April 9th

We left our gorgeous little campsite in Cwmdu around 9am. I highly recommend this spot. The owners and hosts are amazingly friendly. There are good services and the setting is very special. A cozy nest in the hills with the bah of baby lambs and birds singing. The hills really are alive with the sound of music.

We were ultimately headed to the Pembrokeshire Coast with a one day stop in Carmarthenshire to see the Botanical Gardens of Wales.

We spent a few hours there meandering through the different gardens. It was quite warm that day and so we couldn’t spend much time in “The Great Glass House”, a massive greenhouse that houses exotic species, some endangered, from different parts of the world. “This spectacular dome is the largest single-span great glasshouse in the world”(botanic garden.wales). It has been described as looking like a teardrop on the landscape and it does.

We decided to go back the next day to finish seeing the gardens including The Great Glass House and have a longer walk on the trails.

That night we stayed at Ty Cambria guesthouse in Nantaredig near Carmarthen. We had trouble finding it and I had to go into the local pub to get help with directions. It was a lovely old converted barn. We were happy for the space. It had a little kitchen so I no whipped up a nice pasta.

April 10th – my brother Dale’s Birthday

The next morning we returned to the Botanical Gardens. A bonus of the entree fee here is that it is valid for one week. You need a lot of time to see the full 568 acres. We saw the impressive glass house when it was cooler earlier in the day. This beautiful structure holds species from all over the world. It was interesting to see malaleucas (tea tree) and coffee and cacao bushes. I’m sure this is a popular spot at the gardens especially in the depths of winter with wind and rain, a time when people crave the warmth of sunnier climes.

The gardens also have extensive woodlands with trails through them. We went for a walk up into the hills above the formal gardens. We found a big old oak tree and ate our packed lunch with a stellar view back to the gardens and to the hills behind.

At around 1 pm, we headed to Aberglasney Gardens, which was recommended to us by a worker at the entrance of the Botanic Gardens. It was 20 minutes away but took longer because google girl was up to her tomfoolery sending us off into all directions.

Aberglasney Gardens are incredibly well done. They are a more compact garden than the ones at The National Botanic Garden of Wales and are a feast for the eyes in all directions.

After Aberglasney Gardens, we drove the one or more hours to our campsite called Nolton Cross in Pembrokeshire near the larger centre of Haverfordwest. The campsite is in a farming area and right next to the site was a huge field full of mama sheep and baby lambs. The three nights we were there, we both enjoyed watching them in the fields, eating grass , playing and of course crying for mom like little lambs do. I think a couple of the older sheep were security because did I ever get the stink eye when I stuck my head up over the hedge and fence to see the little ones. One of them was there in the morning too.

The sunset that first night was gorgeous.

April 11th

We headed into St David’s in the morning, a nearby coastal village. We had fish and chips for lunch and then a wander down to St. David’s Cathedral, a massive awe inspiring work of architecture built in the 12th century. People have been worshipping at this very site even before the cathedral you see now was built, for 1500 years. (Wikipedia).

Then we walked the mile or so out to the coast and had a gorgeous walk on the Pembrokeshire Coastal path.

On our way down to the cliffs, we happened upon the ruin of St Non’s Chapel which is fenced in and surrounded by a pasture for cows. I sang to them and there was some interest, especially from one cow. 😂

St. Non’s is “said to be the 6th-century birthplace of the patron saint of Wales, St David, it is named after his mother, and remains a place of pilgrimage to this day”. (cadw. gov.wales). The site was the main place of pilgrimage in medieval times by Christians. (Wikipedia)

The new site of St. Non’s is closer to the cliffs and was built in 1934. It is simply beautiful inside. I lit a candle for a loved one at home. 💜

After an hour or so on the path we spotted a beach. We wiled away a half hour or so there, cooling off with a dip up to our ankles. A few people were swimming, children were in swimsuits paddling in tide pools and dogs were playing in the surf. Not bad for April.

April 12th

We spent the morning and early afternoon walking the beach at Newport Sands. It was a little showery and windy but good for the soul. The caves at this beach are massive. Guy loves rock formations so he was in his happy place.

There are even hallways from one cave to another. It was fun to wander in and around them. I sang a little and the acoustics were very good.

We had lunch in the van at the car park near the beach and Guy had a 20 minute kip before setting off again.

We drove to see Roch Castle but sadly it was not open to the public. We had seen it it on our way to our campsite the first day and thought it might be worth checking out. But no luck.

Roch Castle is a Norman castle built in the 12th Century and “was probably built in this location as one of the outer defences of “Little England” or “Landsker”, as it is located near the unmarked border which for centuries has separated the English and Welsh areas of Pembrokeshire. ^(Wikipedia)

In the 1600’s, it was burnt down by Parliamentarians. There have been different owners and different degrees of renovations on the castle since until restorations were completed in 2013 and it was opened as a hotel. So to see the inside, we would have to book a room. I found one available for the end of May for 368 pounds (675.79 CDN today) a night. Maybe next trip. Ha ha 😆. Well at least the Castle has been saved.

Instead, we drove back down the coast to a village called Broad Haven and the plan was to continue down to Little Haven. We should know by now that any town beginning with “Little” could mean, little roads with little width and little room.

Our original plan was to park in Broad Haven, look around and then we could walk to Little Haven. Instead we made the decision to drive and as soon as we hit the one track road, I knew we might be in trouble. I saw out of the corner of my eye a ways back that vehicles longer than 19 ft should avoid the road. “How long are we?” I asked Guy. 19 feet was his answer. Ugh!

Well , to make a long story short, we ended up stuck temporarily midway down this narrow lane at a turn blocking two roads out of the village. I hopped out, saw we had about a 8 inches from the stone wall to negotiate the turn. Guy tried to reverse but reverse wasn’t working, maybe the vehicle was slipping on the transition of surfaces at the corner. Cars were waiting on either side of us. I stood outside the vehicle near the wall , window down, giving input, “a little more, careful, a little more”. He cranked the wheel and just touched the breaks in small spurts, inching along the wall and we finally cleared it and made the turn without scraping the van against the wall. 🤯

Our nerves were frayed after the experience. A cup of coffee didn’t seem to be the best idea at this point so we ventured out for a walk on the Coastal Path above the town for a breather.

After the walk we headed back to the campsite. Guy cracked a cider and I made a strong cup of tea🙂, and we settled in for the night.