Thirteen of us travelled up on Monday 1st May to the Gwbert Hotel near Cardigan in South West Wales. We met our Ramblers Holidays walk leader, Rob who explained the planned walks over the following 4 days. After dinner we enjoyed watching the sun set over the sea from the hotel balcony. After a sunny evening and such a long drive, most of us went for a stroll along the coast to get our bearings and stretch our legs.
Day 1 Tuesday 2nd May A 10 mile linear cliff-top walk along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Tuesday was our first day of walking and we were very lucky to have a warm and mostly sunny day which was perfect for walking in this beautiful part of the country. Rob managed to rearrange the walks so that we could take full advantage of the sunny weather on this spectacular section of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Apart from the beautiful colours everywhere of the fresh green leaves, blossoms, the brilliant yellow gorse bushes which filled all the landscapes, there were bluebells, thrift, red campion and other wildflowers in profusion. The sea and cliffs are always mesmerising particularly when we spotted chuffs and a pair of seals on the rocks far below. This was a linear walk from a hamlet called Moylgrove to the small town of St. Dogmaels. After an initial wild flower lined woodland path, much of the morning’s route was along cliff top paths in glorious sunshine. Our picnic lunch was on the cliff top with fabulous views of the dramatic coastline. In the afternoon we veered inland, past a derelict but fascinating old chapel and arrived back at the sea at Poppit Sands where we had refreshments before the final couple of miles along the Afon Teife estuary to our coach collection point where we had just time to see the mill pond of the still-working water mill and the historic churchyard with an ancient standing stone in the church.
Day 2 Wednesday 3rd May A 10 mile linear cliff top walk along the Wales Coast Path in Ceredigion
Our second day started with sunshine again and we headed off for another spectacular linear coastal walk. The starting point was the tiny hamlet called Cwmtydu where we quickly ascended up through woodland to the cliff top path. The scenery was more rugged than the previous day with paths clinging precariously to the cliff face with jagged rocks below. The geology of the folded shales and slate was very clear to see in the cliffs. We stopped and heard a cuckoo singing and frequently were surrounded by the charming song of skylarks which were often easier to hear than see. We passed the ski slope of an outward bound centre for children and then some horses, one of which had a young foal. Our lunch stop was at the beautiful sandy cove of Llangrannog. We stopped at the statue of St. Carannog where a dramatic group picture was taken. We also heard the tale of the giant, called Bica and the dwarf of Llangrannog and how the rocky stack of Carreg Bica was formed from the giant’s tooth. The path out after lunch was relatively strenuous with multiple ups and downs but always fabulous views with wild flowers and bright yellow gorse bushes in profusion. Towards the end, the path became wheelchair friendly and some of the holiday homes were converted railway carriages. We eventually arrived at our delightful destination of Aberporth with its golden sandy beach and ice cream shops where some of us were glad to sample the produce! Our coach, skilfully driven by the very chatty Alison was waiting for us and we arrived back at Gwbert ready for our evening meal after our daily summary and briefing by walk leader, Rob.
Day 3 Thursday 4th May A 10.5 mile circular hill top and coast path walk in Pembrokeshire
Our third walk was rather different than the previous two walks. We were dropped off at Newport where there were some enticing craft shops but no time for shopping this morning! It was a rather cloudier day than previously but some sun did break through and a couple of very light showers later on. We began our walk by making the long steady climb out of town and headed for Mynydd Carnigli, a significant hill of 1136’ height. The last section of the climb to the top was a hands-on-rock scramble. Lesley was first to the top after having taken a more gentle path up than the rest of us. The views from the top were spectacular. Simon conducted an experiment using his phone to work out which of two possible rocky outcrops was actually the highest. The first one turned out to be 3’ higher. Coming down from the top there was a gentle path through moorland for a few miles to arrive at our lunch stop of Cwm-yr-Eglwys, a pretty sandy bay where we watched paddle boarders and enjoyed an ice cream. We returned to Newport along a dramatic cliff-top path lined in many places with Trift and Bluebells. A cafe at the end of our walk provided a very welcome cup of tea or coffee and cakes.
Day 4 Friday 5th May An 11 mile mostly circular walk along Afon Teife from Cardigan
Our final day of walking started from our hotel car park and we weaved our way through fields to arrive in Cardigan. A very enthusiastic welcome was received as we stopped to get our bearings and shelter from a passing shower at a newly opened church hall and cafe. However we resisted the temptation to stay and walked into town to get our picnic lunch for the day. Our route then took us along the River Teife and into the Teife Wildlife Centre. This is an extensive area of lakes, watercourses and reed marshes with bird hides. Our coffee stop at the visitor centre showed that an Osprey had been seen that morning but sadly, we didn’t see anything so dramatic as that. The walk continued into the Teife Gorge where there were old slate workings and the damp and sheltered environment in the steep sided gorge was particular favourable to mosses and lichens. Denise spotted an orchid and a very delicate Golden Saxifrage. This section involved a lot of steps up and down the side of the gorge. After lunch, which was in a picnic area on the banks of the Teife, we walked through the pretty village of Cilgerran wth it's dominant 12 century castle and admired the forthcoming coronation crotchet work on display in the street. We then visited the delightful church with its ancient standing stone amongst the gravestones. Our walk continued back to Cardigan via a long boardwalk through the marshes where we saw water buffalo grazing. Back in Cardigan several of us went for a hot drink and cake at the church cafe so the lady’s enthusiastic welcoming in the morning paid off after all! At our final evening meal, we all thanked Rob for his excellent leadership over the previous few days and presented him with a card and bottle of wine. We all agreed that it had been a lovely walking holiday.
Most of the group left for home after breakfast on Saturday but Barbara, David and Simon T stayed to watch the coronation of King Charles III live on the hotel TV before heading home.