Craig Henderson Europe '23 Part 13 - Pembrokeshire Coast Path

6 October 2023 - Rosslare, Ireland; day prior to start of section of Pembrokeshire Coast Path

When I decided to head to Ireland from Spain, my plan was to do the Kerry Way and then head just north to the Dingle Peninsula (another of the western Ireland peninsulas that jut out into the Atlantic Ocean) to do part of the Dingle Way. This was my compromise when I couldn’t decide between the Kerry Way and the Dingle Way.

The Kerry Way was a terrific walk. I’d recommend it to anyone with a sense of adventure, a love of solitude and good boots. But the rain that Ireland has had in the last month means that the countryside is quite sodden. The Dingle Way is not far from the Kerry Way so I have no doubt that the walking conditions would be similar.

Maybe I’m getting a little soft after a few months of walking, but I’ve decided to see if the walking conditions are a little better in Wales and the Cotswolds. As far as I can tell, there’s been less rain in those areas.

With only a couple of weeks left before I return to Australia, I’m going to spend three days on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, then try to do the Cotswold Way in the last seven days.

The Pembrokeshire Coast Path is in south-west Wales. It is one of Britain’s National Trails and one of only two National Trails that’s primarily a coastal path (the other one being the South West Coast Path). The PCP is 299 km in length. The southern trailhead is in Amroth. I plan to do a 68 km stretch from Amroth to Angle.

The weather window for the next few days looks OK (cloudy, little rain, maximum temperatures of around 15 - 17C).

7 October 2023 - Day 1 of Pembrokeshire Coast Path: Amroth to Tenby (12km; 3.0h)

Travelled across from Ireland this morning. The ferry from Rosslare to Pembroke in Wales is only a 4.5 hour trip, so I can still squeeze in a respectable start to the walk this afternoon.

It’s a perfect day for walking - still, with some thin, high cloud lightly diffusing the sun. It’s also a Saturday afternoon in mid-autumn so people are out and about. You get the sense they know there won’t be too many more weekends like this before the cold sets in.

There are two pubs on the foreshore at Amroth; each has a beer garden doing solid business. There’s a very enticing ice-cream shop as well. I march past these temptations, keen to get some distance underfoot.

There are two other foreshore holiday villages in the first half dozen kilometres. The path stringing them together is mostly pavement and sticks close to the beach. After the second of these villages, the foreshore fringe becomes more treed and rural and we climb up above sea cliffs. The path provides numerous viewing points back the way we came and forward towards Tenby.

Tenby is one of Wales’ most attractive seaside towns. Its old town clusters around a harbour, with brightly-coloured houses making it extremely photogenic. Add to that two very good beaches, medieval town walls and the ruins of a castle and you can see why Tenby is popular. On a mild Saturday night in autumn, the restaurants and pubs are spilling into the lanes and the place is buzzing.

8 October 2023 - Day 2 of Pembrokeshire Coast Path: Angle to Bosherston (30km; 7.0h)

My plan for Days 2 and 3 is to somehow to get to the village of Angle and then, over the two days, walk back to Tenby (leaving the bulk of my luggage in Tenby). However, as it’s a Sunday, there’s no public transport from Tenby to Angle. Last resort is a taxi. I flinch at the GBP 70 quote; that’s more than the ferry trip from Ireland to Wales! I have no alternative, so I agree.

It’s a beautiful morning and it’s due to be a cloudless day of 18C today. The path out of Angle skirts around the edge of pastures that are heavy with dew. I’m not complaining; apart from the dew, the track is firm underfoot and there’s no sign of bogginess. I’m feeling the transfer from Ireland has delivered the track conditions I was hoping for.

For a few hours, the track traces grassy cliff tops. Below, the coastline is rocky and rugged. Beyond the coastline, the Irish Sea is uncharacteristically placid. Eventually, the wide Freshwater West beach appears and we start the descent to it.

The descent passes through extensive grassy sand dunes. I emerge from the dunes at a car park. A family approach me. Did I know where Dobby’s grave was? Had I seen it? I’m totally baffled by their questions. “Dobby?”, I ask, “Do you mean from Harry Potter?” That’s exactly what they meant. Apparently, the filming of Dobby’s funeral was done somewhere in the dunes I’d just walked through and the site of the grave (the film crew left the cross) is something of a pilgrimage site for Potter fans. Over the years they have left stones, socks and messages. If you look online, you’ll see there’s a sizeable cairn of offerings. Unfortunately, I hadn’t seen the grave, so I wished the family good luck in their search and kept going.

Today is a long day, partly because the track has to detour away from the coast around a huge army shooting range and tank manoeuvre training area. The walking on that stretch is mundane and primarily tarmac walking. Luckily, it’s a Sunday and walkers are permitted to follow a corridor through the army territory that abridges the detour. I still resort to the headphones to help the time pass….

9 October 2023 - Day 3 of Pembrokeshire Coast Path: Bosherston to Tenby (26km; 7.0h)

You would have thought that, after nearly four months of consistent walking, me, my feet and my footwear would have developed a harmonious relationship. Particularly as I’ve used the same footwear over that time - one pair of boots and one pair of runners. You’d be largely right in thinking that. However, in my case, it’s not a relationship that can be taken for granted. I still get hot spots from time to time that need to be addressed.

Recently, this has been complicated by the gradual disintegration of my boots. They’re very comfortable, and I don’t want to transition to new boots at this stage of my trip, but they are falling apart. Glue and duct tape can only prolong their life so far. So, in the last few weeks my runners have been employed where I’ve thought track and weather conditions allow it. When the conditions are wet and muddy, runners are highly sub-optimal as you’ll have wet feet all day and wet feet plus lots of km’s equals blisters.

Which brings me to yesterday. Dry day, dry track; so out come the runners. Unfortunately, early on yesterday, I failed to notice a deep muddy puddle hidden in long grass. My left foot emerged looking like a sewer rat. For the next 20 km’s I didn’t take any action, until finally I realised that the rubbing had become persistent and a little sharp. At that point, I dried the foot, applied band-aid’s and put on dry socks. But I’m kicking myself because now I have to actively manage that foot.

So, I’m dawdling this morning. Slow walking creates less heat and friction. As the Path commences today by weaving its way through the well-known Bosherston Lilly Ponds, you need to dawdle anyway. These amazing ponds (lakes, really) were created in the 1780’s by a wealthy landowner. It was fashionable at the time to incorporate water features into grand country estates and this particular landowner didn’t hold back. In summer, when the water lilies are in flower, the lakes are a vision in white.

My pond-side reveries are rudely interrupted by muffled booms and the rat-a-tat-tat of machine guns from afar. Apparently, it being Monday morning, army training is back in full swing on the range. There would be no short-cuts for walkers taking my route of yesterday!

The Path makes its way back to the coastline and the rest of the day is an enjoyable meander towards Tenby. The Path faithfully follows the coastline, occasionally ducking down to a quiet beach or inlet or climbing up to a headland. Mainly, it’s easy and pleasant cliff top walking with views along the coastline and out to sea. I finish at Tenby’s south beach. It’s not quite warm enough for a swim today, but it’s an excellent beach so on a warmer day a swim would be a perfect way to conclude a sojourn on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.