Walk 372 -- Newport (Trefdraeth) to Fishguard

Ages:  Colin was 73 years and 62 days.  Rosemary was 70 years and 204 days.

Weather:  Sunny and hot.  A slight breeze in exposed places which was very welcome.
Location:  Newport (Trefdraeth) to Fishguard.
Distance:  13 miles.
Total distance:  3842 miles.
Terrain:  Cliff paths which were narrow, uneven and steeply undulating with lots of steps.  Overgrown in many places, it had a neglected feel.  We often felt ‘imprisoned’ on a narrow strip between a barbed wire fence on one side and a hedge on the other.
Tide:  High water 2.30pm approx.
Rivers:  No.450,  Afon Gwaun in Fishguard.
Ferries:  None.
Piers:  None.
Kissing gates:  Nos.881, 882, 883, 884, & 885.  (Better than the last Walk!)
Pubs:  None.
‘Cadw’ properties:  None.
Ferris wheels:  None.
Diversions:  None.
How we got there and back:  We were staying in our caravan in Letterston.  This morning we drove to Fishguard and parked in a picnic site overlooking Goodwick Sands.  We walked to the bus stop in town and caught a bus to Newport.  There we walked down to Parrog Beach.
At the end we came to the car.  We had our tea, then returned to the caravan.

From the car park, where we parked last time, we walked on to the seafront.  It wasn’t really a seafront as such, it was the mouth of the river Nyfer.  The tide was more or less out and there were a number of small boats on the sands and in the river.  It was a lovely scene on this bright sunny day.

We walked a short way on muddy sands, then on a path which went in front of some cottages.  We greeted a group of ladies who were sitting with their dogs enjoying the sunshine and early morning coffee.  They looked very relaxed.

The path led up on to the cliffs where we were treated to amazing views.

We saw a number of different birds on the cliffs which they use for nesting, the season being almost finished by now.  It was a beautiful day and all seemed right with the world — if only my b----y knee wasn’t so painful! 

It was about a mile and a half to the beach at Cwm Rhigian along a very wiggly route.  The path was narrow and it was very up & down — not an easy walk.  But it was worth it because of the panoramic views all along.

On the beach at Cwm Rhigian we sat on a rock to eat our pasties whilst watching kayakers playing about in the water and swapping canoes between themselves.  Colin wished he could join them! 

We carried on up the cliffs, it was very hot.  Sometimes we managed to get into the shade of bushes or trees and then it was cooler and we felt better.  We loved the views, and the eroded rocks we could see at the bottom of the cliffs were interesting too. 

We descended to sea level again at Cwm Dyffryn where there was a footbridge across a stream.  We ascended again on a much better path so we were able to walk more quickly.  This path eventually led on to a tarmacked lane which took us down to Cwm-yr-Eglwrs where we came across an ice cream van — we couldn’t resist! 

We sat on a bench eating our delicious concoctions whilst watching the world go by.  There were quite a few people about by then, all enjoying the lovely day.  A lot of people were on the beach and in the water — but we had a long Walk to get on with so we mustn’t dawdle.  We had a look at a ruined church which we passed, and then got going.

We started up the footpath to Dinas Head which soon opened out to fantastic views.  It all seemed very colourful, we loved the green of the fern against the blue of the sea.

There were lots of people about walking in both directions around the Head.  We reckoned it was the most popular path we’d been on for a long time.

My knee began to be a nuisance, especially on steps.  I stopped to take paracetamol and ibuprofen in tandem, but it didn’t make any difference.  In fact it got worse the further we walked.

One chap we met, looking at my walking poles, made that tired old ‘joke’ about skis — aaaaaaargh—gh!  That was all I needed! 

At last we made it to the viewpoint at the end of Dinas Head.  There were lots of people about, but somehow it didn’t seem crowded.  We found a rock for me to sit on which was a natural armchair.  It was very comfy!  We ate our sarnies there looking out over the sea.  It was sunny with a gentle breeze — just perfect!  I could forget about my painful knees for a little while. 

As we continued along the Coast Path there were magnificent views in all directions.  In the distance we watched the Irish ferry leave Fishguard, our destination for today.  The ferry was the only one for the rest of the day — not many ferries use Fishguard these days.

We descended the western side of Dinas Head, it was a much gentler slope this side.  There were lots of people climbing up, but we were hot and tired even though we were on our way down.  We came to a pub at the bottom — wonderful!  But we ordered tea, not beer, because it is so refreshing on a hot sunny day.  Tea is a real pick-me-up.
We thought we were about halfway on our Walk at this point, a signpost told us it was six miles to Fishguard along the coast path.  In hindsight, considering the state of my knees, we should have curtailed our Walk at the pub where we had our tea and done the second half on another day.  (Hindsight is a wonderful thing!) 

We climbed a steep slope with lots of steps, and the pain in my knees was hell despite all the painkillers I had taken.  But I wasn’t going to give in! 
It opened out at the top, and we thought (hoped?) that the path might be kinder for this second half — we were wrong!  It soon closed up to a strip between a barbed wire fence and hedges which blocked our view.  It was narrow and very overgrown for the most part, we felt trapped.  We met far less people on this leg of the Walk, now we knew why. 
Mind you, when we could see the view it continued to be amazing.

Colin noticed bushes which were leaning horizontally, and we conjectured that it must be extremely windy a lot of the time up on these cliffs.  We’ve certainly been lucky with the weather today, it could have been hell and those bushes were the evidence.  But we’ve both been sweating buckets, it’s been so hot.

Then the gullies started — one deep one, and half a mile later we descended to a stony beach.  Some of the steps to get down were HUGE!  I couldn’t have got down without my walking poles, and the path was horribly overgrown.

We crossed a narrow wooden bridge, then ascended a good stony path — a refreshing change from the difficulties of the descent.  At the top we sat on a fence by a gate to eat our first chocolate — we had packed two each for today’s long Walk! 

We walked up a zigzag lane with the sun in our eyes because we were going due west.  Because of our temporary blindness we almost missed the path leading off taking us back to the clifftop, but luckily Colin noticed it before we had walked past it.  Again the path was narrow and overgrown between a barbed wire fence and hedges to seaward — it felt like a long thin prison.  My knee pain got worse and worse, I don’t know how I bore it at times.

The scenery we were passing was fantastic!  It included a rock arch, and was easily the best coast for rocks we have been on for this entire trek.

But the sun directly in our eyes was horrid, and our progress was slow because of my painful knee.  We came to a holiday park and hoped that things would be better after it.  They weren’t.

We went up to a “Castell” owned by the National Trust, but even that was over-grown.  We could see the houses of Fishguard ahead, but first we had another gully to cross — we couldn’t believe it!  The sun, by now, was behind a cloud but there was no sign of rain, thank goodness.

We eventually came out in a fort with guns!  (Well, cannons.)  It was interesting looking around.  The fort is in a prominent position overlooking the little port of Fishguard.

We walked down the road to the river bridge where we came across a sculpture celebrating the herring industry which was very important in this area at one time.  Even that had a cannon next to it.  Our route was all on tarmacked paths from now on, which was just as well because it was beginning to get dark.

We walked alongside the river on the north-west side for a little way, then started up the hill.  It was me who noticed where we had to turn off on a path which went back on itself, Colin almost missed it because he was so tired he was walking along in a kind of a daze.  This path took us up high where we had good views over Fishguard village and the river bridge.

Then we went down and down.  We thought we may have gone too far along the high path and missed the car park where we left our car this morning, but it was not so — we came to it spot on!  It was full of young people sitting in their cars chatting from car to car. 

That ended Walk no.372, we shall pick up Walk no.373 next time in the car park overlooking Goodwick Sands.  It was twenty past nine, so the Walk had taken us twelve hours.  We had our tea, then returned to the caravan.  We had enjoyed the first half of this spectacular Walk, but not the second half.  We couldn’t believe it had taken us twelve hours!!  I’m wondering how much longer I can continue with my increasingly painful knees.