August Bank Holiday 2017 – Brilliant sunshine after a month of showers. We are completing the walk which was curtailed due to my rotor cuff problems. This time though we are heading north from the little village of Llanon.
Friendly villagers helped us on our way by showing us a short cut down to the sea between the houses, and we were soon making our way passing St Bride’s Church in Llansantffraed and making good time on the 2.5 mile walk to Llanrhystud, passing several lime kilns on the way.
We walked up the lane towards the village, and opposite the garage doubled back on ourselves through Pengarreg Caravan Park, where we stopped to enjoy a cool drink and take in the Bank Holiday car boot sale – (the water colour I fancied was a bit too large to carry for the next few miles). We didn’t stay for the advertised Sumu wrestling entertainment !
Once passed the caravan park the path is wonderfully isolated, we only saw one other group of walkers, although our peace was initially shattered by the sound of what I call “motorised sea chariots” out on the bay…. it was a bank holiday after all!
When the noise stopped, we walked in perfect silence for miles, the only distraction was a red kite swooping down towards the sea and some curious sheep. I call this the mushroom walk, based on the number of fungi we came across en route – as a child I used to think of them as fairy houses – always a vivid imagination!
The path itself has worn into a single file groove – it reminded me of a drunken man walking home from the pub with one foot in the ditch and one on the road.
We stopped at Penderi Cliffs to watch a pregnant cow seal sunbathing on the rocks below, this is only the second seal we have seen on our walks along the coast, so much excitement.
There are a couple of farms along this stretch and they look so in keeping with the landscape, solitary and sturdy. The trees that surround them stunted and bent by the winds. Some of the coastal fencing has been moved further inland to account for a gently eroding coastline.
Probably a little walked area of the Coastal path judging from a rusty gate and one hanging on a hinge but for peace and quiet on a relatively easy stretch very satisfying.
We stayed at Penrhos Golf Club, the only one night stay booking available for the bank holiday weekend. We were delighted with it, large rooms, good wifi, we savoured a deserved glass of wine or two and a nicely cooked steak, served by a charming bespectacled young man and a lovely raspberry haired young woman, both extremely helpful.