Sunday 1st June 2014

Saundersfoot Day 2

Stackpole
Welcome to summer here in Pembrokeshire. Top temperature today was 17 degrees, but for most of the day, we were cooler than that. The reason for this is the breeze blowing along the coast at Stackpole. After a late arrival, our objective was to walk from Stackpole Quay to Broadhaven South.

The map shows the walking paths in the area. Our route was from Stackpole Quay to Barafundle, and on Broadhaven South for ice cream. Then the return journey was from here, via the Grassy Bridge to the eight-Arch Bridge (with a detour to the Stackpole Walled Gardens), then back to Stackpole Quay. In all, it was probably about 5 miles; it felt like a 50.

At the start of the journey (Stackpole Quay), fishermen were packing their catch of Spider crabs into tubs. This is the smallest harbour I have ever seen.

Soon the path led us to the cliffs. Along the walk here were seagulls, walkers, bathers (!), runners, picnickers and dogs -


and Guillemots (looking like penguins from a distance)
 

and slugs
 

and ponies
 

and walkers, (that's Church Rock in the middle of the picture).
 

and cliffs and more cliffs.
 

And at the end of it was ice cream ! In the middle of nowhere, beside a stone cottage (the National Trust had an office inside), was an ice cream van. People were parking in the nearby carpark, getting an ice cream ( the British love their ice cream), and then taking their dog for a walk down on the local beach. The van was doing very well indeed.
 

This is an oyster flake icecream. Robyn had to be restrained so I could get this photograph. This was in fact, her lunch (she had a bite of my apple for dessert).


On the return journey, the path skirted the Lily Ponds, where a pair of swans were nesting. Pretty.

The next part, from the Grassy Bridge to the Eight-Arch Bridge is along the bank of the "Eastern Arm" (of the Lily Ponds). This is supposed to be a home for otters. Well, none of them showed their furry little faces to us ! There were more swans, but we wanted otter ! Actually, there were heaps of people walking along that part of the track. Maybe the noise kept the otters in their burrows.

This should have been a pair of happy, playful otters. At least the cygnets were cute.

 A short detour tlook us to the site of a demolished manor house - Stackpole Court. This place had been the centre of a large estate until WW2, when the army took it over and effectively wrecked the main house. After that, it was uninhabitable. It was demolished in 1963. The garden and a few outbuildings are all that's left.

The way back to our starting point, Stackpole Quay, was across the Eight Arch Bridge. The path from the other side was actually a laneway through a dairy farm. About 100 dairy cows walked past us, going from one field to another. They seemed to be quite used to tourists - we didn't bother them at all. The farmer kept them out of the field with electric fences. I opened the "gates" where this fence crossed the path. These are just bits of electric fence wire connected to a hook on the other side of the lane. A plastic handle allows anyone to unhook the wire without touching the live wire. I didn't get zapped once  (because the power was turned off !).

One of a hundred dairy cows with the one and only Sniffly. He is a dragon that Robyn is photographing in various holiday locations for Livvie Ross. Sniffley says Hello Livvie !
 
All was going well until we turned right where the map said to. Instead of walking about 30 metres straight ahead to the exit, we walked about 300 metres up the lane, and then 300 metres back, to find the gate. I did NOT need to walk an extra half a kilometre at that stage.

On the other side of the gate was the National Trust cafe; and lunch (at about 3:30 PM). Robyn had Welsh Rarebit (this IS Wales you know !). I hab a crab sandwich - with local spider crab meat inside. It was nice, but very rich. Then it was time to go home.

On the way back to Saundersfoot, Robyn wanted to check out St Michaels Church in Pembroke. I drove around for a while, but did not find it. Robyn consulted the internet when she got home. It is actually near Stackpole - not in Pembroke at all. Bugger, we had just been there !

Now it is 9:30 PM and starting to get dark. The twilight here goes on forever; it won't be fully dark until sfter 10 PM. I hope to be in bed and snoring by then.

Until tomorrow.....

Lex and Robyn.