From Cwm-yr-Eglws to Goodwick
When my Pembrokeshire.Online colleague Kitty Parsons kindly dropped me off at Cwm-yr-Eglws, I told her that I would walk back along the coast and see her in Goodwick in about three hours.
Four-and-a-half hours later I was still walking…
At least it had finally sunk in with me that making a rough estimate of distance on a flat 0S map leaves one hostage not only to the ups and downs but also to the ins and outs of a path that follows the twists and turns of the North Pembrokeshire coast.
From picturesque Cwm-yr-Eglws the Coast Path winds north along the eastern edge of Dinas Island – not a true Island of course, but it boasts an almost complete circle of shoreline as its juts out from the mainland.
I climbed high above the sea which was glowing a Mediterranean shade of blue in the bright spring sunshine; I looked back to the bay of Cwm-yr-Eglws and then stared down at the jagged contours of Needle Rock.
Eventually the path followed the clifftops westward to Dinas Head, where one feels not just as if one is sitting atop a real island but that at any moment that island might float off across the ocean.
From Dinas Head I could see far off the tiny-looking ferry in Goodwick harbour getting ready to sail to Ireland.
I followed the path around the west side of the “Island” and down to Pwllgwaelod beach for a very brief stop before setting off along the coast again.
From here all the way to Fishguard’s Lower Town the path passes bay after bay, beach after beach, all looking gloriously seductive. Most alluring of all was the deeply set-back Aber Bach, a perfect spot for a meditative rest.
Apart from losing the path for a while when it wound through the holiday homes of Fishguard Bay Resort, the way was straightforward and just a matter of continuing to put one foot in front of the other.
Although by the time I made it back to Goodwick, that was beginning to be easier said than done… I can’t be certain how many miles I had covered, but seldom has a sit down and a cup of tea been so welcome.
