An Adventure: One step at a time

Walking the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path: St Dogmaels to Amroth

Adventures don't need to be long and arduous. They can be slow, with the beauty unfolding step by step, in line with the rhythm of nature.

This is my personal journey – my story of completing the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path - one small step at a time.

I slow down when hiking. The rhythm of nature is more leisurely. The sun comes up, it moves across the sky, and you begin to synchronize to that rhythm."
-John Mackey

It has taken me 6 years to complete the Coastal path in 4 stages!! Some of the time delays were due to covid travel restrictions and others through personal choice.

By my calculations, I have completed about twice the distance - that's if I count all my return journeys to get back to my car!!

When all is said and done, I can say that I have savored every moment of it and I did it my way - the slow way!

Facts about the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path

· It is 186 miles from start to finish

· It starts at St Dogmaels and finishes at Amroth or vice versa

· It can be completed in 10-15 days

I did it one step at a time – my way

I decided that I wanted to walk for 3 – 3.5 hours per day for the majority of the time - roughly 2 miles an hour. That then gave me time to slow down and enjoy it and also time to relax and savour it all.

There were days when I looked at the weather forecast and decided that I didn’t fancy doing any coastal walking – and I didn’t! I used these days to rest, catch up with washing, shopping, photos, or other more touristy activities. It felt good to do this and I didn’t feel any guilt because I didn't have a fixed agenda. I could always come back another year.

The start

I started out with a friend in July 2016. We had the luxury of 2 cars. This meant we could have one at the start of the walk and the other at the end. At this time we were staying in B n B’s.

The finish

I finished on my own in September 2022. I had the luxury of 1 car and found myself enjoying the home comforts of staying in Air BnBs.

My itinerary

There was a lot of skipping around with the route. I often went back to catch up on bits that I had missed on previous occasions.

I used a variety of means to complete the route.

With 2 cars, the only thing that needed to be worked out was the start and the finish for that day.

When it was just me, I would park the car where I had finished the previous day and walk for about 1.5 – 2 hours in one direction. I would then turn around and walk back again. So – I walked the same path twice – but I never tired of it – there was always something different to see.

On some occasions, I used local transport or the coastal path shuttle bus. To be honest, I found it a pain as I had to work to a timetable and often the buses/shuttle bus were infrequent or late.

I have written the breakdown of the 4 stages based on how I completed it – so it will definitely not match the coastal path map! I have only included the days when I was doing the path and not all my rest days!!

A breakdown of the 4 stages:

The stories along the way

These are some of the memorable stories I have extracted from my travel journal:

• On the first few days my legs were like jelly. I never felt anything like this – they were wobbling on their own! The only thing that would contain them was a chocolate fix. (St Dogmiels to Moylgrove)
• I was walking like a cripple due to my walking boots (Meindl rigid gortex boots) – even my specialist rigid insoles were giving me blisters - so I had to cut bits out of the insoles to get some relief! (Molygrove to Newport)
• My friend and I nearly lost our lives today. It would have been my fault! The gusting strong winds caught me as we were looking over the side of a steep ridge on Dinas Island. As a gust of wind pushed against me my reflex was to grab my friend. Luckily we weren’t standing on the edge!! I am happy to say we both survived. Lesson learned: heed the winds! (Dinas Island)
• We heard and saw seals at a distance. This was not the only treat in store for us that day. As we descended a steep slope there, in a forested alcove, were adult swings! Of course, we had to have a go – it’s always amazing to play! (Fishguard – Strumble Head)
• As we descended a slope we saw wild horses in the distance. A gorgeous sight to behold with their manes blowing in the wind. We summoned them by blowing through a blade of grass and their ears immediately stood to attention. (Strumble Head – Aber Mawr)
• We saw a man swimming naked with his dog – viewed from a distance – he didn’t see us. How lovely to feel this carefree and in tune with nature (Aber Mawr – Longhouse)
• This was the day that confirmed that I don’t enjoy coastal walks in the rain. The rain, which started as a drizzle, became torrential. It never let up. We were both soaked through to the skin. My Gortex was useless to protect me. I decided next time to upgrade to a better one for hill walking! My boots were sodden – the rain had just poured through the tops of them. (Longhouse – Abereiddi Bay)

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Lao-Tzu

• Fish and chips sitting in the car overlooking Whitesands beach watching the surfers – feeling deeply contented. (Whitesands)
• Chatting with a lovely family on the pebbles at Newgale sands – enjoying the sunshine (Solva – Nolton Haven)
• The gusting winds – strong enough to blow me off the cliff if gusting the wrong way! I walked with my head down and just kept going (St Bridges Castle – Musselwick Sands)
• I fell on the slipway at Sandy Haven with a thump – denting my camera, scratching the visual display screen, and losing 2 legs off my gorilla camera holder. It could have been worse. Thankfully I hadn’t smashed the lens. I was so shocked I just sat with the dripping slime soaking into my trousers – just to take in what had happened. What really saddened me was that not one person in this very small intimate bay, or the man loading the van behind me, showed any compassion or kindness as I got up and limped to a nearby rock to recover. It took me nearly a week to get over the jolt to my pelvis. Thankfully my morning and evening stretch helped ease the pain and stiffness. (Sandy Haven)
• I enjoyed relaxing on the wide expanse of Sandy Bay – so chilled – I closed my eyes and soaked it all up. (Sandy Bay)
• A first for me, finding benches that were marked with a placard as places to sit if you wanted to chat. I sat on one as I munched my sandwiches, but no one stopped to chat. Ah well – this was in covid times after all and face masks were still being worn in communal places. (Llanstadwell)
• Note to self: if you notice the path is right by the cliff edge then you’re on the wrong path so turn back – and I did! Such an easy mistake to make and I made it! However, I learned to trust my screaming instinct that made me turn back. As I backtracked I soon noticed another path to the left of the one I had taken! Also a lesson as to why I always leave a note with my planned walk on it – just in case I fall off a cliff edge – not that I’m being over dramatic! (Marloes Sands to Westdale Bay)

"Not all who wander are lost." -JRR Tolkien

• This was my Harry Potter moment. I stood on Church Street wondering where bus 387 left from - there didn’t appear to be any bus stop signs. I looked up from my road map to see the bus ‘just there’ as if by magic. Its doors were open and a beaming bus driver asked me where I was headed. I couldn’t believe my luck!! The scenario just reminded me of the night bus scenes in Harry Potter! (Bus Huddleton – Pembrokeshire Dock and walk back)
• I marveled at how nature is all around us and can just show up in the most industrial of places. Beautiful wildflowers were growing by the wired fencing of the power station. Not only this, but also the vision of the oil refinery and power station and in between sheep happily grazing. (Huddleton – Pwillcrochan flats – Huddleton (via road)
• I wondered at the mound of shells that just seemed to be stacked up at the back of Bulwell Bay. It was as though somebody had come along and swept them all into this area (Bulwell Bay)
• A lesson that things are not always as they seem! I spent some time composing and taking photographs of what I thought was some unique bird. I crept up slowly behind it taking photos from different angles. It wasn’t until I got closer that I realised it was a metal bird nailed to a post! (Angle Bay – Chapel Bay Fort and Museum – Angle Bay)
• I will always remember the farmer, in the distant field, who I thought was unconscious. I was prepared to call the ambulance and scramble across the field to perform chest compressions. After alerting some other walkers, I was screaming at the top of my voice across the fields to him – and he awoke with a start giving me a thumbs up! All was well – and I was glad of it. (Chapel Bay Fort Museum – Welcome Pit – Chapel Bay Fort and Museum)
• I had just completed a steep up-and-down section thinking it would never end. I turned the corner to see in front of me, a farmer on a tractor plowing a level field! Yes – his field was completely level! It was almost as though the steep ups and downs had been carved out of the rock for the tourists! (Gravel Bay – Welcome Pit – Gravel Bay)
• At the end of a beautiful walk, my heart was melting for the little boy who was trying to find the keys to his mum’s car. They had slipped out of his pocket. A young couple, with a baby, were trying to help him retrace his footsteps. I went back to the car park to update his mum. There was little I could do – their family members were bringing the spare car key from home. I hope everything worked out well for them – my thoughts were with them for the remainder of that day. (Stack Rocks – St Govan’s Chapel)

Nature is shy and noncommittal in a crowd. To learn her secrets, visit her alone or with a single friend, at most. Everything evades you, everything hides, even your thoughts escape you, when you walk in a crowd."
-Edwin Way Teale

• A lady was out running on the coastal path – I marvelled at the flexibility required in her ankle joints to stop them over twisting on the uneven surfaces of the coastal path. That weekend was the Iron Man competition – I wondered if she was part of that (Stackpole Quay – Freshwater East and return)
• I saw my first group of Ramblers I have ever seen on the coastal path. They were strewn out along the path – walking at great speed – I felt sorry for the person right at the back (Freshwater East – Northern End of Swan Lake Bay – Freshwater East)
• I will always remember the puffs of smoke and occasional bangs from the military base at Castle Head. It made me feel like I was in a scene from a world war 2 movie (Manorbier Bay - Shrinkle Haven – Manorbier Bay)
• I learned to always look up at creaking trees!! There was creaking from an uprooted tree just in front of me – it was totally uprooted – the only thing stopping it from crashing down was that it was stuck between the branches of another tree. (Sandersfoot – Trevayne – Sandersfoot return via Sandersfoot beach)
• Success!! I made it! I had now completed the Coastal Path. I wanted pomp and ceremony to mark the occasion. Instead, there was quietness, grey skies and wind. There was hardly anyone around as the weather had turned windy. The plaque announcing the end/start was disappointingly small and insignificant. I felt a sense of achievement – but a sadness that I would not have an excuse to come back to Pembrokeshire again. (Wiseman’s Bridge – Amroth – Wiseman’s Bridge)

Accommodation

I would like to thank all the people that hosted me on my adventure:

• Oriel Milgi B&B, St Dogmaels, SA43 3EF
• Fern Villa B&B, Church Road, Goodwick, Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, SE64 0EH, Tel: 01348 874148
• Captain’s House, 2 High Street, St Davids, Tel: 01437 720542
• Peaceful Place, Air BnB, nr Haverfordwest – Hosted by Tim and Suzanne
• Static caravan, Air BnB, Templeton – Hosted by Claire and Graeme

3 favorite things I loved along the way:

1. St David’s Cathedral – a beautiful, tranquil place to sit or wander slowly

2. Ramsey Island – I walked this in the mist – saw wild horses. I loved this place, it was like something out of a dream

3. The Shed, Porthgain – the best fish and chips I have ever tasted – I visited at least 2 times during every visit

3 favorite items of equipment:

1. Osprey Tempest 9 liter women' hiking rucksack (perfect day pack)

2. Vivobarefoot Forest Tracker boots

3. Buff multifunctional neck gaiter - Cashmere style with UV protection

The maps I used:

• National Trail Guides 7, Pembrokeshire Coast Path, Brian John, Pub: Aurum Press, Edition: 2004
• National Trail Pembrokeshire Coast Path, XT40, Tough Polyethylene Map, Pub: Harvey

I’ve really enjoyed writing this for you – it has allowed me to re-live some very fond memories of a special time and a special place.

I am glad I took my time to savour it all!

Now it’s time to move on to my next adventure.