexploded debris) dog walkers were letting their dogs run freely in and out of the danger areas!!! I was waiting for the "bang" and bits of flying dog :(

Walk 97

St Clears to Tenby 20miles

Today started with what I thought was going to be a trudge to Pendine along busy roads, but I was pleasantly surprised when every now and then a Wales Coast Path sign popped up directing me along various farmers fields and saving me from a car squishing! The first port of call was Laugharne with its spectacular castle perched on a hill(see pic), just after this I picked up the "Dylan Thomas Birthday Walk" which was very well sign posted and had a lot of interesting info about this famous Welsh poet. Next stop was Pendine sands which I was reliably informed was the home of the land speed record, I took a pic just to show how big the beach is! And so, the main business of the day was upon me, 10 miles of hills and steps the like of which I haven't seen since deepest Cornwall! though I was relishing the challenge especially after a week of walking through Lincolnshire!! First up was the trek to Amroth this 3.6miles was pretty gruelling as one valley alone had 121 steps to the top!!!! but I was loving it :) :) At Amroth I picked up the Pembrokeshire National Trail and I was surprised by the lack of signage for such an important coastal path, I couldn't quite believe the total lack of interest. Anyhow I strode uphill and down dale through Wisemans Bridge, Saundersfoot, Monkstone Beach and finally on into Tenby. Tenby is another town I haven't visited for may years(12 to be precise!) and once again it was a total let down since my last visit, talk about shabby and full of drunken kids.....where did it all go wrong.................(perhaps a Mr T Blair would like to stand up and be counted for this problem!!!!)