Wales 2008

Tenby

September 12, 2008

It is a small hotel, in the dining room, there are six tables laid out for breakfast. Quarter past nine, we take our backpacks and go the same route on the beach as last night. K has got a cold and refrains from today's hike. J, A, and I drive, i.e. J is the driver of the car, to Freshwater East, west of Tenby. A slight uphill from the parking lot and we are along the coast at a point that is part of the Pembrokeshire coastal path. It is a fantastic coastline, with cliffs that drop steeply down to the sea. The path runs between cliffs and arable land. Underfoot it is wet after the recent rain, but today is it dry weather. Over Tenby we can see how a shower of rain moves in from the sea. A small tornado has built up, it's interesting to watch it. It is the first time I have seen a tornado. Along the slopes flowering gorse, a short, prickly, evergreen shrub with beautiful yellow flowers covers the area. At half past twelve we arrive at Stackpole Quay, a tiny harbor and a cafe in a stone house. One becomes hungry when walking, so we take a table on the terrace. I take a spinach pie and a smoothie. Smoothie is a good drink that consists of blended whole fruit, I have not heard of it or drunk it before.

Strengthened by the food we continue and soon arrive at what is considered to be one of the world's most beautiful beaches, Barafundle Bay. The beach is surrounded by steep cliffs. It is beautiful but we refrain from a swim. We walk down to the beach, go over it, and up again among trees on the other side to a heathland like plateau. We cross the plateau, passing a bay cut deep into the rocks, and come to another beach. The tide is out and we walk across the beach to a small bridge where we leave the coast. We continue between two lakes, then we follow a path that goes through the forest along a lake. The lake reminds me of a lake (Vassen) home in Skåne, long and narrow with a path in the woods alongside it, and from the trail is a steep slope to the left. We go over the lake on a beautiful stone bridge with eight stone arches (the eight-arch bridge). From the bridge is an uninteresting minor road through pasture land back to Stack Pole Quay. It has become sunny, the rocks on the way back to Freshwater East have been given extra color by the sun. J chooses to drive a small road back, A and I wonder if it is the right way back. J is sure of the way.

In the evening,J. K. A. J's sister and husband and I have dinner at a Chinese restaurant inside the city walls of Tenby The food is good and the atmosphere is nice. After dinner, we take a gentle stroll through the narrow streets, past beautiful houses and popular pubs. We look down over the harbor where the boats are resting on the seabed, it's low tide.

Links
Tenby guide
Freshwater East

Beach at Tenby

Freshwater east

Coastline

Tornado

Stackpole Quay

Barafundle Bay

Passing a bay

Eight-arch bridge

Extra color

Path

Horses