10th May day 430

Nursing a heavy head i gathered my gear together and set off through new quay to pick up the coastal path again. Although many parts of the welsh coastline reminded me of Scotland the sheer cliff faces seemed to stretch on for miles with very little or no access to the shores.

Initially i somehow lost the path, maybe one of the signposts were missing or I'd simply not seen it, either way i knew i was heading the wrong way and not along the clifftop as I'd hoped. It didn't take me long to rectify the mistake and soon found myself back hiking the coastal path.

It was overcast and at times very windy but occasionally the sun broke through and i could hardly say it was cold. In fact it was a very reasonable and pleasant temperature. So far I'd been fairly impressed with the coastal path even though it wasn't particularly challenging.

I was hoping to make my way to cardigan by the evening but having not had any breakfast or lunch as the day progressed it became apparent that I'd have to break the journey down into two days averaging about 12 miles each day.

Taking a break on one of the new cliff face walks i met a lovely chap called chris who was no stranger to long hikes and bike rides and for a few miles i had the pleasure of his company with local stories of giants and pirates. It was rare that i ever had anyone hike with me. Eventually though my hunger began to set  in and without having a good nights sleep i rapidly became exhausted so chris carried on while i took a short break, again enjoying the views.

Continuing on along the cliffs, hiking up which incidentally takes longer than coming down i followed the coastal path to Llangranog stopping at the cafe by the beach for a nice coffee which was also where i caught up with Chris who had now reached his days destination. I was to continue up and down for another couple of miles before deciding that an ominous looking cloud heading my way was something I really wanted to be sheltered from.

Finding a reasonably sheltered woodland in a valley i made camp and using water I'd collected from a stream I'd passed made my evening meal. A sweet tasting chicken and noodles in a black bean sauce. It was well received i can tell you! As i settled in the rain i had expected arrived but thankfully only for a short while.