Wednesday, September 08, 2021

Walk 396 -- Manorbier to Lydstep Haven (no.1 of the new setup)

Ages: Colin was 79 years and 123 days. Rosemary was 76 years and 265 days.
Weather: Cooler and dull. A little rain at times.
Location: Manorbier to Lydstep Haven.
Tide: Out.
Rivers: None.
Ferries: None.
Piers: None.
Pubs: None.
‘Cadw’ properties: None.
Ferris wheels: None.
How we got there and back: We were staying in our caravan at Freshwater East. We drove to Manorbier, Skrinkle Haven and Lydstep from there.
 
We “finished off” Manorbier by walking down to the beach from the bench overlooking the beach where we had finished the last Walk. I remembered coming here back in 1976 with our four children and finding loads of starfish all over the beach. I have never seen them before or since. So we started looking for them amongst the rocks. We didn't find any, but we did find lots of limpets and barnacles.
It was nice just to stand and watch the lapping waves on the sand. That is very calming. I was still very upset about having to give up the Coastal Trek. We noted the continuation of the coastal path working its way up towards a headland called Priest's Nose. I was wishing we could continue up there, but I knew it wouldn't be any good. I can't do it anymore!
I took a better picture of Manorbier Castle from the beach. It looked more imposing than the picture I took from the car park last time. The castle is privately owned so we didn't visit it.
We drove on to Skrinkle Haven past the Youth Hostel which Colin and I stayed in once. Beyond Priest's Nose the Coast Path turns inland to miss out Old Castle Head which is still an artillery range and therefore out of bounds. The path passes the main gate on the road we were driving along, and follows the road for a few yards. Then it cuts through a hedge and runs parallel to the road before undulating away towards Lydstep Haven.
We parked at Skrinkle Haven (love the name!) where we had spectacular views of the cliffs along that bit of coast. Also excellent views of Caldey Island and remembered a visit there with our children back in 1976. That year we 'discovered' Pembrokeshire and had one of the best holidays ever with our children, then aged 8, 6, 4 and 3. We were all awestruck!
We drove on to Lydstep Point car park which is down a narrow lane full of potholes. There we had sweeping views along the coast back towards Manorbier. We noted that the Coast Path plunged into a deep cleft before rising up to Lydstep Point. We watched some walkers struggling down and then up, and I must admit we both felt rather smug that we weren't amongst them!
The Wales Coast Path misses out Lydstep Point and once it has risen out of the cleft it goes straight down a road to Lydstep Haven. This is a great pity. We walked all round Lydstep Point looking at the fantastic views in all directions. It is high up, flat, and very much to our liking.

From the car park we walked down the road to Lydstep Haven Beach. We had to access the National Trust car park at the top along a narrow lane full of the most horrendous potholes. But this good road to the beach is privately owned and has a barrier at the bottom with a keypad, so we couldn't use it.
Lydstep Haven beach is a half mile crescent, sandy at the far end. Accommodation is mostly static caravans and chalets for summer lets. We spent a pleasant half hour sitting at a picnic table watching the sea, and looking out towards Caldey Island.
By the end of the day my body was telling me that I was doing the right thing, but in my mind I am still very disappointed that I can no longer do the actual walking. It's going to take a long time to come to terms with this.

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