WALLY’S A BIG DRAW
IT’S BEEN a strange year or so for one of Wales’ most popular tourist spots. Tenby, as much as anywhere in Wales, has been hammered by the coronavirus pandemic. In a normal year, this wonderful town would draw in two and a half million people, but the economic firecracker that those people would provide was dimmed almost completely in 2020, save for a few stolen weeks towards the end of the summer when crowds began to return.
Now, with Covid rates down, and vaccination numbers up, Tenby is hoping for a safe and vibrant 2021. A part of that hope is based around the unexpected draw of a walrus.
At the end of March, Wally the Walrus first started showing up on the slipway at Tenby Harbour and he has since become something of a regular at the spot. At one point he disappeared, much to locals’ disappointment, but he now seems to have made a bed for himself in view of Tenby’s North Beach.
While his appearance has attracted some unwanted visitors – with volunteers urging people to leave Wally alone and not get too close, fearing he could become frightened or forced away from the area – scores of people have indeed kept their distance but still enjoyed a glimpse from afar.
This “Wally Craze” has brought a bit of joy back to Tenby, and given locals and visitors alike something to talk about other than the exhausting and challenging quest to bounce back from months of lockdown.
Two Red Dogs is a shop on Tenby’s High Street. It’s been in TTenby Tenby for eight years but onl only opened at its ne new location once lockdown a allowed a few weeks ago. It’s fair to say that it s stocks a few it items that we weren’t part of the original plan earlier this hi year, including Wally the Walrus mugs, cards and T-shirts.
“We design and produce the merchandise all ourselves,” explained Alan Kinsey, the shop’s owner.
“They’re selling well, the kids’
T-shirts are selling like hot cakes. It’s very positive for the town. We found last year, during all that uncertainty, that people still came to Tenby once they were allowed, and this year has been no different, and having Wally around the corner obviously doesn’t do any harm.
“He attracts people from all over; a couple from Newcastle drove seven hours just to see him.”
Many people are doing the same, it seems. On a breezy Friday morning the path that goes along Tenby’s
RNLI station is packed with people, most of them holding their phones up to catch a snap of Wales’ most famous mammal.
One couple who were eager to catch a glimpse of Wally were Huw and Tracey Davies, from Glynneath. Down in Tenby for a week’s holiday, they were pleased to see the town in good spirits, with something else to focus on rather than the ongoing recovery from a pandemic which has dominated headlines for more than a year.
“Let’s be honest, we don’t see many mammals like this around here, do we?” said Huw.
“He’s obviously been a bit of a draw for the area and he’s a bit of a character really.
“He can’t be very happy because he’s on his own, but at least the food in the water must be good otherwise he wouldn’t be staying here,” Huw added.
“We don’t have a clue how long he’s going to be here but it’s a great boost for the area.”