Porthgain used to be a busy port. Slate was brought in from the nearby quarries and cut up using water-powered mills, before being loaded onto ships. Waste from the quarries was used to make bricks and, later, crushed rock was exported for road making.
All that remains of this activity are ruins, including the impressive brick-storage hoppers which dominate the west side of the inlet. Porthgain is now primarily a tourist centre.
Whitesands Bay is my starting point. It’s a dull day with showers forecast. The beach was crowded last time I was here in August, but now it’s empty. I’m well wrapped up – beanie hat against the wind, waterproof jacket, fleece, etc.
I leave my car in the large car park on the edge of St David’s and walk down the lane to Caerfai Bay, where I realise I could have parked for free.
It is eerily quiet. In the fields around me, campers are emerging from their tents and stretching stiff limbs in the morning sunshine. I look out over the bowl of little Caerfai Bay, with its empty beach hidden below, to where the misty-grey outline of St Bride’s Bay spreads in a gentle curve around the horizon.
It is supposed to be raining today. The BBC has issued a travel warning: thunderstorms and floods are expected. But, as I climb out of Newgale, there is no sign of rain. The morning sky is covered in a haze of milky grey, the air calm.
Little Haven looks different this morning. The tide is out. Good. That means I should be able to walk along the beach to Broad Haven, thus cutting out a mile or so of road-walking.
The Puffin Shuttle stops in Marloes to wait for the connecting service to arrive from Dale. I take the opportunity to leap off and snap a photograph of the colourful paintings on the side of the bus…
… before we continue to Martin’s Haven. Last time I was here there was a gale blowing and I felt exhausted. Today is calm and sunny. The weather makes such a difference! Continue reading
There are only 3 buses a day from Milford Haven to Dale and I catch the earliest one. It is comparatively crowded with day-trippers. I look out for fellow walkers and see a possible candidate hefting a big backpack. But she is wearing a pink skirt so I know she can’t be a walker.
Dale looks even prettier with the tide high. I stop to take photos. The pink-skirted woman heads off somewhere – she is on the far right of the photo below.
Most B&Bs like to make you wait till 8am or later, but the Heart of Oak serves breakfast between 6:30 and 7:30am. Full of eagerness, and full of bacon and eggs, I’m out walking before 9 o’clock. This early start makes me feel like a proper hiker – but turns out to be a mistake.
(If I’d hung about I would have missed the worst of the rain and cut out miles of unnecessary walking, for reasons I’ll explain later.) Continue reading
Pembroke Castle looks splendid above the water of Pembroke River and seems in good condition for an old castle. When I mention this to a man walking with his dog, he tells me the castle was extensively rebuilt after being pummelled by Cromwell.
I know the first part of today’s walk will be coastal. But later I’m anticipating an uninspiring slog around the edges of the oil refinery, surrounded I’m sure by the nondescript sprawl of industrial estates.
West Angle Bay is beautiful in the morning sunshine. To the side of the beach is a rocky area with a natural sea-water swimming pool. The backdrop is St Ann’s Head.
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Report: 1243 Date: 14/5/26 Location: The incident happened on the Dales Way. In the field between the railway line on Lambrook Beck and the Beck houses. This field is in the Dales Way between Sedbergh and Burneside. Rajiv’s post: We were walking on a public footpath on the Dales Way when our path was blocked […]
We published a post recently about being careful while planning new walking routes for fear of meeting cattle Ensuring Safety on a Walking Holiday: Cattle Management – Cattle Safety . This fear is not unusual, and is well founded, we have hundreds of reports where walkers have been frightened or hurt. Below are three recent […]
Report number: 1244 Date: 15/5/26Location: Greywell Hill Estate. Nr Odiham Hampshire. ///reverses.motel.ambitions 1 person no dog Graham’s report: “I was following the bridleway on a bicycle. The cows were 50 yards away from me, I was moving away from them when they came running towards me. Aggressively charging me, pawing the ground with their hooves. […]
Ruth's Coastal Walk (UK) 