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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