Oldies On Tour

Friday 18th August

This morning didn’t look too good as we peered out of the window and we were very aware of the incoming storm, but at least it hadn’t arrived, yet!!   Unfortunately there are limited places to go when the weather is bad but it’s not a show stopper.

After sorting ourselves out we headed to Dale, a small village on the northern side of the entrance to Milford Haven, the natural deep water port with an oil refinery deep enough to accommodates large oil tankers.

Arriving in Dale on this overcast morning with rain forecast, as one expected the place was empty.   On a nice day there would be loads of people, holidaymakers and dingy sailors especially, as it is quite a sailing centre.   We parked the car and headed up the hill towards Dale Fort..

Heading up this quite steep hill at first, but fortunately it eventually evened out thank goodness; good job I didn’t get the scooter out but after five minutes walking wished I had!!!   We carried “on” and “on” heading towards the “fort”; it was challenging to say the least but I had given my knee the target, “fort or bust” and besides I was encouraged by Christine to “get on with it”.   We met a family on the way, they were heading back, so asked if it was worth the effort, only to be told they gave up!!!!!, and still no fort in sight.   The dogs were certainly enjoying themselves, new smells etc., whilst I struggled to put one foot in front of another as we rounded a corner, surely we are here, no, so carried on.   The only good news was the rain was holding off but the views along the haven were very full of mist suggesting it would only be a matter of time; still we were now determined to find this “blinking” fort.  Another corner, yes – – – – no🥵 but we did pass through some double gates, hopefully that was a good sign, but no, we carried on and suddenly there it was, yipeeeee.  Nearly there.

Was the walk to this Fort Worth it?  Well no.   Yes it was a coastal artillery fort completed in 1858, and was built in response to threats by the French (again).  The fort was built high-up on the rocky promontory at “Dale Point” over looking the Milford Haven sound entrance and also protecting the anchorage below, but It never fired a gun in anger.   Today It is one of the centres run by the “Field Studies Council” and offers residential and non-residential fieldwork for schools, colleges, universities, and there is holiday accommodation and professional leisure courses in natural history and arts.   The other “bit” of history here happened in the next bay; it was in Mill Bay that Henry Tudor landed who went on to defeat King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth 1485, and take the crown becoming King Henry VII.

The nearest we got to this fort was the outside gate, it is not open to the public to look around, so disappointed we headed back down the hill.   Still, the good news, the rain was still holding off.

OK where to now?  Pembroke was the destination via Milford Haven a deep natural harbour port used since the Middle Ages and since the 60’s as an the oil terminal and refinery.  Passing through Milford and heading over the Neyland Bridge towards Pembroke the threatened rain came down in bucket loads, even the wipers struggled to keep the windscreen clear!!   

Arriving in Pembroke we drove through the town, back along the sea front and headed straight back to base camp.  The place was deserted and we certainly didn’t fancy getting out of the car!!!

Dinner, Crib and bed was the order for tonight but as the evening went on the wind and rain increased in strength and taking the dogs out last thing was a difficult task but it had to be done.   There was no let up all night, the motorhome was buffeted from all directions and sleep was going to be in short supply😟😟

Thursday 17th August

We had a lay-in this morning, well apart from an early call from two dogs and the fact that looking out up at the overcast sky didn’t infuse us with the necessary “get-up-‘n-go” that sunshine would have given us!!!  It was fortunate the two best days were whilst Jane and Mia were here.

After another “first class full english” produced by Christine, we decided to visit Fishguard, but unfortunately something we ate yesterday started to play havoc with our “innards”, so our departure was delayed for obvious reasons!!!

We eventually “hit” the road but went via Tesco in Haverfordwest as we were running out of some essential provisions I.e. coffee pods and dog food!!!  

Arriving in Fishguard we ignored the port where the ferry to Ireland departs and headed to the old harbour, a pretty little tidal place with a number of boats moored on the ground; the tide was out!!!   We saw a cafe selling fresh crab but under “our” circumstances from this morning sadly declined🥵🥵.   We then moved onto the “beach”, not much of a beach but the dogs enjoyed it.  Here we saw a commemorative plaque to the failed French invasion of 1797, why this should be commemorated I cannot understand, after all our country was being invaded for goodness sake!!!   Fortunately they were defeated at the “Battle of Fishguard”; the whole sorry sage lasted from the 22nd February ‘till the 24th February 1797 when they were defeated and their C in C, one William Tate Wes captured and that was the last time our shores have been invaded.

Leaving Fishguard, still overcast but dry, we headed back to Nolton Haven where we know the dogs can have a jolly god run around and frolic in the sea.    

One thing we have noticed driving around these narrow Pembrokeshire lanes are the number of gateposts for farms, private houses etc., built like circular towers out of local stone.  They are scattered everywhere and look distinct and quite attractive, they will certainly outlast wooden gateposts!!!

After we had worn Tom-Tom and Rosie out we headed to the Mariners for a well deserved drink an sat overlooking Nolton Haven watching the sun go down reflecting on an enjoyable day.  Todays forecast wasn’t very good but we seemed to avoid the bad weather, hope we can again tomorrow.

Wednesday 16th August

We woke up to another sunny day so it’s the beach again but as Jane has to head off later this afternoon we will hit “Broad Haven” beach, more commercialised but the car park is on the opposite side of the road, much easier.  

Lunch today is leftovers from yesterday’s with a few extras, not too much as we had to get in a meal before they headed back to Hope Farm later.

By the time we got to the beach the car park was nearly full; these surfers like to start early!!!, still we found a space so unloaded and headed over the road and as the tide was nearly out, we were spoilt for choice.   We had to stay on the southern half as this was the dog friendly beach and during the day Tom-Tom and Rosie played and socialised with a number of other dogs.   Mia and Jane again hit the sea and later we all got stuck in to build a large sand castle with moat and a village outside.  At this point Mia introduced a “motorway” for access into the complex!!!!!   Anyway a lot of fun was had by all.

As we approached departure time talk turned to food and Jane suggested we forgo dinner and have a cream tea instead, naturally she had Mia’s vote so off we searched for a cream tea.   It turned out there was a cafe/bar/restaurant on the seafront that sold all the components to makeup a cream tea, so that’s where we ended up.  After some trouble with the “dozy” individual taking the order who also happened to operate the till; she made a complete “cock-up” with our bill, we did get our teas: “more by luck than judgement”

Back to base camp and after emptying beach stuff and re-filling Jane’s car with their clothes etc., they were off back home; we on the other hand got the gin bottles out and relaxed.   We had a great time but “Rosie” was bought for two people, 3-adults, a 8-year old and 3-dogs was pushing her a bit far, still we managed and had fun a lot of laughs along the way, but next time please bring a tent!!!!!

Tuesday 15th August

We woke up to the dogs shuffling around but later this morning, 0700hrs wow!!, and even better, no rain and blue skies.  The girls woke after another “interesting” night on the table bed, only one more to endure !!!!!    Today it’s “Marloes” day, but first a quick trip to Tesco in Haverfordwest for some “beach food” for lunch.  We have to be smart with our decisions on what to buy as the walk down to Marloes sands is about 1km; down a steep path, and once down there nothing, other than lots of sand, so everything has to be carried; returning for something forgotten is definitely a no-no!!

Jane and I did the Tesco run in record time whilst Christine and Mia sorted out the bed but in the process the mechanism fell apart in her hand as she raised the table and secured it.  Next Christine took the 3-dogs for their walk.  All back at base camp, we packed the car and headed off.   All the years I visited “Marloes Sands” whilst the children were growing up, cars were parked in the National Trust car park about 100-meters away from the start of the path to the beach but this morning I looked on Google Earth and noted that cars were being parked in a field adjacent to the path.  If this is true, we will all be chuffed, especially my knee!!!   

As we were leaving Marloes village we stopped at the farm house whose field we used to camp in 40-years ago, we were curious to know what has happened over this period.   To our surprise, the farm is still in the family, it is now owned by one of the grandsons.   Having caught up with all the news we headed to the path and to our delight, the field we had seen on Google earth was in fact open, and for £4 we could park all day; the extra good news was the gate at the bottom of the field, it led onto the path halfway down, result!!! 

Marloes Sands, the beach named after the local village, is a long curved remote beach surrounded by cliffs in Pembrokeshire and, depending where the measurements are taken and what state the tide is at; it is generally thought to be around a mile long, but when the tide is in, well there is no beach at all, just rocks!!!   The main feature is naturally the large amount of flat solid sand, but also there are large and deep rock pools that make ideal safe havens for the “little-ones”.  The backdrop to the beach are cliffs layered with red sandstone and grey shale.   One feature of the beach are the Three Chimneys; three vertical lines of hard sandstone, there used to be four chimneys, but the fourth crumbled in a severe storm in 1954.  Locally Marloes sands is broken down into sections with each section having a local name. An example of this is the section known as “Churchill”, the reason being a “Pillbox” was built above it during the war!!   Walking along the beach one gets great views of Skokholm and Gateholm Islands and as the sea produces excellent surf, many surfers waiting for “the right one” to come along!!

We had a great day on the beach, Mia and Jane spent much of their time in the sea with their body boards surfing, Christine and I took the dogs along the beach and later in the afternoon I actually went in, unlike my daughter in a wet suit, I took the pain, not for long though!!!   

As the tide came in, everybody slowly retreated and eventually everyone lost their “vast” personal space and we were all like sardines, crammed together on the rocks at the top of the beach.   Though the sun still shone brightly with a considerable number of people sporting “red” backs, it was time to go.  Packing everything up and scrambling across the rocks we headed for the climb up the path.  It was now we appreciated just how much value that £4 spend had given us!!!

Walking back to the car Jane said she would like to take the opportunity to drive to Martins Haven (the end of the road) and walk out onto the peninsula headland in Deer Park.  Deer park is a walled enclosure of 175 acres, specifically built to keep and breed deer back in the eighteenth century, but none were ever introduced but it does offer secure habitat to numerous species of birds as well as grazing cattle.  Though early evening the sun was still strong and with no wind this was going to be a pleasant walk but the start is up a steep hill with steps cut out into the side of the bank so I elected to look after the car as the three of them with the three dogs headed out.

An hour or so later they returned, Christine sporting a badly bruised thumb, a cut elbow and damaged pride; she had fallen over, never mind, next stop the “Lobster Pot” for dinner.

The Lobster Pot is the only pub in sleepy Marloes and hadn’t changed since my last visit 40-years ago, so in we went and though it was a different landlord, he had the same mannerisms, grumpy with everything being too much trouble.   The one big change was the food, it was excellent but far too big-a-portions, no room for a pudding👹.

It was late when we got back to base, but there was a sense of panic in our group, will we get the table to go down bearing in mind what happened this morning.  All sorts of things went through our minds, if plan A failed we had a plan B, we even had plans C & D if needed and of course being a warm night, perhaps sleep under the stars!!! Anyway we managed to get the table flat and place the cushions in place; again differently from the previous evenings!!!, after a quick dog walk, bed called out to all of us, we were all knackered after a really enjoyable day on Marloes Sands.

Monday 14th August.

We were woken at 0600hrs by the dogs needing to go out but returned rather briskly after doing their business as it was raining.   At this point we received the report on the made up bed!!!  The verdict; “sort of reasonable” but not for too many nights and sharing with Mia, a wriggle-bottom, didn’t help so morning was a relief!!!

With a grey sky and intermittent rain, the beach wasn’t really an option so after sorting out the bed, clearing up and breakfast etc., headed into St. David’s, the U.K’s smallest city.

Around mid morning we, along with what seemed every holiday maker in Wales descended on St. David’s, the tiny “City” was heaving and parking was a nightmare.  We drove around but to no avail and settled in the big car park outside St. David’s by thevisitor centre, all other car parks were full. We came in Jane’s car; 3-adults, an 8-year old and 3-dogs with all the paraphernalia one needs on holiday “just in case” including my scooter, we needed the space!!!    After finding a space, unloaded and assembled  the scooter, I realised I had forgotten to also transfer the all important “key”, so that was that, I had no choice, I had to walk!!!!

When we started out this morning our plan was to arrive at coffee time but what with traffic, parking, people etc., etc., by the time we walked down the hill and into the main part of St. David’s it was lunch time!!!   The advance party, ie Jane and Mia went ahead to reconnoiter, their aim was somewhere that sold cakes etc., we on the other hand just went with the flow and a few minutes later we get a message saying they’ve found somewhere that sells cakes, so off we head.   Standing at the bottom of some steps waiting, and when we arrived we all trooped in only to find it was a pub that actually sold a few cakes!!!  After finding a suitable table that could accommodate 3-dogs underneath we decided to have lunch and maybe a cake to follow.   This pub was called, unsurprisingly “The Bishops” but strangely not after the cathedral or bishops palace but after the outcrop of rocks known as the “Bishops” a couple of miles off Ramsey Island.

After lunch the three of them headed further down the hill to look into the cathedral, I on the other hand couldn’t face the walk back up the hill, my knee was giving me real ‘jip’ today, so I waited on someone’s gate watching the comings and goings of all the visitors, like us, unable to get to the beach.   Once they returned we headed back up the hill towards the car park arriving as our “paid time” expired, perfect timing.    By now the weather had improved, the rain had stopped, the sun was doing its best to come out so the decision was to head to Nolton Haven to give the dogs a good run round.  

Again Nolton Haven was virtually empty except for like minded people exercising their dogs.  Mia on the other hand decided to have a paddle but by the time we left it had turned into a full blown “dunk” in the sea.    

Back at base and the pooches were knackered, didn’t hear anything from them ‘till their last walk later after dinner and some more Marjon.   Tonight the bed went down easier but we couldn’t remember the cushion layout!!!   

Tomorrow the weather forecast looks better so hoping for a day on “Marloes Sands”, one of the main reasons for coming to Pembrokeshire.

Sunday 13th August

To avoid paying the parking dues for two vehicles we elected to get away before 0800hrs and find a nice lay-by for breakfast, but nothing would happen until sand though it wasn’t raining, the sky looked full of it; a great start to our short holiday!!!

Leaving  Brecon along the A40 was rather pleasant; minimal traffic as we meandered through the Brecon’s with intermittent rain falling.   Fortunately during one of the short interludes of sunshine we found a reasonable lay-by off the road so stopped for breakfast and it also had a reasonably grassy area to walk the dogs.

We weren’t due at the camp site officially until 1409hrs so didn’t rush but stopped at Tesco in Haverfordwest as we received confirmation Jane and Mia were coming down this evening for a few days so had to “up” our provisions!!!

Arriving at our camp site at the appointed hour and drove into the field overlooking St. Brides Bay with only one other caravan, we were spoilt for choice and once settled headed to Newgale Beach to give the dogs a good run-around. Unfortunately after paying to park and climbing over a mountain of stone flood defences, we saw the signs, “No dogs off the leads”, and worse, the tide was right in so no sand either!!!!   Having paid to find this out we were quite “peeved” as we headed off towards Nolton Haven.   Newgale is a vast beech whereas Nolton a small inlet with a beech and therefore much quieter so parked the car using the same ticket we had from Newgale 👍 and walked to the sandy beach; no dog signs, a result.   We had a paddle whilst Tom-Tom and Rosie charged around, in and out of the sea like a couple of hooligans and were completely “pooped” by the time we put them in the car.

Back at base camp in time for Jane and Mia’s arrival who turned up in good time for dinner. After dinner we played Marjon before the fun and games began, ie, making up the bed.   This was the first time we had converted the table area into a rather limited double bed but with much laughter, and a fair amount of cursing, we achieved a bed; how comfortable it would be, we would no doubt find out in the morning!!!