Walk 398 -- Tenby to Saundersfoot (no.3 of the new setup)

Ages: Colin was 79 years and 125 days. Rosemary was 76 years and 267days. 

Weather: A little drizzle. Mostly just cloudy. 

Location: Tenby to Saundersfoot. 

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 Waterwynch Bay, Monkstone Point and Saundersfoot from there. 

 

About a mile north of Tenby lies Waterwynch Bay where we took our kids for a holiday in a static caravan way back in 1976. They were aged 3,4,6 and 8, and we all had a wonderful time on that little sandy beach. We tried to drive down there today despite the fact a notice told us the lane was closed “except for access”, but it just got more and more narrow until it turned into a footpath. We turned round with great difficulty and retreated to the main road. We'll just have to continue to live on our memories. 

About a mile further on is Monkstone Point. Back in 1976 we came here several times and accessed the beach by sliding down a huge rock set at a 45º angle. The children thought it was thrilling! Today we drove down the lane towards it and found it to be slightly wider and less potholey than the lane to Waterwynch Bay. We came to a notice which read “No beach parking beyond this point”. So we parked in the layby there and booted up. We continued to walk the last quarter of a mile. 

The farm there is now a caravan site. We walked through the edge of it and across a field. Through a gate was a junction of paths — we were on the Coast Path. The path to the left led steeply downhill towards Saundersfoot. The path to the right led even more steeply downhill to the beach. So we took the middle path in the hopes of getting out on to the Point to see the view. But it got steeper and steeper until I called a halt and said I didn't want to go any further — I didn't want to have to climb back up that hill!

Colin said, “There's a view just here on this path through the hedge!” And sure enough the path led to a hidden cliff top after only a few yards, and there was a lovely view of the cliff further on and a tiny beach below. 

Then Colin said, “There's a grave here, I think it's a dog!” The inscription said, “S.G. You'll always be our Everglow RTRT XXXX” We reckoned someone's pet dog ran through the gap in the hedge not realising the cliff was there and tumbled down it to it's death. There were some fresh-cut flowers on the grave too, very sad. As we returned up the path we met a group of people with several dogs, not all of them on leads. So we warned them about the cliff edge just through the hedge. They thanked us and pulled their dogs to. 

Back at the junction we noticed a higher path going off to the right — it was behind a hedge so we hadn't noticed it coming down. It led upwards through a wood, and it was on the very cliff edge. It was quite steep and slippery in places, not a nice path. We followed it up to a gate which led into a field where it was flatter. It was, of course, the coast path coming from Tenby. There was now a thick high hedge between us and the sea view.

We walked to a corner hoping we would get a view there, but there was only a notice saying the path was closed due to landslides, and to follow a new route round the edge of the field. At that point it started to drizzle, so we put on our kags and returned to the car — across the field, not that steep and slippery path through the woods. 

Quite a number of people were out walking the coast path today — and all of them were a lot younger than us! 

I didn't want to go to Saundersfoot because the only other time I have ever been there, in 2015, we had a very unhappy experience. Suffice it to say it involved our grandchildren and our daughter-in-law. I remember sitting on the sea front crying my eyes out every time I saw a three-generation family enjoying themselves, or children happily playing with their grandparents. Colin was upset, but he didn't take it as badly as I did. I have never been so upset about anything in my life. But we went today, and despite those unhappy associations it wasn't so bad. 

The first car park we tried was full, and so was the second on the harbour. But then a car behind us left, so we hurriedly backed into its space — we were in! Saundersfoot was heaving! But the tide was right out, leaving the harbour quite dry, and down on the wide sandy beach it wasn't so bad.

 We started our walk by the harbour because that is where the coast path from Tenby comes down into Saundersfoot. We walked along the front and then down on the beach for a while where Colin found a little crab.

 

We rounded a big rock, and then went up to a car park and restaurant complex. We wished we'd parked there because that car park was only half full — and cheaper! 

We'd seen the Coast Path disappear into a tunnel on its way to Amroth, so we just had to follow it!

We walked through two tunnels neither of which was lighted.

The second tunnel was quite long and a bit spooky in the middle as we had no torches. We came out to a view towards Wiseman's Bridge and Amroth. 

We turned round there and returned to Saundersfoot the way we had come. We bought ice creams and sat on a bench facing the sea to eat them in true grockle style!