We enjoyed the slower pace and fewer miles, so we again worked with Laura to customize our hike. Simon walked the full plan: transport to Pwll Deri, walk to Abercastle and beyond, then transfer by taxi to our B&B for the night. We decided to be let off very near Simon’s drop-off point, then walk directly to our B&B for the night and no further.
Abercastle had no services but Anne, our host, drove us to dinner and picked us up after dinner. She kindly offered to drop us long enough to view the burial chamber on our way to the restaurant..
7.61 miles, partly cloudy, 56 degrees, humidity 76%, elevation gain 1108 feet.
Richard’s ReLive for the day is here: https://www.relive.com/view/vXOnzBN9D5O
This was our starting point of the day..
Very early in the hike we began to see a great mass of dolerites and other hard volcanic rocks. Our pace slowed to a crawl.
Simon was ahead of us and called back with a report of a very steep drop off — very Jan unfriendly. He suggested we investigate going around instead of over the rocks.
I didn’t have to consider for long, and headed into the brambles and stinging nettles following any animal trails I could. It was slow going, but we did finally rejoin the trail.
We are alert to try to spot Iron Age promontory forts on this section of the trail. There is really nothing to spot other than a few boulders and possibly a ditch.
Another wild horse today. Where do they come from?
We had lunch on a rock. Remarkably, I placed an Amazon order to ship home while we were having our lunch.
We had a couple of times we descended onto rocky beaches today. Walking is slowed.
The weather is cloudier but still no rain.
We are finally nearing Abercastle, our evening stop. There are very few services, but it is a spot for kayakers to park and return, so there were bathrooms.
It was quite a hill to hike to our B&B but we arrived almost at the same time as Simon who had hiked further and been transported by taxi to the B&B. It is an old building that has been renovated to have guests. There was an old barn next to the house.
Anne and her dog, Amber, were our hosts.
On the way to dinner, Anne stopped briefly at Careg Sampson, another burial chamber. It was built around 5000 years ago and has an enormous capstone 5m long and almost 3m wide. The entire burial chamber was covered by a mound of earth or stones and once these were removed, stones were used to block the holes in the side of the tomb so it could shelter sheep. Legend has it that St. Samson placed the capstone in position using only his little finger.
The enormous capstone rests on only three stones below it.
The cows were quite interested in what we were doing in their field. The farmer has strung ropes just outside the area of the burial chamber to keep the cows away.
Dinner was at the Farmer’s Arms in nearby Mathry. Our waitress, Gemma, was funny and a spitfire, so she photo-bombed our selfie at the table. We invited her to sit in for the picture.
Here is a list of 200 years of managers of the Farmer’s Arms in Mathry!
Dinner: fish and chips, chicken, and fish.
Anne picked us up to return to the B&B for one more day of our hike on the Pembrokeshire Coast Trail.
6 Responses
Stunning views!
We have really enjoyed the hike, even if many of the scenes looked similar. There’s always something a little different or someone to meet. Thanks for following us.
We wanted to say thankfully it looked like a bit easier day, but 8 miles and over 1000 ft of elevation isn’t an easy task. Do you ever pet the cows? On one of our stops in Scotland some cows wandered over and enjoyed having their heads scratched. Glad the weather has been so much better. You deserve some breaks.
Dan and Wendy
We didn’t get close enough to pet any animals (except Amber at our next-to-the-last night). However, I talk to them as we pass by and sometimes they answer with their eyes as well as their voices. Sheep were the most unusual—they have very different voices and it is obvious even from a short Baaaa. Who knew?
Thank you for sharing your adventures on a series of strenuous (arduous) hikes that seem like truly peak experiences—both literally and figuratively! I hope you’re both enjoying well-deserved rest and healing today.
Jan, how incredible to place an order to Amazon during a lunch break on a rock! What did you order? Comfortable hiking boots? Thick socks? A knee brace? Thick wind-breaker jacket? I’m mentally sending all these gifts to you.
Take care!
Markene 🙂
We’re on a different “path” now as you’ll see if I ever catch up!!
I’m glad you caught my surprise at having service for an Amazon order in the middle of nowhere! It was nothing exciting for us, but my aged kitty decided she no longer wanted to walk back to her litter box, so we ordered some extra to encourage her to be good again. We have wonderful Cat sitters but it has been an unusual time with challenges so we are getting creative for her. Thank goodness for the patience of my wonderful neighbors!