Pembrokeshire – C J AIREY

Pembrokeshire 2025: Day 8 – Encore!

Don’t panic! It’s just a short one. A ‘mignardise’ from the Chef, if you so choose…

Then the house lights go up and the curtains do close on this one for the final time on this hols, after this though!

The last night didn’t quite end as peacefully as I made out if I’m being honest, and it didn’t feel right ending it there.

Basically what I didn’t say was that the very last mouthful of that very delicious hake I had contained a pinbone that I’d missed. And it stuck part way down my throat. And invoked a gag reflex! More food and drink weren’t helping shift it in either direction either.

I managed to contain myself enough to take myself off to the one tiny toilet that they had & began coughing & choking. Then I threw up, thankfully down the pan & neatly & quietly!

It was still there.

I went back to the table, we asked and then paid the bill hurriedly and we drove the short nip up the hill to Bickney Bach cottage.

Where I could ‘let rip’ and chundered so hard it was impossible for the fish bone not to have dislodged. Was a shame wasting what was genuinely a fabulous meal and the incident was of no fault of theirs. It’s fish. It’s what happens! If it’s good enough for the Queen Mother, it’s good enough for me!

Having finally recovered and then packed and tidied last night, we sat for a while and listened to the rain and wind batter the conservatory. I really just sat and tried to convince myself the bone had gone. Which I think it had, but it left a scratch sensation.

We had agreed a 9am start so we could do the last bits of tidying and recycling. Cans, bottles (many), cardboard and plastics all went into separate sacks in an outhouse next door.

At around 9:50am we were all done, so locked up, left the key in its safe, waved our wonderful cottage ‘goodbye for now’ (we will surely return), and set off to our real home.

Waze reckoned 4h40 and a peculiar route that went through Mid Wales, avoiding what must be weekend traffic around Ruthin & Mold. With stops for doggo, we reckoned a half three ETA.

We seemed to be constantly stuck behind little cars being driven by little Yodas cousins, who all loved dabbing the brake and decelerating to 26mph on a 60mph road any time a vehicle had the audacity to use the opposite carriageway.

Near Sarnau, we planned to stop to give Toby a leg stretch. I pulled in off the road to a large park. Well! To our surprise, it turned out to be the Y Bryn a’r Bragdy (Brewery, Taproom & Restaurant).

As Jane needed a wee, we went in, and I bought a selection of their beers, and visited the loo, which passes the big viewing windows into a very well appointed brewhouse.

What luck, eh!

We set off and headed north to the outskirts of Aberystwyth, where Waze began our diversion from our normal route home.

Easy journey home apart from a moment where a Police Car put its ‘blues & twos’ on as he was behind me & I panicked, given who knows what speed we should have been doing on this wide road without housing, or junctions – 20, 30, 40, 50 & 60mph were all potential limits. Thankfully Plod was called elsewhere and he shot off into the distance!

The rest of the journey was uneventful and we arrived home safe & sound, another holiday over!

I just want to say a big thank you to the folks that have sent me messages (public and privately) stating their enjoyment of the blogs. Whilst I do just write for fun, it means a lot to know that there are some sickos out there that voluntarily read this nonsense!

Thank you folks, you bunch of weirdos! 😜🩵

Pembrokeshire 2025: Day 7 – The Finale!

Having got back and finished the blog, we did almost nothing last night!

We gathered together all the birdshit-covered clothing along with our laundry so far and ran a couple of loads through the washing machine, hanging them out to dry overnight.

After which, Jane crocheted and I sat with Toby, whilst having a couple of nice beers from the Tenby Harbwr Brewing Co and the Kelp Lager from The Old Farmhouse Brewery in St David’s.

Our plans were simple for today. Not much driving as we are heading home tomorrow (so this could be the last blog of the hold), and tea up at The Shed Bistro, Porthgain at 6pm.

We got up late and slow, as the forecast was overcast and very windy (so much so the washing was dry and being ripped from the line by 11am!).

We cooked up what remained of our supplies of bacon, eggs, beans, black pudding & I made a couple of ‘tières of cafe. Eaten & dishwasher loaded, we just sat in the conservatory and listened to the wind buffet the glass and watched the clouds whizz by.

There’s a TV in the cottage that’s not been switched on, and I have a speaker to stream music but that’s not been unpacked. It just doesn’t need stuff like that when it’s so peaceful and the view’s this good.

That said, visibility isn’t a patch on what it was yesterday on the southern coast of Caldey! Prior to the birdshit bombing raid, we had the binoculars out as we could see Lundy Island and even down towards Bude on the North Cornish coast!

The more I’ve reflected on yesterday, the more impressive Caldey becomes. I mean, just look at this for a view…

By 2pm, we’d still not moved (unlike the 23mph winds) and Toby was definitely stocking up on ‘rest’! He’s now 10 years old, and so we need to start making concessions for him. Bless him, though, he’s so good.

We finally made a move! We loaded up the van again and headed out into the bluster, and made our way to go see the Mother In Law – well, where we scattered some of her ashes.

Nolton Haven has, for decades been a special place for the Robinson fam, and I couldn’t begin to estimate the total number of minutes Jane’s dad has spent asleep on the rocks to the right of the beach (it’s usually slightly more sheltered from the wind and not in direct sunlight, which suited him to the ground).

We mooched about, gave Toby a good run after his ball (and a flirt with a girlie dog many years younger than him), did a bit of beach-combing and had a sit for a while on those rocks where Arthur would settle.

After a while, we headed back to the van and took a more coastal route back to Porthgain, via Solva. Sadly not enough time to stop but we did take a road out down the Solva Valley that was very pretty.

Once in Porthgain, we parked up and with half an hour to spare before tea, had a pint in the Sloop. Dogs are only allowed outside on the patio, which is fine, except it was still blowing and was actually quite chilly in the wind. I ended up going back the van and getting my windstopper jacket. Jane sat there with her matching jacket but with the hood up.

Pint supped, so we headed down to the harbour and The Shed Bistro. It’s dog friendly in the outside annex (covered, canvas sides and heating if required) which is where our table was.

Drinks ordered and delivered and on to the food. We each ordered starters, then a main. A good idea until the starters arrived! They were huge!

Jane had the Smoked Cerwyn Cheese Croquettes, served with Walnuts and Beetroot, and I had Cod Cheeks in a Katsu mayo with pickles shallots. Super tasty!

Monster starters. My Cod Cheeks in the foreground.

For mains, Jane ordered the Bouillabaisse, served with Saffron Aioli & Leek Oil & I had the Beer Battered Hake.. Again the food matched the outstandingly good service!

Suffice to say there was no room for pud, despite the decent choice (all made on premises)! All in all a fantastic ‘final night meal’ that did the whole holiday justice!

We settled the bill, and had a quick mooch around the harbour before heading the shirt hop up the hill back to the cottage.

So, we’ve now packed up what we can, loaded the van, given the cottage a bit of a clean & hoover, and we’re set for the journey home tomorrow.

It’s been a great week, in a great cottage in a fabulous part of the world, with my two best friends. We’re sad to leave but will look forward to coming back here again!

Until next time (probably Mijas in a few weeks!), Adios Amigos!

Pembrokeshire 2025: Day 6 – An Absolute Shower of Sh.t!

The weather held last night and although we were all knackered I managed to stay awake until around 00:30 this morning, when it was as dark as it was going to get.

I set the Nikon up with a wide angle lens, mounted it to my tripod, connected my phone to it so I could remotely control it & set my phone screen to night-mode (all red monotone).

After about 15 minutes of being outside without light, my eyes adjusted and I could see the Milky Way overhead very clearly. The more my eyes adjusted, the more I saw.

I saw shooting stars/comets. I saw satellites trundle West to East, South to North, even the odd iridium flare or two (I think I managed to get a photo of that).

I did my best with the camera, but the photos aren’t the best and certainly don’t do it justice.

Even at 1am there was still sunset light. The double flash of an iridium flare from a satellite can be seen above the house roof in one photo.

The lens started to suffer from condensation build up so I called it a night, packed up & went to bed.

The morning started like yesterday – bright sunshine lighting up the inside of our cottage. We showered and had a quick breakfast (more vegan gravel, but crumpets for me), loaded the van and set our course south towards Tenby.

Tenby as pleasant as it is, is not somewhere we usually head when in Pembrokeshire. There are people in Tenby and we try to avoid those things in the main when down here.

This visit had purpose though and Tenby was not a destination, a mere portal to another world! Maybe a touch melodramatic. We headed for the ferry to Caldey Island.

The good weather meant that the Farmers were literally making hay while the sun shined, which meant lots of big farm machinery on the very small roads. A few close shaves later, we arrived in Tenby.

Pretty, busy, touristy, narrow! We struggled to find parking for a while and were frustrated by the satnav & traffic. Eventually we found somewhere and abandoned the Van.

A walk through Tenby and down to the harbour before buying our tickets and hopping on a little boat across the water. This was Toby’s first boat trip & he did very well. Suffice to say he is now officially a ‘Salty Sea Dog’.

Jane was last here about 50 years ago, and apparently little has changed. I’ve never been before, but it looked like nothing had changed.

The beach where you arrive was quiet and tropical! Beautiful white sand & turquoise sea!

Today’s walk was engineered to get to the southern coastline and see if we could spot any wildlife, but took in the other key points of interest:

The puffin bench
The toilets
Cistercian monks & Caldey Abbey
The lighthouse
The cliffs
The chocolate and fudge factory

We headed off and up to the Abbey. Very nice, if not a bit Colditz-lite.

Caldey Abbey. Apparently there’s a glider in the loft space.

We called in at the gift shop but Jane was disappointed to find that she couldn’t buy a Caldey Abbey branded teaspoon to add to her global collection of teaspoons.

We did however visit the post office on a more successful attempt. Jane bought some stamps to add to her global collection. Of stamps.

I then bought a postcard, paid for a second class stamp and sent it to our home address. If, if it ever arrives, it can be paired with the postcard Jane sent home half a century ago!

From there we visited the toilets. Well Jane did. I just loitered outside with a disarmingly charming dog. After which we continued uphill towards the old Chapel.

We ignored that for now, turned right and looped around the headland through fields until we got to the lighthouse.

Slightly disappointingly the walk was not cliff-edge and so it was a view out to sea. I love a good Puffin Hunt, but it seems that’s best done from water level.

The walk improved and we did start to see cliffs and more bird life.

First, we started to see the Fighter Command of the airborne division, the Swallows, spitfire’ing their way over the fields, acrobatically flipping, turning and finding their target with such dexterity. Marvellous!

We then turned into a cove and got to a cliff top viewing point. A belting view from which we spotted lots of different birds, but sadly no Puffins. We did see Razorbills perched up in the crevices though. More a Bristol Blenheim of a bird.

So we continued on to the next viewpoint. A really good view over the cliffs and a steep drop down to the sea. Perfect!

“Pass me the binoculars” said Jane. As I turned to reach the binocs, out of the corner of my eye I saw an inbound squadron of Heavy Bombers, the Herring Gulls, the AVRO Lancasters of the Bird World, they had a height advantage, a tailwind, and the sun behind them – a perfect approach.

Seconds later, Jane, Toby and I were absolutely covered in bird shit! We had just been Carpet-bombed! It was in Jane’s hair, on her face and hands, a massive dollop on her vest-top! They got Toby on the head and face with the worst just above his right eye. I was collateral damage, but still ended up wiping from my chin, hands, camera strap, hat and also got a decent blob down my teeshirt.

I’m sure I heard the Herring Gull shout ‘Tally Ho!’ and then laugh hysterically as they all turned for home!

To give an idea of quantity & stickiness, imagine if someone threw a couple of whisked eggs at you, with force.

We were almost defeated. But with a stiff upper lip that tasted of birdshit, we carried on.

The path took us inland and back to the old Chapel, next to which is the Chocolate and Fudge Factory. Inevitably, much was bought.

Time ticking on and keen not to leave it til the last boat at 5pm, we headed back to the ferry, managing to get on the 4:30pm and we headed back to the mainland.

We headed up the hill back towards the van, turned left only to coincidentally arrive at the HARBWR Tenby Harbour Brewery. “What luck” I said, hurriedly shutting down Google Maps.

What a find! Turns out we arrived via a backstreet, where a small bar and the shop were. I bought a beer for now, two beers to take home and a new teeshirt, one that wasn’t covered in birdshit.

We enquired about food and if it was dog friendly & we’re told to head up the stairs, hang a left and ask in the beer garden.

We did. It was brilliant! We got a table in the little courtyard in the sun, and ordered a shed-load of ‘small plates’, all of which were really nice! Highly recommend a visit if you get the chance!

After sating our appetite, we headed back to the van, where Jane could change her shirt and Toby had his tea, before setting off back to the cottage.

What a day! Brilliant apart from the shower of 🕊️💩!

Much love! x

Oh! About another 5 miles today, with 4.1 of them on Caldey. 🤪

Pembrokeshire 2025: Day 5 – We Broke Our Doggo!

After posting last nights blog (early for me), it happened to be the ‘Golden Hour’ photographically-speaking where the natural light is infused with red and gold tones.

I’m very rusty on the Nikon DSLR so I thought I’d have a little wander down the lane to the field full of cows and get my eye in. A couple of OK photos later and I called it a night, heading back to our lovely little cottage.

The fresh air, the pizza and the beer combined to mean it wasn’t long before we all retired to bed, hoping for better weather for the following day.

And we got it by the Tato Newi bag-full!

Waking late to sunshine reflecting off the white walls and around the curtains was a joy.

We had already planned what we wanted to do today, so it was a quick breakfast, with Jane back on the Vegan Gravel with yoghurt, whilst I ate the leftover pizza from last night.

Before setting off, I finally remembered to put suncream on my bald bonce, after cremating it for the previous two days, and loaded more into my “walking bumbag” for later top-ups.

Van loaded, we set off and spent the next hour traversing Pembrokeshire via single lane roads with the high hedge sides all the way down to the National Trust carpark at Marloes Mere.

Marloes Sands – the sands being in the opposite direction.

We set off and worked our way around the pathways down to Marloes Sands, where we were greeted by a wonderfully enthusiastic doggo that was desperate to play with Toby.

After a bit of beachcombing we then headed up the steep climb back onto the cliff top and followed the coastal path along the edge, overlooking some incredible views and a sea that was turquoise where it wasn’t crystal clear.

The views are spectacular, and it’s hard to capture how amazing they are. We turned into another headland and looked over the bay. Four Seals watched on as we curved around the cliff top near Watery Bay (honestly, that’s what it’s called).

Round the corner to bay after bay – Victoria Bay, Little Castle Bay, then on to Deadman’s Bay where we reached roughly half way on the walk.

Just before we entered Deer Park, we both sat, had a breather, a protein bar, a bag of crisps and a drink. I finished first and saw that behind us there were not one but 6 Choughs.

Red-billed choughs (pronounced “chuff”) are considered a rare bird in the UK with a population of just 394 breeding pairs apparently. We’d seen at least 10 in the last couple of days, so not sure on how current that statistic is!

We carried on around the headland and in to Oh Deer Park, name tweaked by me because it’s covered in cowshit and there are no Deer. There is an Iron Age fort though. And just along and above Wooltack Bay is the sharp climb to the NCI Lookout post.

The northern coastline isn’t a patch on the southern side in my humble, but it’s still a gorgeous place to walk. From the peak at the Lookout we then dropped all the way down to Martin’s Haven, past Lockley Lodge Visitor Centre to the jetty where the ferry leaves if you fancy a boat trip to Skomer.

Then a sharp right and up an almightily steep set of steps back up to the Cliff Top and West Hook. We headed along the coastline before turning inland crossing two large farmers fields, the first full of Pembrokeshire Tato Newi (fab salad potatoes or serve with butter).

We had done about 5 miles by this point and it had been getting steadily warmer during the day. Although we kept stopping and making sure Toby had plenty to drink, he saw his arse and had a sit down protest, throwing himself into the shady undergrowth along the hedge.

We did the parent thing and just walked off. We were a good 60/70 yards further on before he started to get the message.

Once we got on the road it wasn’t long before we made it back the the Van where we all rehydrated & had a rest. It’s great being able to pull chilled cans of coke/water out of the van fridge.

Another 6.3 miles walk by a fat bloke with Grade 4 osteoarthritis in both knees and most likely hips based on their soreness. Well happy with that, having walked the best part of 20 miles over the last few days!

Once sorted we drove back towards Dale then hung a left and cut through to where we holidayed in 2022, passing the cottage we rented before parking up in Little Haven.

We had an hour to kill before our pre-booked table in the Castle, so it gave us the opportunity to visit a fabulous little Take away Cafe and Shop just across the road.

We visited Lobster and Môr on our last day of 2022, and had their hand caught lobster in a roll for our “going home” dinner. We’ve decided to do similar and have bought a lobster and a crab sandwich as our lunch tomorrow. I nipped them back to the van and put them in the fridge. Handy that van.

Still time to kill so we sat in the beer garden at the St Brides Inn and I supped a bottle of the Nons Nepa ale, from yesterday’s Brewery.

From The Old Farmhouse Brewery, St David’s

At last it was time for tea! We headed in to our table at the Castle and very quickly decided what we were having!

We shared a starter of Lobster Arancini, before Jane had yet another Dressed Crab Salad, and I had the Fish Pie. All with a side of Parmesan truffle chips.

Food and service were all great and it didn’t take us long to devour it all. We had definitely built up an appetite!

Back in the van and a weary drive home, where we are now. All flaked out on respective sofas, chairs and dog beds!

Hoping that it stays clear tonight and I can have a play with the camera on the tripod & see what stars come out to play!

Can’t stay up too late though as we have a trek tomorrow and an adventure on the high seas planned!

Laters Taters!

Pembrokeshire 2025: Day 4 – Revert To Type & Dog Gravy PTSD

Well that was a big walk yesterday! If we add a bit of unrecorded ‘playing on beaches’, we walked about 9 miles, a lot of which were of Pembrokeshire National Trust “up and down” coastline. For someone with no knees, wearing sandals (no socks), it was a biggie!

We’re both feeling it a little today (sore hips) so decided to ‘take the day off’ and just potter locally. Toby was also supportive of this decision as he’s fed up of long drives.

After getting up slowly and showering lazily, I made us brunch – grilled sausages and bacon made up into butties with brown sauce. The fresh fruit juice helped cut through the grease but also made it feel healthier.

Today’s weather at the start of the day seemed also to be supportive of a potter, insomuch as it was very overcast & muggy. The rain was forecast to ease towards the back end of the day, but by 1pm it was lashing down. Not a lot of incentive to leave the conservatory!

By 2pm rain stopped play! Toby wouldn’t even play with fluffy pig or squeaky pig, it was that bad! It had gotten worse, with visibility dropping significantly.

Only one thing to do! Fall asleep in the chair for an hour and snore. I copied Toby and did the same.

So when I woke, I had an idea and I knew Jane would like the surprise! I hassled and hustled Jane & Toby into the van and we set off 10 minutes down the road!

The look on Jane’s face, as I turned left into The Old Farmhouse Brewery & Taproom near St. David’s suggested that my idea was misguided. Jane & Toby decided to stay in the van, and wait for the rain to move through. It was certainly getting a bit brighter.

I went in and was welcomed by Mark, the owner, building restorer, farmer and Brewer. What a really nice fella! We talked through his journey & I chipped in with what little I know about commercial brewing.

After a lengthy chat, a tour of the brewery setup and an open invite up to Manchester, I bought the taster pack of 6 beers but unfortunately the Sugarkelp-infused Lager was out of stock. “The Shed” in Porthgain had taken all his stock.

We bid our farewell & headed the 5 minutes in to the smallest City, St David’s. We parked up, stalled a bit so we could get the 2h parking ticket, and gave Toby his tea.

Once done we wandered in to Town where Jane ticked off a habitual visit to “Window On Wales” gift shop, and then down and then around the Cathedral.

Don’t take offence St. David’s but as much as the outside of the Cathedral, its setting and the ruins around are impressive, a quick glance inside was somewhat underwhelming. Not sure what I expected but my comment in a virtual guest book would be “needs more stained glass & pimping up inside”.

This is the fur coat view, the inside being a bit bare.

We began wandering back up to the “City Centre” and to our meal booking for this evening. Table for two plus dog at ‘Grain’, a courtyard restaurant serving pizza and craft beer from the BlueStone Brewery.

The service, food and beer were fabulous! After a starter of Manchego cheese, honey and pickles, I had the Ultracomida (Italian tomatoes, mozzarella, fior di latte mozzarella, serrano ham, chorizo, piquillo peppers, portobello mushrooms, manchego) and Jane went for the very controversial Hawaii (Italian tomatoes, mozzarella, serrano ham, fresh pineapple, oregano).

A pizza box was required, and I suspect I’ll be having ham & pineapple for my breakfast tomorrow.

As we left, Toby flounced in to one of the outside booths to get a drink of water. We apologised to the family for the intrusion and headed around the back of the booth to leave. Just as the young girl put her hand down between the tarp cover and the bench to stoke Toby, he stopped and had a wee. Thankfully he didn’t warm her hand.

We then headed up towards the Tourist Info Cente only for us all to get another dose of PTSD from the “St David’s 2022 Incident” (see link for horrifying details – NSFW).

The location of The St David’s 2022 Incident. Toby looking sheepish. No sign of any remaining “dog gravy”.

We thought we may get recognised. We headed back to the van, our nerve had gone.

We decided that as the sun had now come out, we would head down to Porthgain and find out more about whether The Shed was dog-friendly and if so, was there any availability for our last night on Friday.

Jane waited with Toby outside and I went in to enquire. My delight as they confirmed that the covered area outside is dog friendly and during the day even the ground floor area is as well was a bonus! Then another bonus – they had a table for us on Friday at 6pm! I think the lady that took the booking said that other than name, email, telephone all I needed to secure the booking was to purchase their fridge stock of the Kelp-infused Lager from The Old Farmhouse Brewery & Taproom. What a coincidence! The only beer I’d been unable to buy at the Brewery. I agreed and cleared out their stock from the thankfully small fridge.

The lineup! I’ve now had the left two & can confirm it’s top notch brewing!

I went outside and told Jane the good news! I also mentioned it was dog friendly and we had a table for 2 plus dog on Friday at 6pm!

We headed home & as I write this up, Toby is asleep, Jane is crocheting & I’m supping ale, writing a blog and taking & editing photos for said blog!

Oh, the weather is now lovely this evening!

Catch you tomorrow folks!

Pembrokeshire 2025: Day 3 – Highs and Lows

Early’ish start today as we had plans to head south, so it was leftover beans and sausage from yesterday’s breakfast for me. Jane was healthy with what looked like some vegetarian gravel and yoghurt.

Slightly later than planned (shocker!), we loaded the van with the neurotic dog, reformatted the SD card in the impressively installed front and rear dash cam as per recommendations, as my phone automatically connected to the Apple Car-play enabled head unit retrospectively fitted to an incredibly high standard by a “Qualified Specialist”. The above items happen to be available from Halfords and I do have friends & family discount codes*, should this have piqued your interest.

*terms and conditions apply. Send an SMS to 71077345 with the word BULLCRAP to stop further texts.

We set Waze to take us to Bosherston Lilly Pads, which is a good hour-fifteen drive from here. Apart from a few roadworks and the madness of so many speed restriction changes from 60mph to 50mph, then 20mph and then back up again, the journey was relatively uneventful.

So we arrived at the National Trust carpark at Bosherston and sussed out a fairly ambitious circular walk that would take in a lot of our favourite places in this area. Needless to say Ms National Trust was manning the booth to take £7 from me for parking, and after doing the same for the next person, she shut up shop and went home, with the car park being “on trust” from that point on.

A tanker had been turning around whilst I paid, after which the driver jumped out and disappeared briefly before jumping back in his cab and switching on some sort of pump.

When Jane and I got out of the van with Toby to set off we were greeted by the unholiest of smells! The driver was pumping the waste from the toilets into his tank. If I had eaten even more beans AND spent the evening before drinking copious amounts of Hydes Bitter, even I could not have competed with the stench.

So we left, post-haste and headed down towards the Lilly Pads and the first bridge crossing of 3.

By the way, if you ‘ve never been to Pembrokeshire, I applaud you for your great decision. Don’t bother. It’s packed full of chavvy tourists and tacky shops, the weather is terrible, you can only eat Leeks, the places are unpronounceable, lacking in TikTok opportunities and everywhere is a faff to get to. Leave it to hardier, less fortunate people like us to suffer it. We’ll do the hard yards and come back whenever we can so you don’t have to.

So we crossed the bridge. And saw Lillies. On pads. And ducks and stuff.

Up hill and down Dale (that’s not true, Dale is a fair drive from here – 45min/22 miles). It’s the Pembrokeshire Coastline. It goes up. And there are very steep cliffs. It goes down and there will be a cove/beach/harbour/smugglers hideaway round the next corner.

We climbed the ups and downs to one of our favourite beaches, Broadhaven South. It’s big, it’s quiet, and it’s beautiful. Toby loves the beach, and likes a bit of “Sexy Sand” time, where he paddles and then rolls in sand until he’s covered in the damned stuff!

Jane being a Lady of a certain age had a wee in a cave, whilst I manned the lookout. This was her view as she had said wee.

Not the worst of views from Natures Urinal

We then got back on the path and climbed up to the cliff tops and began the coastal walk part of our loop. From here on its seabirds, 150ft sheer cliffs and beautiful views.

I’m dead Choughed with this photo. I’ll get my coat…

We followed the path round to the first of a few coves before we eventually headed down the steep steps to Barafundle Beach. Compared to Broadhaven South, this was very touristy (circa 50 people) so we scurried across the deep, soft sand until all three of us ran out of breath and needed a sit down!

Not Barrafundle but Broadhaven and a thick-looking dog

Once we completed the final 3rd of the “beach scurry” we headed up the very narrow & steep stone steps dodging Aldi inflatable paddle board-carrying Chavs before heading across the cliff tops once again in relative peace and quiet.

Next and final of our coastal stops was at Stackpole Quay, where we each had a slightly melted cornetto, Jane a Rhubarb Fizz can, and I a can of Craft Ale. From Kent! £17 exchanged and an accidental elbow to the left breast of an impatient lady who tried to push past me as I left the till.

A quick wee stop for me, albeit I used a public lavatory, so no equivalent photo opportunity without risk of the Police getting involved.

The next 2.5 miles (we’d done 4.5 miles by this point) were crap. On country lanes, up steep hills dodging oncoming traffic. Until we dropped down into Stackpole and saw our meal destination for later. That was incentive enough and as we had realised we were cutting it fine time wise we picked up the pace, adjusted our Bergens and yomped on towards our ‘Goose Green’, the car park at Bosherston.

Through Caroline’s Bush (sorry Caroline) into Caroline’s Grove and our commitment to pace was incredible. Ish.

We decided to stop for 5 minutes in a bird hide and look at dead tree branches sticking out of the water for a while, even getting the Leica binocs out to get a better view.

Dead tree branches. Oh, and a cormorant. And two adult herons. And a baby heron. And some boring brown ducks.

Self-chastened we got back in the groove and pushed on for another good 150 yards. Before seeing a Mam & Dad Swan with their kids, all in a little line.

Not SickSwans, but their beer isn’t as good.

We really were cutting it fine and only made it back to the now stench-free NT carpark with about 12 minute of leeway. This was getting spine-tingling exciting and the jeopardy was palpable!

So we stopped to take some photos of the Lilly Pads and ducks and stuff.

12 minutes! To drive 7 minutes down the road, feed a dog (ours if required) and check in for our evening meal at 5:30pm exactly!

I drove at breakneck speeds of between 20 & 30mph to Stackpole, screeched to a halt in the empty car park and we fed the dog. The clock was ticking and if this were an Episode of “Race Across The World” the editors would be cutting to and fro from us to the serving staff looking worried inside.

We made it with around 90 seconds to spare. Checked in and seated, we relaxed, by using their facilities to wash our hands (I did wash my face and sweaty bonce as well).

The Stackpole Inn has taken a few years for us to get to, such is its popularity. The food has been featured on TV programmes (Hairy Bikers?) and having now eaten there, we can see why!

A pint of guest ale for me (Coke for Jane) then came the food!

My Surf & Turf King Prawn & Ribeye served “however the chef feels it should be cooked” – to perfection as it turned out!

Service immaculate, food stunning! Go if you ever get the chance!

After settling up, we changed our plans to do more walking based on the fact Jane and I struggled to get in the Van so have headed home, where we are all struggling to stay awake!

Definitely a more laid back and local day planned for tomorrow!

Night folks!

Oh! Here’s a picture I took of a man hovering over very cold water & deciding to go back up.

Pembrokeshire 2025: Day 2 – Brickworks & Friends

We just settled in last night, unpacked the van and got stuff put away in the cottage.

It’s a really nice layout in a dinky little footprint. You enter through the middle of 3 doors (2 are now windows – this was once 3 separate spaces) and into a hallway that opens out westwards to an open plan living room with kitchen.

Out from there is the nice, big conservatory with comfy chairs, that when the clouds and mizzle clear will give a nice view over the white plastic-covered silage bales to the sea. Hey, Farmers gotta farm, right?!

At the eastern end is a big double bedroom with a large ‘Jack and Jill’ 2-door bathroom with walk in shower.

A steep & narrow staircase leads to an open loft space that has two single beds and a tiny room on the eastern end for storage.

Charlie Bigham Lasagna & garlic bread for tea (aren’t we posh!), accompanied over the course of the evening by 3 of the beers from Magic Dragon & Snowdon Brewing – ‘Green One’ (Citra session IPA), ‘Dolphin’ (NZ hopped IPA) & Snowdons ‘IPA’. All very nice beers. As a homebrewer though, I think I and most from our brewclub have brewed beers of at least as good a level. Humble brag for Chiv Tap Brew Club members!

I was knackered after the drive, just like Toby, and given the rain was coming in, I went to bed leaving Jane to her crotchet. Another wonderful creation in the making, this time using a 3km long ‘mega whirl’ cake of colour-changing yarn!

Having woken up at around 6:30am, I had a wander into the conservatory to check out the view. The rain was proper rain and the clouds weren’t much higher than our hilltop abode. So, back to bed it was!

Oh! I’ve brought my camera bag. Another hobby that I would like more time to improve. Two Nikon Digital SLRs, lenses, filters, tripods and straps and a GoPro. The sunset pic was my first DSLR photo for over a year. Hopefully, I get to use it more this week. Yes, phone cameras have improved, but sometimes there’s no comparison.

Hoping we get some clear skies at night because if so I’ll be trying to capture the Milky Way. While not a designated Dark Sky Reserve or Park, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is known for its dark skies, “offering excellent opportunities for stargazing”, according to Google AI!

Eventually we got up. I made some coffee and given it was still raining but forecast to clear, we decided to have a brunchy breakfast. Grilled sausage, Bury Black pudding slices, bacon with scrambled eggs and Heinz beans (to be served onto the plate – not in a bloody ramekin!). Missing a good mushroom & tomato, but otherwise decent if I say so myself.

Showered, changed (I’ve only brought shorts, so was hoping it was a warm wind), & van loaded, we set off to suss out Porthgain before deciding where to start our coastal walk.

Due to people who can’t park properly, on arrival no spaces were available so we buggered off to Abereiddy to pay £5 for the privilege of parking on beach stones. Grifters gotta grift, right?

A mooch on the beach and a run and ball chase for Toby, whilst I split slates in the hope of finding a record-breaking fossil. Sadly I just got dirty hands.

We set of on our 4.5mile circular walk from the Traeth at Abereiddy and along the cliff tops to Porthgain, before an inland route back to the van.

First stop was the Blue Lagoon, a place where Jane and our friend Ian nearly lost their lives as kids, cramping up in the freezing cold water as they tried to swim across it.

Testament to their bravery/stupidity, there are still berks that go there, only to launch themselves off the very high building ruins into the flooded quarry, now opened up to the sea as a safe harbour.

Back around and onto the cliff top path and many little coves and beaches, most inaccessible or empty of people.

Along the cliff tops we saw so much wildlife from butterflies & ladybirds up to oystercatchers and fulmers. No chuffs today though, but we live in hope.

Eventually we got to the old mines and then, passing the white cairns that helped ships find their way into the harbour, we headed down the steep steps to Porthgain harbour.

The harbour and old brickworks to the left side

From here we sussed out The Shed, renowned for its seafood and then the Sloop Inn where it was only polite to rehydrate with a pint of West Wales Golden Ale.

Up the hill and then hang a right and we headed inland on a path back to Abereiddy. It tunes out to be a belting circular walk of around 4.5 miles and I’m pleased to report no real issues with body parts (ankles, Achilles, knees and hips). So fingers crossed.

I do however have to report that as I write this I look like Jerry The Berry due to my sunburn!

We arrived back to the van, loaded up Toby & thanked the young gent who had relieved us of our £5, before heading home.

A quick freshen up, Toby had his tea and we then spent the rest of the evening with our friends down in Puncheston. No detail required or offered, but suffice to say we had a lovely time with lovely people!

Catch you tomorrow for some fancy food ‘Down South’!

Pembrokeshire 2025: Day 1 – The Journey Down

We’re officially ‘away’ on hols! We booked this cottage a long time ago & have been looking forward to revisiting this part of the world ever since. It’s one of our favourite areas!

Jane’s been visiting Pembrokeshire since the 70’s and I started coming down with her and her family in the early 1980’s. They ended up always staying with the same family who run a large farm or three and up until not too long ago, a B&B. The D’s are a wonderful family & over time they became friends as much as hosts. So much so that even though lots of things have changed and lots of people are no longer with us, we will still be meeting up with them tomorrow evening, over in Cas-mael (Puncheston).

For better or worse, Lurchio is at home and supposed to be house-minding. I have no idea of what we will return to! For now though, we are away and he’s supposed to be an adult. Let’s find out!

It’s a bloody long drive and it’s not an easy one, so we set off at around 10:30 this morning, having packed the Cali (-fornia, a VW Campervan) with a tiny case for me, a big case for Jane and many, many bags for Tobys dog paraphernalia!

The downside to a 6 1/2h drive is that as wonderful as Toby is, he’s a horrendous traveller. He just stresses out and dribbles everywhere (from his mouth), and never, ever settles. Today’s journey was no different and the beach towels we put down are presently drying on the clothes line at the cottage.

It’s a dull first part of the drive, down the A555 to the airport, then the M56 to the Chester turn off to the M53. Boring! Only spiced up by the number of “Bobby Nobheads” that seemed to be out on the roads today!

Once you get off the motorway, it’s A roads for the rest of the trip. Oh, boy are they fun when you are forever shifting from National Speed Limit (60ish) to the mind-numbing 20mph leading in to, through and then out of towns and villages.

We headed the ‘country way’ avoiding Mold & Ruthin down the A5104, and to our first planned stop at the “Rhug Estate Farm Shop, Brasserie, Take Away, Drive Thru & Organic Skin Care” place. Basically, Lord and Lady Newborough have a Bison farm & the Bison burgers are belting!

Toby was delighted to get away from the van for a while and enjoyed sitting with us and a load of doggos, whilst I had a burger with double espresso & Jane had her egg butty and a gingerbread sheep. As you do.

Sadly for Tobes, we had another 2 hour shift in the van before his 3rd & final break at a petrol station so unremarkable I can’t even remember where it was (somewhere around Llanarth, I think) where the “Customer Toilet” was an outhouse and had definite “Ewan McGregor Trainspotting” vibes to it.

Bala (busy as always & the cafe still there bless it), Dolgellau, then past the Centre For Alternative Technology before Machynlleth. It’s the A487 all the way, down through Aberystwyth (passing the Halls of Residence where we once visited my Uncle when he was at Uni there), then on the coast road down through Sarnau (we may stop here on the way back – there’s a Brewery & Tap just off the road), and clip the outskirts of Cardigan.

Final push, Toby! Eglwyswrw, past the Iron Age village, through Newport and Old Fishguard before Mathry and Square and Compass! Then it was to the instructions! Down some tiny Pembrokeshire lanes towards Porthgain before a little jink right and up to our cottage, Bichney Bach.

It’s lovely & Toby is now very happy to be in a house and not in a vehicle!

Conservatory looking out to sea. Toby looking out of his face (we tranqued him, but to no effect)

Quiet day planned for tomorrow daytime and will prob just wander down to Porthgain & give Toby some fresh air and walks before heading over to see the D’s in the late afternoon!

Let see what tomorrow brings, eh!

Day 7 – Dealing with the Job(bie) in Hand

Today started with an unexpected knock on our door, which panicked me, as it made me think we’d not done something we are supposed to – there are a few requests from the Cottage owner for today & before we vacate tomorrow morning.

Turns out it was just the Gardener, letting us know they’d be making a racket for a while. All fine with us.

And he made good time because by 11am it was hissing down. The first proper rain we’ve seen during a week in Pembrokeshire. That’s a rare event for us! On that basis, we definitely can’t complain.

May just make this a day at the cottage at this rate, which is absolutely fine by Jane & I. So on that basis, I used up some of the remaining fridge supplies by making a 3-egg, cheese & onion omelette for brunch.

The rain continued through until around 3pm, after which it eased off, leaving it very warm & humid. Moist, even.

When Jane spoke with Grain (in St. Davids) yesterday morning, trying to book for this evening, they did suggest that early on there was a chance of a walk-in, so we though we’d give it a go.

So around 3:45 we set off up to St Davids, which is around 45 minutes drive. We parked up in the car park & managed to blag a ticket (offered one from a day-parker that was leaving earlier than planned).

From this point on, Im not sure how our visit could have gone worse, tbh, though. St Davids was, as you would expect, very busy, with lots of tourists ambling between all of the lovely shops.

We walked up and around the high street towards where we thought Grain was. It was at this point that poor old Toby has a poonami attack! Out of the blue, he suddenly stopped and “dog gravy” ran in a stream like fashion from his arse. It was horrific, and didn’t seem to want to stop!

What a bloody nightmare! Jane bent over, scraping what she could from the pavement with poo bags as gloves, which inevitably split, leaving her with diarrhoea-covered hands.

I stood over the disaster zone to stop folk walking through it. “Watch out”, said a man behind me, as his 5 year old kid that wasn’t watching where she was going, tripped over my foot, stepped in the crap, and then fell to the shit-covered pavement on her hands and knees! Crying, the mother the glared at me, pointing out that she’d also holed her leggings. Knees and hands now also covered in crap!

As Jane finished the clean as best she should, I left the scene & nipped into the tourist info centre opposite, and the wonderful ladies in there loaned me a 2l jug, and filled it with water. I ran back across, and rinsed the pavement as best as we could. Another refill and the pavement was safe again at last.

By then, the lady had her daughter on her kneee, sat on a bench, comforting her. I assume after cleaning her hands, leggings and shoes?!

Back to Jane, who we then led to the public toilet so she could wash her hands and Tobys arse. What a bloody nightmare!

Once the chaos subsided and our party was turd-free, we headed to Grain, only to be told they weren’t taking walk-ins. I asked if we could sit outside on one of the many empty benches & order a drink given we were there, only to be told “no”! Strange approach for sure.

It was the last straw, and we decided we’d had enough of St Davids for today! We headed back south and called in at the Victoria Inn Brewpub (where I’d been earlier in the week).

Thankfully we snagged the last table and the last food order. One ‘Mosaic’ 4.5% IPA & a ‘Black Scar’ 5.4% BIPA later, washing down their ‘Fine & Dandy’ Beer-battered fish & chips and we set off back to the cottage to pack.

Bins out, bags packed, fridge contents ready to be put in the camper fridge for the journey home.

Plan tomorrow is be out of here by 10am, and then to press on tomorrow and try to get back before the rush hour starts affecting traffic. No plans other than than for tomorrow.

Pretty much the end of our hols on that basis, so thanks for reading if your did, and don’t worry if you didn’t, as my ramblings are as much for me as anyone.

See you next time folks, I’m signing off for this hols.

Chris x

Day 6 – Under an Iron Sky

We’ve realised we’re not used to coming away in peak season. What’s prompted that realisation is us now starting the day by trying to book somewhere for tea, and then heading in that direction if achieved.

Not going well again at the start of today with attempted bookings at:

The Brewery Inn, Cosheston – voicemail message “we are booked up all week”

Milton Brewery Inn, Milton – closed because the building is falling down around us (source: https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/19910918.milton-brewery-closes-alleging-buildings-falling/)

Grain, St David’s – “sorry fully booked for tonight & tomorrow. Maybe risk a walk in earlier on?”

We’ve eventually managed to book a table at the St Govans Inn, in Bosherston), so that’s where we’ll head today! No bad thing, as that means Stack Rocks, the Lilly Ponds, puffin & seal potential.

After a long wait for Romeo to come down from his Juliette Balcony, we eventually got going and headed south east via Pembroke Dock, but give the fuel light had com on we dreaded having to stick diesel in the van. It’s got a very big tank, so with fuel prices as they’ve been it can be a £145 fill-up.

Spotting a Texaco, I reluctantly turned in, expecting £1.90+ litre , but was delighted to see £1.76. Happy days, so I did fill to the brim, avoiding the need to stop until we get home on Friday evening.

Off the main roads, and down the wiggly-windies again, until we reached the tank crossing & headed across the Castlemartin Firing Range. Over the years we’ve parked up and watch tank & infantry exercises, with the best being the firing of live shells out into the sea. With a good pair of binocs & a keen eye, you can see them hit the sea on a clear day.

At the end of the road, literally, is the Stack Rocks car park, where we stopped, and the key to the Van finally snapped.

It’s a design fault on the flip-out key fobs and is a PITA (pain in the arse) to sort. The Amazon or EBay copies have differing locking pin sizes, so for our model it requires ‘fettling’. I can get it to work in the short term, but we do have a spare back at the cottage, if needed.

Anyway, we sorted that and then headed out with Captain Miserable in tow, heading for the sheer, vertical cliffs, needles & arches of Stack Rocks.

I think the last time we were here was with Jane’s Dad, my Mum & Dad & my Auntie & Uncle, Judith & Frank. Charlie was a toddler, and we’ve a raft of embarrassing photos of him, ready for when required. What I will divulgeHe used to have a ‘poo-light’ – a birthmark on his scalp that ‘lit up’ when he’d filled or was filling his nappy. Quite a handy feature at the time, tbh.

My Dad, bless him. He was probably at his happiest when with his eponymously-named Grandson, as brief as that was.

The coastline here is once again different to other areas with another change in the geology. The Carboniferous Limestone is being worn away by the crashing waves, meaning cracks appear, they can then join either side to create an arch (the Green Bridge of Wales being the nearest example from the car park), the top of which eventually collapses to leave the ‘stack’ – a pillar of rock.

I hope Mr Smith, my ‘O’ Level geography teacher would be proud of me. He definitely encouraged my love of physical geography (you can stick yer human geog up you’re arse, though), with it’s mohorovic discontinuities, thalwegs and dry adiabatic lapse rates!

Credit: Jane (otherwise I risk castration).

We had a good old wander around the coastline, adding more Choughs, Razorbills, Fulmars, Guillemots, Black Back & Herring Gulls & Cormorants to our spotted list, as they swooped around the cliff faces.

And on top of that we once again saw loads of seals. We’re pretty sure they are grey seals, which are some of the rarer species in Northern European seas, with their pups being born right about now, accounting for white ones we’ve seen – as they turn mottled grey after a month.

Having had our fill of vertigo for the day, we decided to head over to Broadhaven 2 (South), but as we parked up, we saw our first raindrops of the holiday, although they were light and lasted about 5 minutes. So instead we had a moral argument about paying for a parking ticket.

My view was shouted down on the basis that a) the machine didn’t take cards; b) we didn’t have £3 in change; c) there wasn’t enough internet connection to pay using the app; and d) we were parked for about 15 minutes maximum.

On that basis, I still protested however as we are using facilities run by the National Trust and the payment helps other sites not just covering our limited use of the car park. As such, I refused to stay any longer and we headed back towards St Govans where we were due to eat.

Although the table was only booked for 6pm, and at the point we parked up it was 5:30, we decided to go in and eat earlier and/or have a pint.

Stepping out of the van onto the verge next to the tea shop & garden, I managed to step in some dogshit. Annoyingly there was plenty to step on. As dog owners ourselves, we cannot understand how people don’t pick up their own dogs turds. It’s disgusting. Good news was that my shoe soles were turd-friendly and it was an easy clean up, thankfully.

It turned out that the pub only started taking food orders at 6pm, and it also seemed that other diners knew that, so we’re getting orders ready and we’re limbering up ready for the 6pm sprint to the ordering terminal. I wound up my knee spring, stretched my various sections of Achilles & readied myself.

Delighted to say, I came second in the bullrush & our orders soon arrived from the kitchen. Jane made the best decision having the Cawl, with cheese & bread. I wish I’d copied her as it looked & smelled superb, and having tasted it later, it was a great choice.

Cawl, if you’re not familiar is a cross between a soup & a stew, classically made from pheasant meat, but typically now chicken and/or lamb, with the expected base veg (potatoes, carrots, leeks, onion, parsnip), but the twist being you then add mature Caerphilly cheese to the bowl as it’s served. Bloody lovely!

Food eaten, and with Captain Miserable reaching new heights (due to a complete lack of internet/working Wifi), we paid up, dodged the dog-crap, and then headed “home”.

Only to spot that Romeo, whilst left alone last night, must have spilled some of his pizza when taking it out of the top oven, and it’s dribbled into the door of the bottom oven. Between the outer glass and one of the inner panels.

So I sit here having stripped down an oven door, cleaned it, then reassembled it. I’m having a beer. It’s deserved!

Night folks,

Chris