Remember: Press F11 for a full screen view of this page.
 

 

" West Wales - 5 - Abereiddi "

Date & start time: Thursday 28th / Friday 29th April 2016.

Location of Start : Abereiddi, North West Pembrokeshire, Wales, Uk ( SM 797 313 )

Stayed at : Doves Cottage, Abercastle, North Pembrokeshire.

Places visited : Local cliff walks to to Pwllstrodur Bay (Thurs) and Blue Lagoon (Friday).

Walk details :    2.25 mls, 375 feet of ascent, 2 hours.

Highest point : Sea views and a glimpse into the past.

Walked with : Ann and our dogs, Harry and Dylan.

Weather : Sunshine and blue skies but still that cool northerly breeze.

© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Licence number PU 100034184.

 

Thursday we enjoy a relaxed day walking locally from the cottage.

The shipping forecast said " north easterly winds, rain later " so we decided to stay locally.

As it turned out, the rain stayed away, well away from us anyway, so we had another dry day.

Abercastle inlet . . . a local walk for Ann and myself.

At the top of the slip we noticed this quiet and unassuming plaque

but one that must rate up there with the greatest personal sailing achievements especially considering the date 1876.

The book describing his journey was on the bookshelf in the cottage.

- - - o o o - - -

The Old Mill at Abercastle . . . no obvious signs of millstream but it did have an old mill stone outside.

" Harbour Cottages "

Two flowers we've not mentioned before . . . Hawthorn
. . . and what could be Navelwort (Wall Pennywort ) ?

The harbour has other visitors today in addition to occasional people walking the coast path.

These canoeists set off to enjoy the views from sea level.

We took another walk around the cliff path . . .

But walked just that little bit further . . .

. . . to the pebble beach at Pwllstrodur Bay.

- - - o o o - - -

Friday and another fine morning at Abercastle after a blowy night.

The weather is sunny . . . but sadly this is our last day at the cottage in West Wales.

Morning at Abercastle . . . looking across to the cottage and the old granary buildings.

Today we have chance to walk one last part of the coast path for this holiday so we opt for a visit to Abereiddi Bay.

On the way we passed through the village of Mathry . . .
. . . where they have converted their phone box to a library.

In there too is an emergency public Heart Defib equipment like the one which is being installed in our phone box in Loweswater.

It is becoming much more understood that 'first aid resuscitation' (CPR) is often more successful if backed up by one of these clever heart-start machines.

- - - o o o - - -

Over the hill and round the corner and we are presented with a view of Abereiddi Bay.

The tower on the end of the headland is Trwyncastell which we saw from our Traeth Llefn walk on Wednesday.

Parking is on the back of the beach . . . Let's hope the ice cream van will stay till we return from our walk.

[ Not a lot of people know that :-    Abereiddi, and the ice cream van that regularly visits it,

were the subject of a short promotional film called "Ice Cream" commissioned by the Welsh Tourist Board in 2009.]

There is a reasonable amount of parking space at the beach.

 

Apparently the sea defences have been removed in recent years

and the car parking space depends on the season and the weather.

- - - o o o - - -

There is a project locally to record theses environmental changes

both here and at other locations within the Park.

[ An older photo from Visit Pembrokeshire website ]

 

On a post opposite the bay is a sign and a flat camera ledge where you are encouraged to take a photo and send it off  in order to be added to the research archive

[ I will be sending my large photo of the bay as requested.]

Abereiddi is famous for its flooded slate mine, now also known as the "Blue Lagoon"

With the slate mine came the worker's cottages and this is all that remains of "The Street".

We walk out towards the headland and the old quarry.

No doubt slate was exported from here by boat but a tramway was also constructed round the hill

to the nearby Porthgain harbour to take advantage of the safer harbour and the loading facilities that we saw on our recent walk.

The Blue Lagoon is 25m deep, according to a nearby information board.

During its working life it was a dry quarry, but the access to the sea was blasted through and the sea rushed in at the end of its life.

The Blue Lagoon here at Abereiddi was the location for one of the stages of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.

Some of the world's best high-divers launch themselves from a man-made platform, 27 metres above the Blue Lagoon.

The championships were successfully held here in September 2012 and 2013 and will be repeated again in September 2016

[ Information from Wikipedia with thanks.]

I climb up the side of the old quarry (the easy bits not the vertical walls) . . .

. . . to get a wider perspective.

. . . and the taller perspective.

- - - o o o - - -

From the top of the climb we were able to see all the coast, both east and west of course.

Looking the opposite way to the beach at Traeth Llefn that we visited on Wednesday.

We walked the length of the cliffs in the lovely sunshine today.

Overlooking Traeth Llefn, the tide further in this time and the sands hidden by the sea.

The Traeth Llefn steps that give modern access to the beach.
Steep cliffs and sea caves below us.
   

 

 

Strong waves roll in from the south west.
Time to turn and make our way back.

Ahead once again is Trwyncastell out on the headland.

Ann chooses to stay on the main path with Harry so heads back down to the bay . . .

. . . but I take Dylan on a short scramble across the high level gap and onto the end of the headland.

( Spot the dog competition . . . no prizes.)

Looking over the high vertical edges of the old quarry.

. . . and out to the old tower of Trwyncastell.

I've no history to hand but it looks like another posh harbour marker in the shape of a folly.

Still, it makes a great place to visit.

Dylan searches every window to find Ann and Harry . . . does he succeed ?

Hold your cursor over the picture to see his face.

Ann and Harry are over there the other side of Blue Lagoon.

Time to be heading back.

Back towards The Street and then the beach . . . and yes, the ice cream van was still there and serving on our return.

- - - o o o - - -

We returned to Abercastle towards the end of the day after visiting Solva and picking up the nicest of dressed crab for supper.

A local fisherman catches and prepares them himself and sells them from his house at the top of the village (next to the little supermarket).

Evening light on the patio after diner.

Such a nice sunset on the last night here . . .
. . . that I take a quick walk to see it from the top of the cliffs.

Sunset over Ynys y Castell, the island off the harbour.

The wider view of a quieter Irish Sea.

Sunset light on others with the same idea.

Almost gone for another day.

Final sunset . . . behind a ship sailing west for America ?

- - - o o o - - -

Postscript:

 

Sadly yesterday saw the death

of two Milford Haven fishermen off Abereiddi.

 

Their fishing boat got into difficulties

on rocks near St David’s Head before it sank.

Debris from the boat was washed ashore here and at Traeth Llefn.

 

A big rescue effort was made but only one person was found

and he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

The second was recovered from the water overnight.

 

Our thoughts are with their families.

- - - o o o - - -

 

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon Sureshot SX220, or my Canon 1100D Digital SLR.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . a pot of Abereiddi Chutney to take home.

Go to Top . . . © RmH . . . Email me here

 

 

 

Previous walk - 27th April 2016 - 4. Traeth Llefn

A previous time up here - 10th to 18th May 2009 Our 2009 Pembroke Holiday