Two interesting coastal walks that are packed with history
CARMARTHEN Ramblers had two very interesting walks over the weekend of October 16 and 17, both laden with history. On the Saturday, Andrew Padfield led a six-mile walk in the St Davids area, whilst on Sunday, Carolyn Hills led an 8.5-mile walk in the Tenby area.
The weather for the Saturday walk, which included a couple of miles of the coast path, was dry and sunny as they started from the Merryvale car park just below the ruins of the 13th Century Bishop’s Palace in St Davids.
Walking uphill past the road leading to the cathedral they turned right into Goat Street and then Catherine Street to find a sign that pointed to St Non’s Chapel. They walked along a footpath southward for half a mile to reach the ruined church marking the place where St Non gave birth to St David in about 520. After a brief stop to admire the chapel, the walkers then went on to St Non’s Well before meeting the coast path just above St Non’s Bay and turned westward along the cliff tops to the once busy harbour at Porthclais and the old lime kilns which are still visible and there they stopped for lunch.
In the afternoon, the walk resumed by crossing the harbour and rejoining the coast path with some fantastic cliff scenery as they rambled to Porthlisky. The path crosses the beach here but the Ramblers turned inland by going uphill from the beach and turning right to go through a gate to join a marked footpath through several fields and to come out on a minor road to St Davids near Treginnis Lodge, just before Clegyr Boia.
Further along the road the Ramblers turned right into a bridleway signed Felin Isaf, probably an ancient packhorse road from the mill, back to St Davids and crossed the River Alun to Lower Moor. At the end of the bridleway a left turn brought the route back to the hill in Merryvale leading down to the car park to complete the walk.
The weather for the Sunday walk was mostly cloudy, but the air was warm and the views were good. The walk started from the car park in Clickett Lane. Taking a country lane, they set off across the marsh and crossed Nabb’s Bridge and Holloway bridge before reaching the A4139 road to Penally which they crossed to enter Kiln Park.
From the village they turned to a southerly direction to cross the Lydstep
road and the railway line and followed a path beside the rifle range to reach Tenby’s South Beach.
They walked around Castle Hill, passing St Catherine’s Island and the lifeboat station, to return to the harbour and followed the road around the North Beach to meet the A478 Narberth road where they located Slippery Back Lane (once the old Narberth road).
They crossed Cornish Down and passed under the railway viaduct where they followed the railway line. They soon reached the B4318 Gumfreston road before reaching Clickett Lane and the car park to finish the walk.
Details of the next walk can be found on the website: www. carmarthenramblers.org.uk