Great and small
Vicky Lissaman has a ball visiting Britain’s smallest city, St Davids in Pembrokeshire
ALET US
PLAY William and Charlotte
in the cathedral
clergyman dressed in full robes and a dog collar reached into his shopping bag and pulled out a tennis ball.
“Let this go and see what happens,” he said, handing it to my 10-year-old son William.
We were at the top of the nave in St Davids Cathedral, at the most westerly point of Wales.
William eyeballed me intensely with a look that said: “Should I really roll this ball down the middle of a cathedral? Won’t I get told off by God?”
I gave him the nod, accompanied by a slow blink. (It woz a vicar wot told him to do it, Lord, not me).
Nervous with excitement, William crouched on the floor, waited for a gap in the stream of tourists filing in, then sent the neon yellow ball on its way.
Starting off slowly, it gathered pace as it reached the middle of the pews and was positively barrelling by the time it bounced off the back wall beneath the rose-shaped stained glass window.
“It’s built on a slope, you see,” said the vicar, smiling, “which is unusual for a cathedral. It’s four metres higher at the top. Have another go, if you like?”
Further permission granted for more fun and games, William and his sister Charlotte, eight, took
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STAYCATIONS
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SURF PARADISE Whitesands beach
Lagoon turns launching and then retrieving the ball.
The sheer delight on their faces when a trip to a cold, stone building, where you’re meant to be quiet and look at carvings of dead people in tombs, turned out to be rather jolly!
I will be eternally grateful to that man for keeping my children amused.
And I was left in peace to marvel at the magnificent carved oak ceiling, the dinky inner chapels, the restored shrine to St David, treasury and cloisters.
You could really spend a whole day on this site, which reaches back 14 centuries and survived the plunder of the Norsemen in the Dark Ages.
There’s a classy refectory selling home-made pizzas and locally-brewed cider, as well as a gift shop.
The cathedral itself sits in a tranquil valley of the River Alun, which is great for a little paddle on a hot day. Next to it are the roofless remains of the Bishops of St Davids principle palace, the original monastery established by St David in the 6th century.
Or just climb the 39 steps to the 14th century Tower Gate House, the lone survivor of the four gatehouses that formed the corners of the 15ft wall enclosing the original cathedral city, find a quiet spot and enjoy the views.
It was time for an ice cream and we set off up into town to The Bench kiosk in the High Street, which sells all sorts of exciting flavours, then sat in