Day 4 Mullock Bridge to Dale

We awoke to a lovely sunny morning and the sound of people frolicking in the swimming pool, well they were having a quick dip anyway before breakfast. The weather stayed fine and sunny all day long and we got off the coach and went vertically up a steep hill straight away. That was a bit of a shock to the system and although Stuart said 'its all down hill from now on', I don't think anyone really believed him, and it certainly wasn't!

We crossed through several fields of potatoes that were needing to be watered due to the lack of rain around these parts.

Once on the coast at Musselwick Sands there were even more splendid beaches and rocky shore lines to view as well as wild flowers in abundance. At Martin's Haven people were queueing to get on the trips to Skomer Island. Several people would have liked to do that on the free day tomorrow but it would have been very difficult to get there and back in time.

The walk was fairly uneventful until we encountered a very wet area on route and we all learned a new trick called gate swinging. Keith was in charge with Terry minding the walking poles and Stuart over-seeing the event. Soon we were all safely over with dry feet much to everyone's amusement.

After a short stop at Westdale Bay where we descended to the beach and some of us had a paddle, we walked the last half a mile or so into Dale for tea or ice cream or a drink at the pub, or just a sit on the sea front watching the world go by. A lovely end to the day's walk.

Rita was in charge of the 'C' walkers today and they didn't have any problems at all thankfully.

Today was Jackie Hotchen's and Anita Cook's birthdays and dinner ended with cakes and candles all round.

Day 3 Whitesands Bay to St David's

Today the group was supposed to be going to the Preseli Hills and I was going to take a bus to Manorbier and walk back to Tenby, but the weather was poor overnight and first thing this morning so the walks leaders decided to swap this walk with Friday's walk to St David's. Not everybody was pleased initially but as it happened we were so far west that by the time we got to the start of the walk the sky was blue, the sun came out and it stayed out all day. We were very lucky! All three parties started at Whitesands Bay, another fantastic sandy beach. Pembrokeshire certainly has some of the best beaches in the UK. The wild flowers on the cliff top were splendid and right beside the path was a lovely patch of orchids. There were so many wonderful views that it was impossible to capture them all on the camera but here are just a few of them.

We had a good view over Ramsey Sound to Ramsey Island and at the lifeboat station at St Justinians they were taking people on trips to the island.The island is a wildlife reserve managed by the RSPB and is a vital seal breeding area. We did spend quite a bit of time all day seal spotting and most of us managed to see at least one black head peeping out of the water......or was it a rock?

After lunch the views just got better and better and we saw canoeists and people leaping off the cliffs into the water, it made walking seem a bit tame really!

Rita found us a nice beach at Porthlysgi for our afternoon tea break and some of us had a paddle...well that was me and Frances. Then on to Porthclais, a beautiful little harbour tucked away between the cliffs.

At St Non's bay we left the coastal path near the remains of St Non's chapel and the Holy Healing Well. The cows were drinking the water running off from the well so they must be very fit! We finished the walk in St David's where we just had time to pay a quick visit to the Cathedral and have a lovely farmhouse ice-cream made by Mary!

The 'C' party had another problem today but this time it was much more serious as two members got stuck crossing a boggy dried up pond and had a great deal of trouble freeing themselves. A sobering thought for those people who walk on their own and a reminder to carry a whistle and a mobile phone if you have one so you can call for help in an emergency.

Day 2 Manorbier to Bosherston

We woke to rain on the window and it looked rather gloomy outside but it had cleared by lunch time and the sun shone a little in the afternoon. However the wind blew strongly all day and some of the group found this rather trying.

The party split into three groups, the 'A' party started from Lydstep, the 'B' party started from Manorbier and the 'C' party spent some time in Manorbier looking around and then they went to Bosherston by coach and had a shorter walk there around the lily ponds.

There was quite a lot of up and down on the coastal path but the views were splendid all the way until the end when the mist came down.

We stopped for lunch at Freshwater East and sat on the beach or in the dunes where we saw some interesting wild flowers.

After lunch we had been promised a much flatter walk but it was a while before the ups and downs began to flatten out. At Stackpole Quay I was so excited by the prospect of an ice-cream that I forgot to take a photo but if you follow the link you can see what it looks like.

After Barafundle Bay the walking became much easier and some people started to take a few short cuts which made it easier still! I did the full walk and we finished in Bosherston walking past the lily ponds which were quite unusual.

There was plenty of time for tea and scones at the Olde World Cafe or a drink in the pub before leaving on the coach at 5.30. Apparently this cafe has been open for nearly 90 years and run by the same family. Some people discovered a place in the churchyard selling sandwiches so that took care of tomorrow's packed lunch!

The 'C' party had to wait at one point for 500 cows to cross the road....a likely tale!

Day 1 The Journey

We set off from Bradford at 9.15 a.m. on a full coach. A new driver Steve took us on the JAK coach. It was quite an uneventful journey to South Wales and we arrived at the Park Hotel in Tenby at about 5.45 p.m. After the usual scrummage with the luggage we all trooped up the stairs or took the lift to our rooms.

I was sharing with Anita and our room was very comfortable with a double and a single bed overlooking the garden and swimming pool. We had soon unpacked and decided on an early dinner which consisted of five courses! The hotel staff were very nice and the dining room looked beautiful. We felt very welcome and comfortable.

We had so much to eat we were ready for a walk around Tenby after dinner to get our bearings. Some of the pubs in Tenby were quite lively as Manchester United were playing Barcelona in the final of the Champions League (they lost!). We decided to walk back along the beach and after a quick paddle we climbed the 134 steps from the beach back to the hotel before turning in for an early night. Plenty of walking to be done tomorrow.