Another short motorhome break to Pembrokeshire

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Another short break away in the UK: Pembroke bound

Day one Plymouth to Swansea

We like this quick spur of the moment short break away trip in Bryony. Last time it was Bridport and Charmouth. This time, we are heading for Pembrokeshire. So, our normal routine then is to pack Bryony the day before and top up the water tank using three 25lt jerry cans. On the day of departure, we ferry the rest of the gear across via Zebedee, our Skoda Yeti; putting on bikes and loading up the astronomy gear.

Today, we are away from the storage site by 0930.

It is funny how far Swansea actually is. I estimated four hours. With a forty-minute traffic jam on the M5 and stops it took us five and a half hours. We forego our normal ‘top of Halden Hill’ stop off, opting for Taunton services instead. Then we hit the traffic jams and then finally reach Swansea.

A cheeky stop off at Mumbles to walk the seafront. Easy to park in the main carpark. £2 for an hour if you use the Just Park app. They are doing lots of refurbishment to the promenade at the moment but it was still a pleasant walk. Beautiful views out across the expanse of Swansea Bay.

Happy teenage memories. Fishing off the wall opposite the Pilot pub for cod. Off the old Victorian with its old lifeboat station house (now rebuilt) pier for super-sized bass and mackerel.  Ice Cream at Fortes. Digging for lugworm and collecting cockles out on the mudflats. Scrambling over the rocks off Mumbles Head with its iconic island lighthouse marking the entrance to Swansea Bay; beach combing my way around into Bracelet Bay to the west. It would have been easier to follow the scenic cliff path but I was an inquisitive kid and marine biology was my thing. As a kid, The Mumbles was our nearest ‘shopping centre’, a three mile walk from my village. Often dispatched there by Mum to buy vegetables from the grocer. Apparently, they were of a better quality there than in our own village shop. I think she just wanted me from under her feet during the weekends and holidays! Now I love returning not so much for the memories but also to enjoy the chill vibe the village has; boutique shops, cafes, restaurants and ice cream parlours. A vibrant arts scene with galleries and craft hubs as well.

Our first night is in the car park at the back of the Beaufort Arms at Kittle on the Gower. Cost? 9 three-ply toilet rolls. Yes, you read that correctly. The pub was closed Monday night but the landlord allowed us to stay if we put the toilet rolls on one of the tables in the outside smoking area. When I spoke to him on the phone, he had me in stitches. Anyway, payment is in toilet rolls and if we drink or eat in the pub that evening – it’s a bonus.  Very enlightened thinking we feel!  A flat car park, plenty of space at the back of the pub. A little road noise but not enough to disturb us. We felt safe and secure and had an undisturbed night. What a brilliant payment system?  Shame pub isn’t open tonight. Locally it has a good reputation.

My oldest friend, we hung out together in school, called in with his wife for tea. Salad, Quiche, and lots of chat and catching up. 

Costs: Site: 9 x 3 ply toilet rolls (never in the history of this blog have I ever written this under the costs section before).

Fuel: £65 top up

 

 

Day two Swansea to Pembrey

We left the pub early after a very quiet night. Our toilet rolls were left in the smoking area, as previously instructed.

Up to Carmarthen we trundled via Gorseinon, passing my old secondary school on the way. The scenery is varied and attractive. Carmarthen proves a great disappointment. It's practically impossible to find a car park that accepts motorhomes over 3.5T. We gave up after our third car park. The council website was useless and uninformative.  Carmarthen lost our trade. Sorry!

The stunning Kidwelly Castle

A  tip - don't park at the castle - there is another car park just up the road which is far easier to access .... and exit! 

We headed down the road to Kidwelly instead. The castle was magnificent. An absolute gem. And trust me I know my Welsh castles having grown up half a mile from one of the very best of them.  The history of Kidwelly castle is interesting involving sieges, beheadings, and more. Fascinating stuff. A Norman fortress established around 1106 by Roger of Salisbury and originally built of earth and timber, it was later rebuilt in stone during the 13th and 14th centuries. The castle played a key role in defending Norman territory against Welsh uprisings, including attacks by Llywelyn the Great and Owain Glyndŵr. We Welsh are a bolshy lot if I were to be honest. Anyway, the castle’s concentric design made it a formidable stronghold. Strategically important throughout the medieval period, it saw continued military use until the 15th century.

Coffee and cake at the delightful 'Time for Tea’ Cafe in the main high street...lovely little courtyard garden area...and then back on the road down to our site for the night, at Pembrey Country Park.

The warden was funny and welcoming, interrupting his dinner break to allow us early access onto our pitch. Grass, level, with water, electric and waste water disposal alongside. A 30m walk to facilities block. Clean and modern. The site is a large clearing in a forested area with big sky views, ideal for stargazing. At this time of year, it wasn't crowded. A mixture of permanent pitches and then plenty of room for visiting tourers.

An extensive little railway line runs through part of the country park 

We stroll down to the beach. Wow. Eight miles long, pure golden sand, very shallow gradient and backed by extensive dunes all the way along it. Windy I should think, although not so bad today.

The country park has several large car parks down by the beach, an artificial ski slope, an endearing little miniature railway and various children play areas. Extensive walks and cycle tracks, we expect it would be heaving during the summer but a great holiday for young families if the weather cooperated. Carmarthenshire County Council developed this site into a public park during the late 60’s/early 70’s, the aim to blend recreation with conservation across the 500 acres of woodland, beach and grassland.

What came as a surprise were the hidden bunkers amid the sand dunes further back from the beach. We kept stumbling across old railway tracks embedded in little concrete sections. Quick internet search and hey presto the answers. Pembrey was the site of one of the largest ordnance production factories during World War 1 and 2. TNT, ammonia nitrate and more. A blue plaque on the visitor centre commemorated the 'canary girls' who worked in these top-secret factories.

What started as a frustrating day ended with us feeling very chilled with a good top up on our historical knowledge.

Costs: £17 for castle entry   Campsite: £36 per night

 

 

Day three: cycling the coast

The cycle ride to Loughor is absolutely delightful. Flat almost all the way through the Millennium Country Park. I only used one bar on the e-bike for 14 miles. Well happy.

Well paved all the way with extraordinary views across the Loughor estuary to the Gower, Rhossili and Worms Head.  Vast sandy flats with narrow channels; big marshland areas full of birdsong. Herons and egrets, buzzards and yes even goldfinch and buntings. And all the time a spectacular coastal vista. The area is just teeming with wildlife, especially bird species, and must attract nature enthusiasts year-round. Llanelli Wetland Centre, located within the park, is a key conservation site managed by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. We called in there hoping to get a coffee but you had to pay the entrance fee before you could get anywhere near the café. Being a bit pushed for time, we opted to retrace our route and go elsewhere.

The cycle trail - a mixture of gravel, tarmac and the odd quiet roads

Such a fantastic enviornmental area 

And of course, the industrial archaeology. It is hard to believe that between the late 1800's and late 1960's this was an area of ash pits and steel production, foundries and furnaces, copper smelting and arsenic manufacture. The coast littered with small ports and quay sides, many long gone or silted up. Canals and railways. Welsh coal and iron ore ready for export. Old wooden trading sail ships.  Now all that remains are blue plaques and periodic information boards.

With my geographer’s hat on, I’ve been impressed with this major regeneration project. 22 kilometres of scenic park, wetlands, nature reserves and those sweeping, stunning panoramic views out over Loughor estuary. The clever linking of it by pathways to the neighbouring Pembrey Country Park. It’s a spectacular way of reconnecting local people with their coastline through environmental conservation and sustainability. A great example of how old industrial areas can be revitalised into thriving green spaces for wildlife and community enjoyment. Well done South Wales!

A twenty-eight-mile round trip. Lovely weather with cloudless skies and unseasonal warmth against a distant horizon backdrop of the Gower.

Later this evening I try some stargazing. I am still getting to grips with my new rig and my set up times are grim. Manage to get seven three minutes images before unexpected clouds arrive. I am doomed to never get a good motorhome astronomy session.

Day four Heading for Tenby

We are off towards Tenby. We turn into the motorhome services area at Pembrey country park to drain off the waste tank and come to an immediate halt. From the photo can you work out the problem?

It could be me .... nah .... it isn't. It really is on the wrong side, surely? 

I am genuinely at a loss. How? I mean HOW? How can you get something so wrong? I defy any British motorhome driver to get his rig over that waste drain. It's on the wrong side for a start. Well, it is for an autosleeper broadway, where the grey waste tap is at the rear on tghe driver's side. I drove in and it was still five feet ahead of where my waste tap was. I didn't bother reversing in because there is no slope to the drain, so emptying from the other side will just pour it everywhere else but into the drain. Flabbergasted. Genuinely speechless. I mean how do you get something so wrong? And its newly installed by the looks of it too!

Other than that, apart from the cost, we loved the site.

A Tesco's food shop at Carmarthen and then down to somewhere I have been dying to go to for a very long time. Laugharne, home of course to the Welsh bard himself. Pray all stand for the one and only unique human that he was, Dylan Thomas. My ancient Celtic DNA is positively fizzing. To walk in the steps of the great poet. Breathtaking. We visit the boathouse and then after coffee there with possibly the very best Bara Brith I have ever eaten, and I have had some outstanding BB over the years, we retrace our steps to the ‘writing shed’.

Treading sacred ground - well it is if you are welsh!

It is rare that I am in the right place at the right time. The shed is only open to the public a few days across a year and today, by chance, was one such day. It is hallowed ground. His original desk, notes, drafts of poems, letters and that exquisite view across the estuary and St. Johns Hill.

I am in seventh heaven. Maggie, possibly less so! I read ‘Under Milkwood’ at school. Characters still etched in my memory fifty years later. Organ Morgan. Mrs Dai Bread 1 and 2. Captain Cat. Myfanwy Price and Mr Mog Edwards. Evans the Death...you already can work out who he was ....yep the undertaker. For any lovers of Dylan’s work, this must be a sacred experience.

More than just 'sacred ground'

Such a modest shed with holes in the walls and floor and cluttered with books, papers and photographs. The writing desk, frozen in time, left as if Dylan had just stepped outside for a short walk. A reverent place for me, the private, simple, intimate world of a Welsh literary genius.

Those views! There are insufficient superlatives to describe those views from that window. Wide skies, shifting tides, exposed golden sandbanks, the ever-changing Welsh light from sun, moon and stars. The hushed soundscape punctuated by rippling waters, the distant laughter and lilting Welsh chatter of two elderly fishermen.

This is the little museum and cafe - well worth stopping off at if you are a fan of Dylan Thomas

Maggie just assumed I’d been possessed. She isn’t Welsh, she can’t help it. How could she possibly understand? This humble shed is more than just a dilapidated room; it is a shrine to imagination and passion, to the beauty of words. A pilgrimage that I have wanted to make from when I was a teenager. A few moments to connect deeply with the soul and thoughts of one of our greatest literary voices. It is and always will be hallowed ground!

A tip. The car park at the bottom of the castle...by the causeway. It's a pay and display. No signs saying this but two machines at the side. Just warning you as some of us missed them completely and ended up paying retrospectively. We are now living in hope that the car park attendant hadn't been around before we returned and realised. £1 an hour by the way.

We turn up at Wells Caravan Park, at New Hedges, just outside of Tenby around 2pm. It is a bank holiday and everything else is fully booked and we hadn't realised this. £42 per night for a fully serviced pitch, the only thing they had left. We winced badly but beggars can't be choosers and all that. The site is nice and the hard standings slightly sloped so chocks are needed. They are also cramped approach roads along each line. So tight turns into pitches. Clean facilities. Bus top five minutes’ walk away to Saundersfoot or Tenby.

Another tip...catch the Western Welsh buses no 381; not the 315 which are privately owned. They are expensive and less frequent and not clearly marked so we missed two back out of Saundersfoot this afternoon. Very irritating.  You can walk to both places ... around an hour and on the return, long, long hills back up so add another half hour on top at least.

An ice cream and quick wander around the shops at Saundersfoot....there aren't that many so it doesn't take long. Lovely beach and lots of cafes, pubs and restaurants mind.

It's 11.50pm. A clear night. I can see stars but there is some light pollution as well, even here in coastal Pembroke. It doesn't help that one of the site lights is big, bright, and in the direction I am imaging. Tiny midges add to the general air of resignation on my part. The little critters seem to like my ear lobes, eyelids and just above my eyebrows.  The night is almost still, the faintest of a light chilly wind tugging my trousers. Sat in my chair looking up at the celestial heavens above, I'm wrapped in winter duvet gear and blankets. The quiet tranquillity is occasionally disturbed by distant car noise and voices from one of the neighbouring static mobile homes forty yards away. I am imaging NGC 6888 the crescent nebula in the Sadr region of the summer triangle. Each shot shows the impact of a light pollution gradient and I sit here hoping my software will work miracles in post editing. The close screech of a tawny owl flying down the tracks between us and the caravans opposite startles me. Inside Bryony, Mag occasionally coughs and the bed creaks as she moves in her sleep. My night time soundscape then for the next three hours.

With the ground warmed up and the chill air above, as always everything begins to get a thin film of dew. But, despite this I managed to get three hours of data and crawled into bed around 3am to the sound of a screeching fox on the hillside

Costs: Car park £3  Site fees for four nights £168 (ouch, ouch ouch!)

 

Day five A walk down into Tenby

We walk down to Tenby and catch the bus back. The downhill walk takes around thirty-five minutes via a main road, a lane, a cycle path. The bus back takes seven.

Tenby is delightful as anyone who has been there knows. Tik Tok beaches and vistas, charming narrow streets and colourful houses, plenty of good eateries. Boat trip around the bay and to Caldy Island, golden sands, blue flag status, lovely coastal walks. What's not to like?

Beautiful, uncrowded Tenby

With a rich history dating back to the Norman period, Tenby was originally a fortified settlement, its 13th-century town walls built to protect against Welsh uprisings. Have I said before that we Welsh are a deeply bolshy lot? It’s strategic harbour made it an important medieval trading port particularly during the Tudor period, (The Tudors – great Welsh lineage there by the way) but by the 18th century, the town declined due to silting and changing trade routes. Fortunes revived in the 19th century; becoming a fashionable Victorian seaside resort, praised for its clean air and coastal views. And some of these grand Georgian and Victorian buildings are truly impressive and give much of the town its charm today. The arrival of the railway in the mid-1800s made it accessible to tourists, boosting its popularity. Now, Tenby thrives as a beloved holiday destination, known for its colourful harbour, sandy beaches, historic architecture, and scenic beauty. And in our family, it has a special place in our hearts. My mum and my gran used to come here for their holidays when mum was very young. So many old black and white photos of happy relatives standing on the sands of Tenby in the family photo tin back in my parents’ home.

The late afternoon is spent chilling back in Bryony where I start to process the astrophotography data captured last night.

 

Day six We drive off site

With the weather changing and the threat of showers, we leave the site and drive out to the Stackpole Estate calling first at the ‘Walled Garden Café’ before visiting the lily ponds at Bosherton.  National Trust car park, so its free to us as members. Tight parking but if you get there early enough, you can fit in the top terrace car park, lengthways along the woodland boundary.

The wildlife haven that is Stackpole Lilly Ponds

The Lilly's are just beginning to flower. Swans, cygnets, a cormorant grappling with a large eel. A windswept beach and great access to coastal walks either side.

Then a visit to Pembroke Castle. We park opposite the tourist information centre. There are four long bays available to motorhomes ...pay by phone app. Around £1 an hour. We grab some chips and eat them down at the foot of the castle escarpment by the tide mill ponds.

The castle is excellent. It's history formidable. The home of the Tudors. Yep, Welsh ancestry! The home of England's greatest knight, an adviser to five kings. One William Marshall. We arrive to see a live reenactment camp in full flow along with a choir competition in one of the old, now roofless, antechambers. Rich powerful voices from the mixed age/sex choirs blend in perfect harmony and unison. Contemporary pieces, old hymns, some modern pop culture songs, voices rise and fall, bodies sway, faces fill with smiles and joy. A community unity, a spirit of friendship and good-natured competition. Wonderful to experience.

stopping for chips here probably not the wisest move!

A medieval re-enactment group camping for the weekend in the castle grounds 

But for me, there is another really powerful reason to visit this particular castle. Our son is a Medieval historian; he has three degrees in the subject and when pushed hard, he will admit that one William Marshall, 1^st Earl of Pembroke, is possibly one of his most favourite people from medieval times. He talks of the man’s unmatched loyalty, military skill and statesmanship during turbulent times. Born around 1146, Marshall rose from minor nobility to become trusted adviser and protector to five English kings - Henry II, Henry the Young King, Richard I, John, and Henry III. A knight, of great prowess in tournaments and on the battlefield, and a diplomat of some extraordinary skill too it seems. Despite political unrest, Marshall remained steadfastly loyal to the crown, even serving as regent for the young Henry III after King John's death. Our son considers that Marshall’s ability to maintain stability during civil war and his fair, strategic governance earned him deep respect from his peers and lieges; a man who became highly regarded for his honour, bravery, diplomacy and chivalry. Our son argues that William Marshall was one of the most admired and influential figures in medieval England. So with all that backstory, it’s great to wander around the man’s home before heading back to the site to have tea and bara brith. An outstanding chilled day and it didn’t rain until late evening. A foul wet windy night!

It was so moving to see such passion and joy from the community choirs 

Costs: £18 castle entrance fee   Car park £5

 

Day seven

Three thousand seven hundred and eighty-three steps from the path off the main road back up to Bryony's rear door. It took us forty minutes back up.

But I have rushed ahead.

The storms blew through last night. The forecast is very windy but bright skies and sunshine so we walk down to Tenby and read the papers in a cafe overlooking the beach. Coffee and bacon roll with a great view. Perfect!  We buy some old ‘traditional’ sweets (memories of our childhoods), walk around to the lifeboat station and then around the headland to the museum. We sit and admire the view for thirty minutes. Then we opt to walk back up the hill. No bus, we need the exercise.

The rest of the afternoon? Chill in the sun in shelter of Bryony's port side.... that’s left-hand side to you landlubbers.  I quite liking this retirement malarkey.

Day eight Heading home

Back home to Plymouth. Door to door with a couple of stops...6 hrs and we managed to avoid the traffic too. Bonus! One stop just outside Bridgend and then one at Taunton. By 5pm everything has been unpacked and put away; washing is on and Bryony is back on her site.

A great little mini break adventure.