Tuesday 11th May 2010 - Angle

It was time to leave Tenby and we drove to Pembroke Dock to stock up at Asda – the Big City actually had a choice between Asda, Tesco and Lidl.
We drove on to the Angle Peninsular and got stuck in a traffic jam. Given that there is hardly any population on the peninsular, this was rather surprising until we noticed the signs reading “Power Station Site”. They are constructing a new power station and we were following an exceptional load and a large number of lorries, most of which were full of aggregate. After being stationary for 10 minutes we finally started moving and we soon found a turning to take us off the construction route. We drove through Freshwater West, a beautiful beach popular with kite surfers and on through the massive sand dunes that back it.
It took us a little while to find the campsite in Angle, not because it a large place, it is only a small village, but there were no signs to the site. We found Castle Farm down a lane by the church and over a small stream. The site is similar to Meadow Farm in that it has basic facilities and is on a hill although it doesn't have as good as a view. We chose a pitch without electricity because it had a view over the village but we could have had one with a hook-up although these are very limited. The people on the site were very friendly and we had a number of conversations, gaining information about the area at the same time.
We went for a walk around the village and found the school, church and village shop clustered together in the centre. The shop is well stocked and is open every day from 7 am to 9 pm – a very useful facility.
Photos: East Angle Bay at high tide; The mediaeval fortified Tower House close to Castle Farm.

Monday 10th May 2010 - Tenby

After talking to the campsite owner, we decided to walk directly from the site. It is on the coastal path so we decided to walk away from the town towards Saundersfoot. The weather was much more unsettled and we had to stop for shelter under trees on a couple of occasions. The walk to Saundersfoot took one and a half hours so we had plenty of time to take a look around and do a little shopping for some of the things that we had forgotten to bring such as oven gloves and string. We also bought some meat in the traditional butchers and bread and Welsh Cakes at the bakers. We walked on to Wisemans Bridge along the interesting route of a mining tramway that took us through three tunnels and past two mine shafts. We planned to have a drink in the pub at Wisemans and then catch the bus back to Tenby. Disappointingly, the pub had no draught Welsh beer so I had to make do with Old Speckled Hen. However visiting the pub was a good idea as it poured with rain whilst we were inside and had stopped by the time that we left. It was still quite some time before the bus was due so we walked back to Saundersfoot and caught it there.
Photos: Tenby looking from the coast path towards Saundersfoot; Saundersfoot.

Sunday 9th May 2010 - Tenby

The site is an easy walk from the town and that was our destination today. The weather was lovely and the views clear as we walked passed the Park Hotel to the start of the promenade high above the vast expanse of golden sand. It was low tide so we decided to walk along the beach towards the harbour that is topped by pretty, multi-coloured houses. Low tide leaves the harbour dry and it was fun to be able to walk in amongst the moored boats. The tide was so far out that we were able to walk around the outside of the harbour and over to inspect, from underneath, the massive ramps for the old and new lifeboat stations. Walking up and around Castle Hill with its lovely open grassed areas and many benches we sat and admired the views over to Caldey Island.
We headed for the National Trust Tudor House and were very impressed by the enthusiasm of the staff who volunteered all sorts of interesting information about the history of the house and the life in Tudor times. The exciting news for them is that in the next two years all of the furnishings will be replaced with Tudor period ones. This will mean brightly painted furniture and brightly coloured wall-hangings. This will come as quite a shock to many visitors who expect a dark, rather gloomy house but it will be great to see the it as it would have been when the Tudor merchant owned it. Make a note to plan a return visit for 2012.
Across the road is a old-style bookshop that had thousands of books in massive piles many feet high with hardly any room to walk between them. Quite how you were supposed to inspect a book that was at the bottom of the piles, I don't know. Fortunately we only wanted to buy a £1 Town Trail leaflet and those were in a box just inside the door. We then used this as a guide to explore the rest of the town. And very pleasant it was too. We can thoroughly recommend Tenby as a place to visit with its interesting town and lovely beach. However, judging by the huge number of eating places and the many caravan parks (most with permanent pitches only) in the surrounding area, it is best visited outside high season.
Photos: Boats in Tenby harbour; The old and new lifeboat stations at Tenby.

Saturday 8th May 2010 - Tenby

We slept very well last night. Having woken and gone back to sleep a few times, I decided to check the time. Rather than 06:55 when the alarm radio normally comes on, it was nearly 9 o'clock! The radio had fallen over a couple of times yesterday and the alarm button must have been pressed. We weren't in a hurry so we had a very relaxed breakfast and prepared to leave Antshill.
We were only travelling a few miles to Tenby but had identified a National Trust property to visit on the way. The weather was not good this morning with heavy, overcast skies and occasional rain. We decided to drive to Colby Woodland Gardens and review the visit when we got there.
When we arrived it was still overcast but didn't look as threatening as earlier so we decided to go for it. As the name suggests, the property is a large garden and although there is a house, it is not open to the public. There is a meadow area around the stream and a large area of wooded hillside and the whole site is criss-crossed with clearly marked paths. It is even possible to walk down the valley to the coast at Amroth but we decided to investigate the gardens. The valley was once mined mined for minerals and must have have been a wasteland at that time but it was this that provided the wealth for the establishment of a very large estate that eventually came under National Trust ownership. There is a huge variety of trees and plants and the walks are lovely. Bluebells and other wild flowers were scattered in the woodland and there were camellias and rhododendrons. In fact there are 700 varieties of rhododendrons in the gardens – I didn't know that there were that many varieties in existence! It was a little early for the rhododendrons – a few were in full bloom, some were about to be so but most were only just beginning to bud.
An interesting exhibition in an outbuilding told us all about the history and wildlife on the site and a gallery had good quality but expensive arts and crafts. We also visited the pretty walled garden although this would be a lot more impressive in the Summer.
We drove on to Tenby to a campsite mentioned in the Rough Guide – Meadow Farm. The site is quite basic – a field with a few electric hook-ups and basic but clean shower block. However what makes the site is the view and it is one of the best that we have ever had. High above Tenby, it has a wonderful view over the pretty town, the monastic Caldey island and even Worms Head far over Carmarthen Bay on the tip of the Gower Peninsular.
Note for Motorhomers: Meadow Farm campsite costs £17 per night including electric hook-up. Highly recommended for the view and access to Tenby. Booking would be required in high season. The owners have been trying to persuade the National Park authorities to let them improve the shower block. They are still working on it so, given a few years, they may succeed!
Photos: Colby Woodland Gardens – looking over the meadow to the house; The summer house in the walled garden.

Friday 7th May 2010 – Laugharne

We followed the lane and turned right although this was actually the way that the asphalted road went. Straight on was a track and footpath that we were told would eventually take us to the estuary. The road took us down the hill with wild-flower strewn banks on either side until, passing St. Martin's church, we took a bridleway that lead to the coast on the northern side of the village. We followed the upper path with its wonderful views over the estuary towards Kidwelly and the beautiful golden beaches around various estuaries. As we continued away from the village we were rewarded with views up the estuary of the rivers Taf and Cywyn.
We came across a small green-painted garage fronting the path, extending out over the edge of the hill and supported by metal posts. This turned out to be one of the sights that we had come to see – Dylan Thomas' workshop. Although it looks rather precarious and must have been incredible cold in Winter, its windows give it fantastic views over the ever-changing estuary, sea and countryside. This provided inspiration for Dylan Thomas' writing and much of his work, including Under Milk Wood, was written here. Thomas' untidy workshop had been recreated – a tie hung on the back of his chair, books lay around, the desk was strewn with papers and discarded, crumpled papers littered the floor. Dylan's wife Caitlin described how he would be very disciplined in his working, always working from 2 pm to 7 pm in the workshop and returning to their house to proudly present her with the one, two or three lines that he had written in those five hours!
We learned about this and much more about Dylan Thomas in the museum in his house, The Dylan Thomas' Boathouse, just a little further along the path. The house is well worth a visit although given that it is very small, it is best visited out of season. The custodian explained the problem that he had last season when two coachloads of visitors turned up at the same time – it was “an exercise in people management”, he said.
Walking back from the house towards the village, we took the lower path along the edge of the estuary.
Photos: The exterior of Dylan Thomas' workshop in Laugharne; The interior of Dylan Thomas' workshop as it would have been when he was writing in it; Browns Hotel in a sorry state, much as Thomas was on many occasions when he left the bar!

Thursday 6th May 2010 – Laugharne

We arrived at the garage at 08:30 and after some shopping in Glastonbury, returned home in the car. The garage had told us that it would definitely be fixed today as they stocked all of the parts that they might need and, sure enough, we were just taking a stroll around the village when the mobile phone rang and we were told that the van was ready. By 12:30 we were back home, £200 worse off but delighted to be able to set off on the sojourn. After restocking the fridge and freezer we drove off, stopping at the view point on Street Hill for lunch. The view from here is lovely when it is clear but it had started to rain and murk meant that we could only see a short distance.
The journey into Wales over the Second Severn Crossing bridge (£5.90.toll, the same as cars) and on to Laugharne was very straightforward. Antshill Caravan Park is on a hill above the village but the sign to it is only visible as you pass the turning. After turning around in the church car park at the bottom of the hill we climbed back up the hill and drove a short distance along the lane to the site. Most of the site has been dedicated to permanent mobile homes and seasonal caravan pitches with only a small amount of space for touring units. We had the choice of grass or hardstanding pitches but chose the latter due to the damp conditions. The hardstanding pitches are not in a very attractive position being behind the clubhouse without any views. The grass pitches would have been nicer if the weather was better. The campsite however has very good facilities – excellent washrooms, clubhouse with bar and entertainment on Saturdays even this early in the season.
We wanted to walk into Laugharne on Friday and I asked one of the caravan owners if he knew of a route that didn't involve walking down the main road. He told me to walk further along the lane and then “take a left turn”, which confused me as this appeared to be totally the wrong direction. However, the directions were accompanied by frantic hand actions that were clearly demonstrating a right turn and, despite the fact that he repeated “left turn” a number of times, I decided that the hand actions were more likely to be correct.
Photos: Sunset over Antshill.

Wednesday 5th May 2010 – Home

An inauspicious start! This morning we collected Henrietta from the campsite where we store her and for the whole of the short journey the red battery light was lit. Although our Ford Transit handbook is in German (it is a left-hand drive German Hobby motorhome), I guessed that this meant that the battery was not being charged. This was confirmed when, having completed the last few items of packing (bike and fridge / freezer items), I tried to start the engine – the battery was dead. This was somewhat embarrassing as the neighbours had kindly agreed to my request the park Henrietta for “a few minutes” outside their house and blocking their drive. We explained our predicament and Julian assured us that it was not a problem and we could leave it there all night if we wanted. This was just as well as, after a visit from the AA (a fantastic 10 minute response), they confirmed that it was almost certainly the alternator. We were able to book her into Glastonbury Auto Electrics for the following morning and had to put the battery on charge overnight. This meant that we had to run an extension lead from Julian's garage, the one that he couldn't use because we were blocking the drive! It's wonderful to have such good neighbours – thank you Jackie and Julian.