Pembrokeshire - how (not) to do it
Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:04 pm
Pembrokeshire - how (not) to do it in 7 easy steps:
1) Book some time off work either side of a weekend, carefully timed so that, riding anticlockwise round Pembrokeshire, there is a good chance of spotting some PanCeltic racers.
2) Arrange something during that time, so as to make sure that in your remaining window a) you will have missed the majority of PCR riders, and b) you catch the rainiest two days.
3) When packing, listen to some last minute advice from your spouse telling you that there's no need to bring a tent or tarp (the forecast is good (where?!?), and it's summer!).
4) Arrange to leave your car at your lovely lovely friends' place, let them question your sanity for ever choosing to sleep outside in a glorified binbag, and make you an offer too tempting, kind, and too rude not to accept, of coming to pick you up wherever your end up after two days of cycling.
5) Put your route onto your etrex, and be so confident it worked that you don't double check it's actually there before you leave the house.
6) Enjoy the wonderful opportunity to admire the scenery as you constantly stop to check your route on your phone.
7) Dress for summer – it is the middle of July after all
Result: 2 nice long days of cycling through beautiful Pembrokeshire (about 225km, 3618m climbing)
Nights spent away from home = 3
Nights spent outside = 0
More detailed report below (picture heavy) if you’re interested:
After a pleasant evening with my friends, being stuffed full of pizza and chocolate, I awoke to this at about 5.30. I don't know for long it had been sat there staring at me, but I had heard it licking its balls through much of the night.
IMG_20210711_055607 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
I left the village of Pentrecagal, which means something like village of the clump of animal fur caked in dung (not a joke, something about it being on a drovers road), and on to Cilgerran castle, then Cardigan and an early morning shag (please don't spoil it by telling me it's a cormorant...), before finding the seat at Poppit Sands.
IMG_20210711_083442 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
IMG_20210711_085744 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
IMG_20210711_085759 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
IMG_20210711_092046 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
It drizzled then rained then drizzled then rained again, and every time I took out my phone to check my route I wondered how much wetness it would be able to survive...
I got to Newport at what would have been a nice time for breakfast, but I was so wet and it was still so early that I worried that if I stopped, I might never start again. The valley around and behind Carn Ingli was just lovely, and when I got to Fishguard it brightened up just long enough for a little spot of early lunch and a photo.
IMG_20210711_122821 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
Finally a little detour to Abermawr presented itself, to justify taking the gravel bike. Amusingly, the bridleway got gradually wetter and wetter until it looked like this. There was a perfectly groomed path just above me to the left, of course
, which I scrambled up to to walk to the beach, abandoning my bike at the bottom.
IMG_20210711_134830 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
IMG_20210711_135048 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
I got to St Davids, dripping like a soaked rat, at mid afternoon. I stopped at a cafe, got a table outside, realized too late that I could and should have sat inside to stay warm, had some tea and bara brith, checked the weather forecast (heavy rain for the rest of the day and evening/night), and considered my options.
IMG_20210711_153143 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
The youth hostel at Broad Haven was full. The thought of riding on for another four or five hours in the rain and then climbing into just a bivvy bag did not appeal. So I thought sod it and booked a room at the pub in Newgale.
IMG_20210711_170924 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
They let me take my bike into the room, and that pint went straight to my head. My face covering made me laugh, it was soaked right through and the smell
! Not sure who would have been protected from what by that, but hey I followed the rules. After some food I had a little walk on the beach then retired to my room. What a waste! It's not even as though there was anything interesting to watch on the telly (this was Sunday night)!
Next morning I went on in just light drizzle, via Nolton Haven which I really liked, to Broadhaven, where I was quite pleased with my haul for breakfast.
IMG_20210712_073304 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
IMG_20210712_081243 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
IMG_20210712_081754 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
Pembroke Castle is always lovely, and this time I didn't get as frustrated as last time trying to find my way through. Here is also the closest I got to any PanCeltic action, when a lady asked me outside tescos if I was one of the riders. We had a great chat, her and her son had been avidly dotwatching, and she's just got herself a gravel bike, is doing Lon Las later this year, and was definitely tempted to give PCR a go one year
IMG_20210712_112448 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
I headed out west to Freshwater West, where in my dreams I would have spent the night in my bivvy. Having spent the morning playing cat and mouse with the rain (rain starts - coat on- rain stops - coat off - rain starts - repeat) I managed to cheat it by quickly taking coat off then putting it straight back on, so my sandwiches almost stayed dry if a little moistened.
IMG_20210712_121947 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
Dropping down to Stackpole Quay and Barafundle bay was definitely worth it, and it's a lovely NT tea room which reminded me of Watersmeet in Devon many many years ago - and I made it back up the hill afterwards without pushing!
IMG_20210712_134110 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
IMG_20210712_135557 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
Nearly there folks, promise! Nice view over Caldey Island, then through Tenby, where an old lady threw herself down onto the pavement in front of me, and for a brief moment us first on the scene were horrified when a puddle of dark red liquid poured out around her, which turned out to be a broken bottle of red wine
IMG_20210712_152917 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
IMG_20210712_224521 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
Saundersfoot was packed, and the fish and chips I had hoped for only took cash, so I had to make do with a pasty
IMG_20210712_165230 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
IMG_20210712_174934 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
Nice bit of coast path, and then from Amroth I headed inland to Narberth, where I phoned a friend who picked me up and gave me a lift in style.
Bit of slate porn to finish for Reg and those others of you similarly afflicted ones. Something to do with the Landsker line, slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog, not sure about the connection....
IMG_20210712_204735 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
IMG_20210712_202651 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
1) Book some time off work either side of a weekend, carefully timed so that, riding anticlockwise round Pembrokeshire, there is a good chance of spotting some PanCeltic racers.
2) Arrange something during that time, so as to make sure that in your remaining window a) you will have missed the majority of PCR riders, and b) you catch the rainiest two days.
3) When packing, listen to some last minute advice from your spouse telling you that there's no need to bring a tent or tarp (the forecast is good (where?!?), and it's summer!).
4) Arrange to leave your car at your lovely lovely friends' place, let them question your sanity for ever choosing to sleep outside in a glorified binbag, and make you an offer too tempting, kind, and too rude not to accept, of coming to pick you up wherever your end up after two days of cycling.
5) Put your route onto your etrex, and be so confident it worked that you don't double check it's actually there before you leave the house.
6) Enjoy the wonderful opportunity to admire the scenery as you constantly stop to check your route on your phone.
7) Dress for summer – it is the middle of July after all
Result: 2 nice long days of cycling through beautiful Pembrokeshire (about 225km, 3618m climbing)
Nights spent away from home = 3
Nights spent outside = 0
More detailed report below (picture heavy) if you’re interested:
After a pleasant evening with my friends, being stuffed full of pizza and chocolate, I awoke to this at about 5.30. I don't know for long it had been sat there staring at me, but I had heard it licking its balls through much of the night.
IMG_20210711_055607 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrI left the village of Pentrecagal, which means something like village of the clump of animal fur caked in dung (not a joke, something about it being on a drovers road), and on to Cilgerran castle, then Cardigan and an early morning shag (please don't spoil it by telling me it's a cormorant...), before finding the seat at Poppit Sands.
IMG_20210711_083442 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrIMG_20210711_085744 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrIMG_20210711_085759 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrIMG_20210711_092046 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrIt drizzled then rained then drizzled then rained again, and every time I took out my phone to check my route I wondered how much wetness it would be able to survive...
I got to Newport at what would have been a nice time for breakfast, but I was so wet and it was still so early that I worried that if I stopped, I might never start again. The valley around and behind Carn Ingli was just lovely, and when I got to Fishguard it brightened up just long enough for a little spot of early lunch and a photo.
IMG_20210711_122821 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrFinally a little detour to Abermawr presented itself, to justify taking the gravel bike. Amusingly, the bridleway got gradually wetter and wetter until it looked like this. There was a perfectly groomed path just above me to the left, of course
, which I scrambled up to to walk to the beach, abandoning my bike at the bottom.IMG_20210711_134830 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrIMG_20210711_135048 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrI got to St Davids, dripping like a soaked rat, at mid afternoon. I stopped at a cafe, got a table outside, realized too late that I could and should have sat inside to stay warm, had some tea and bara brith, checked the weather forecast (heavy rain for the rest of the day and evening/night), and considered my options.
IMG_20210711_153143 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrThe youth hostel at Broad Haven was full. The thought of riding on for another four or five hours in the rain and then climbing into just a bivvy bag did not appeal. So I thought sod it and booked a room at the pub in Newgale.
IMG_20210711_170924 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrThey let me take my bike into the room, and that pint went straight to my head. My face covering made me laugh, it was soaked right through and the smell
! Not sure who would have been protected from what by that, but hey I followed the rules. After some food I had a little walk on the beach then retired to my room. What a waste! It's not even as though there was anything interesting to watch on the telly (this was Sunday night)!Next morning I went on in just light drizzle, via Nolton Haven which I really liked, to Broadhaven, where I was quite pleased with my haul for breakfast.
IMG_20210712_073304 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrIMG_20210712_081243 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrIMG_20210712_081754 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrPembroke Castle is always lovely, and this time I didn't get as frustrated as last time trying to find my way through. Here is also the closest I got to any PanCeltic action, when a lady asked me outside tescos if I was one of the riders. We had a great chat, her and her son had been avidly dotwatching, and she's just got herself a gravel bike, is doing Lon Las later this year, and was definitely tempted to give PCR a go one year
IMG_20210712_112448 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrI headed out west to Freshwater West, where in my dreams I would have spent the night in my bivvy. Having spent the morning playing cat and mouse with the rain (rain starts - coat on- rain stops - coat off - rain starts - repeat) I managed to cheat it by quickly taking coat off then putting it straight back on, so my sandwiches almost stayed dry if a little moistened.
IMG_20210712_121947 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrDropping down to Stackpole Quay and Barafundle bay was definitely worth it, and it's a lovely NT tea room which reminded me of Watersmeet in Devon many many years ago - and I made it back up the hill afterwards without pushing!
IMG_20210712_134110 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrIMG_20210712_135557 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrNearly there folks, promise! Nice view over Caldey Island, then through Tenby, where an old lady threw herself down onto the pavement in front of me, and for a brief moment us first on the scene were horrified when a puddle of dark red liquid poured out around her, which turned out to be a broken bottle of red wine
IMG_20210712_152917 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrIMG_20210712_224521 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrSaundersfoot was packed, and the fish and chips I had hoped for only took cash, so I had to make do with a pasty
IMG_20210712_165230 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrIMG_20210712_174934 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrNice bit of coast path, and then from Amroth I headed inland to Narberth, where I phoned a friend who picked me up and gave me a lift in style.
Bit of slate porn to finish for Reg and those others of you similarly afflicted ones. Something to do with the Landsker line, slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog, not sure about the connection....
IMG_20210712_204735 by Verena Zimmer, on FlickrIMG_20210712_202651 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
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