Being rudely awaken at 5am by the dawn chorus of birds i buried my head under my sleeping bag in a futile attempt to get at least another hours rest. After accepting that no matter how determined i was to get some more shut eye in the birds would continue to natter calling out to one and other i decided to get breakfast made and take it slow to pack away before i set off to Fishguard.
Quickly picking up the coastal path i headed towards the mouth of the estuary passing the old cottages and harbour. It was a calm day which would eventually become one of the nicest days of the year so far. Continuing to follow the path i was led up onto the cliffs and as time passed slowly found myself removing layers and stuffing them into my pack, i even decided to zip off my trouser bottoms to expose my legs which until now hadn't really seen the light of day.
Carrying on to Dinas point with a gradual climb up i had great views behind and ahead. The stunning scenery slowed my progresss and I found myself dawdling along enjoying the hike thinking to myself how much it reminded me of the north coast of Scotland. Reaching the summit i took my pack off and chilled with panoramic views reveling in the peace and quite taking it all in.
After a good 45 minute break i decided to continue on to Fishguard which i could clearly see and that didn't look too far away. As i was coming l down i met a gentleman hiking up, he was from Shieldaig one of my favourite coastal villages on the west coast as we chatted it transpired that he too enjoyed long distance hiking having left his camper at a near by campsite to set off to see how far he could get over the next few days before having to return to collect his van. Getting quite excited he told me about a walk he'd undertaken in America called the Pacific coastal trail on the west coast and suggested that for my next hike i should seriously look into it myself.
Hiking down from dinas point was very easy going and finding a small cafe at the bottom was just what i needed so i decided to stop again for a chip baguette and lemonade. I was in no real rush.
Leaving the cafe I headed off to pick up the path again and continued to follow the cliffs, this next section was more wild than the mornings hike and I'd say even more beautiful. It took a few hours to get to Fishguard but not because I was stopping to look at the views but because there were considerably more slopes and the coastline was becoming increasingly more rugged. I felt quite at home and the hot summery weather made the journey that much more enjoyable.
Around 7:15pm i arrived at the Fishguard port just in time to see the inshore and all weather lifeboats launch for there weekly excercise. If I'd arrived earlier i would have been able to go out with them which would have been quite an experience but alas my leisurely pace meant this was not meant to be.
After the excercise the crew invited me for a couple of beers at a nearby pub where i was able to mingle and chat and get to know the crew better. I was dropped off back at the station after closing time and settled in having a feeeze dried curry before bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment