1.
Wales
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Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and it had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2. Wales has over 1,680 miles of coastline and is mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon. The country lies within the temperate zone and has a changeable. Welsh national identity emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, Llywelyn ap Gruffudds death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of Englands conquest of Wales, though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century. The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism, Welsh national feeling grew over the century, Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, two-thirds of the population live in south Wales, mainly in and around Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, and in the nearby valleys. Now that the countrys traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in decline, Wales economy depends on the sector, light and service industries. Wales 2010 gross value added was £45.5 billion, over 560,000 Welsh language speakers live in Wales, and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west. From the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the land of song, Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness. The Old English-speaking Anglo-Saxons came to use the term Wælisc when referring to the Celtic Britons in particular, the modern names for some Continental European lands and peoples have a similar etymology. The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry, and Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales and these words are descended from the Brythonic word combrogi, meaning fellow-countrymen. The use of the word Cymry as a self-designation derives from the location in the post-Roman Era of the Welsh people in modern Wales as well as in northern England and southern Scotland. It emphasised that the Welsh in modern Wales and in the Hen Ogledd were one people, in particular, the term was not applied to the Cornish or the Breton peoples, who are of similar heritage, culture, and language to the Welsh. The word came into use as a self-description probably before the 7th century and it is attested in a praise poem to Cadwallon ap Cadfan c. 633. Thereafter Cymry prevailed as a reference to the Welsh, until c.1560 the word was spelt Kymry or Cymry, regardless of whether it referred to the people or their homeland. The Latinised forms of names, Cambrian, Cambric and Cambria, survive as lesser-used alternative names for Wales, Welsh
2.
Poppit Sands
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Poppit is a small, dispersed settlement which lies on the southern side of the estuary of the River Teifi, near Cardigan, in northern Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is primarily known for its sandy beach, called Poppit Sands, sometimes Poppit Sands Beach. The beach offers views across the estuary and bay towards Gwbert and Cardigan Island, backed by low dunes, the top of the beach comprises about 80m of dry, very loose sand, making it very popular with families. The beach slopes gently, and therefore the sea is shallow for quite a way out. Even at high tide there is plenty of sand exposed. On the eastern side of the dunes, erosion has formed sand cliffs over 4 metres high, New dunes are now building up close to the access boardwalk. When the tide is out, the flats at the far south-eastern end extend for nearly a mile. However, due to the estuary there are unpredictable currents at this end of the beach, at the north-western end of the beach there are rock pools which support a myriad of sea-life. The area is a spot for surfers and boogie-boarders. As such, daily surf reports are issued, the hard sand below the high tide line also attracts power-kiting, land-boarding and buggying. Although some restrictions apply in the months, there is nevertheless a large area set aside for dog-walkers. The beach and the flats are popular with dog-walkers all year round. For fishermen the beach offers good catches of flounder, cod and whiting in winter, salmon and sea trout run the river from March to October. Local photographer Michael Jackson spent an amount of time between 2007 and 2012 photographing Poppit Sands beach, from above and at dusk. His work won awards, including three Hasselblad Masters finalist places. The work has exhibited in the UK, Hong Kong, Copenhagen and New York. The beach had Blue Flag status in 2012, and is also a Seaside Award winner, lifeguards patrol the beach from late June to early September, from 10.00 -6.00 each day, and bathing is safe within the patrolled area, marked by flags. Water users are advised not to swim in the estuary to the due to fast currents
3.
St Dogmaels
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St Dogmaels is a village, parish and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the estuary of the River Teifi, a mile downstream from the town of Cardigan in neighbouring Ceredigion. A little to the west of the village, further along the estuary, the village contains the remains of a 12th-century Tironian abbey, which was in its day one of the richer monastic institutions in Wales. Adjacent to the ruins lies the Anglican St. St. Dogmaels was once a marcher borough. George Owen of Henllys, in 1603, described it as one of five Pembrokeshire boroughs overseen by a portreeve, in 2006 the village won the Wales Calor Village of the Year competition after beating Trefriw in the final. An electoral ward in the name exists. This ward stretches to the community of Nevern with a population taken at the 2011 census of 2,218. Plays by Shakespeare are performed annually in the abbey in the summer months, some of the actors are from the local area, others come from all over Great Britain and return regularly. St Dogmaels is twinned with the village of Trédarzec in Côtes-dArmor, Calor Village of the Year Historical information and sources on GENUKI Village website Abbey Shakespeare Players www. geograph. co. uk, photos of St. Dogmaels and surrounding area Welsh Abbey
4.
Ceredigion
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Ceredigion is a county in Mid Wales. In the Middle Ages, it was a minor kingdom also known for a time as Seisyllwg, following its Norman conquest, the name was anglicised to Cardigan and then Cardiganshire and it began to be administered as a county in 1282. The county had a population of 75,900 at the 2011 UK census and its largest town, Aberystwyth, is one of the two administrative centres, the other being Aberaeron. Aberystwyth houses Aberystwyth University, Bronglais Hospital and the National Library of Wales, the inland town of Lampeter houses part of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Ceredigion is considered to be a centre of Welsh culture and more than half the population speaks Welsh, the county is mainly rural with over 50 miles of coastline and a mountainous hinterland. The numerous sandy beaches, together with the long-distance Ceredigion Coast Path provide excellent views of Cardigan Bay, the economy became highly dependent on dairy farming and the rearing of livestock for the English market. Ceredigion has been inhabited since prehistoric times,170 hill forts and enclosures have been identified across the county, around the time of the Roman invasion of Britain, the area was between the realms of the Demetae and Ordovices. The Sarn Helen road ran through the territory, with forts at Bremia, following the Roman withdrawal, Irish raids and invasions were repulsed, supposedly by the forces under a northerner named Cunedda. The 9th-century History of the Britons attributed to Nennius records that Cuneddas son Ceredig settled the area around the Teifi in the 5th century. The territory supposedly remained a kingdom under his dynasty until its extinction upon the drowning of Gwgon ap Meurig c. 871, after which it was administered by Rhodri Mawr of Gwynedd before passing to his son Cadell. Many pilgrims passed through Cardiganshire on their way to St Davids, some came by sea and made use of the churches at Mwnt and Penbryn, while others came by land seeking hospitality at such places as Strata Florida Abbey. Both the abbey and Llanbadarn Fawr were important monastic sites of scholarship, place names including ysbyty denote their association with pilgrims. In 1282, Edward I of England conquered the principality of Wales, one of thirteen traditional counties in Wales, Cardiganshire was also a vice-county. Cardiganshire was split into the five hundreds of Genaur-Glyn, Ilar, Moyddyn, Penarth, every community built its own chapel or meeting house, and Cardiganshire became one of the centres of Methodism in Wales with the Aeron Valley being at the centre of the revival. Cardigan was one of the ports of southern Wales, but its harbour silted in the mid-19th century. In the uplands, wheeled vehicles were rare in the 18th century, on the coast, trade in herrings and corn took place across the Irish Sea. In the 19th century, many of the rural poor emigrated to the New World from Cardigan, Aberystwyth became the main centre for the export of lead and Aberaeron and Newquay did brisk coastal trade. The building of the railway from Shrewsbury in the 1860s encouraged visitors and this area of the county of Dyfed became a district of Wales under the name Ceredigion in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and since 1996, has formed the county of Ceredigion
5.
Amroth, Pembrokeshire
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Amroth is a community and holiday resort village,7 miles east of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, in West Wales, noted for its long sandy beach. The name is Welsh, and probably means On Rhath, the parish was an important anthracite coal mining area until the end of the 19th century. Slight remains of mines and tramways are still visible, ruins of Amroth Castle still remain, and one mile inland is the Anglican parish church of St Elidyr, which is a grade II* listed building. Amroth Castle stands on the side of the unclassified coast road east of the village of Amroth. It is surrounded by a wall with an entrance archway at the south-western corner. The present building is a 19th-century country house built in the style of a castle which possibly replaced a small stone castle dating from the 12th century. The ruinous remains of the house are a grade I listed building, after passing through several hands the castle was used as a lunatic asylum in the 1850s. It passed to his daughter Nesta, who had married George Coventry and they moved out in 1930 when George inherited the Coventry title and estates. Amroth lies in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and is the start of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Amroth Castle Pictures of Amroth Area on Geograph Amroth, historical and genealogical information at GENUKI
6.
Pembrokeshire
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Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east, Pembrokeshire County Councils headquarters are in the county town of Haverfordwest. Over the years Pembrokeshires beaches have received many International Blue Flag Awards, Green Coast Awards. In 2011 it had 39 beaches recommended by the Marine Conservation Society, industry is nowadays focused on agriculture and tourism, but historically mining and fishing were important activities. The county has a geography and a complex history. Pembrokeshires population was 122,400 at the 2011 census, an increase of 7. 2% from the 2001 figure of 114,131, Pembrokeshire is bordered by the sea on three sides, and by the counties of Ceredigion to the north east and Carmarthenshire to the east. Other towns include Pembroke, Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven, Fishguard, Tenby, Saundersfoot, Narberth, Neyland, St Davids, in the west of the county, is the United Kingdoms smallest city with a population of 2,000. Saundersfoot is the biggest village in Pembrokeshire with a population of well over 2,500, see List of places in Pembrokeshire for a comprehensive list of settlements in Pembrokeshire. The countys coastline includes internationally important seabird breeding sites and numerous bays, Pembrokeshire contains a predominantly coastal park, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, which includes a 186-mile walking trail, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. A large estuary and natural harbour at Milford Haven cuts deeply into the coast, this inlet is formed by the confluence of the Western Cleddau, the Eastern Cleddau, and rivers Cresswell and Carew. The estuary is bridged by the large Cleddau Bridge which carries the A477 between Neyland and Pembroke Dock, upstream bridges span the Cleddau at Haverfordwest and Canaston Bridge, large bays are Newport Bay, Fishguard Bay, St Brides Bay and a portion of Carmarthen Bay. There are several islands off the Pembrokeshire coast, the largest of which are Ramsey Island, Grassholm Island, Skomer Island. Pembrokeshires diverse range of features was a key factor in the establishment of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Younger rocks have been lost by subsequent geological processes, the land on which Pembrokeshire is today was established approximately 60 million years ago by a combination of uplift and falling sea levels. The sea cliffs and inland tors that are now a feature of the county were those that were resistant to weathering that has taken place since. The landscape was subject to change as a result of the ice ages over the last several thousand years. About 20,000 years ago the Irish Sea ice sheet deposited areas of clays, while Pembrokeshire is not a seismically active area, two periods of activity were noted in the 19th century. In 1873 there was a shock in the west of the county
7.
Hiking
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Hiking is the preferred term, in Canada and the United States, for a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails, in the countryside, while the word walking is used for shorter, particularly urban walks. On the other hand, in the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, the word hiking is also often used in the UK, along with rambling, hillwalking, and fell walking. The term bushwalking is endemic to Australia, having been adopted by the Sydney Bush Walkers club in 1927, in New Zealand a long, vigorous walk or hike is called tramping. It is an activity with numerous hiking organizations worldwide. In the United States, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, a day hike refers to a hike that can be completed in a single day. However, in the United Kingdom, the walking is also used, as well as rambling. In Northern England, Including the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, fellwalking describes hill or mountain walks, hiking sometimes involves bushwhacking and is sometimes referred to as such. This specifically refers to walking through dense forest, undergrowth, or bushes. In extreme cases of bushwhacking, where the vegetation is so dense that human passage is impeded, the Australian term bushwalking refers to both on and off-trail hiking. Common terms for hiking used by New Zealanders are tramping, walking or bushwalking, trekking is the preferred word used to describe multi-day hiking in the mountainous regions of India, Pakistan, Nepal, North America, South America, Iran and in the highlands of East Africa. Hiking a long-distance trail from end-to-end is also referred to as trekking, in North America, multi-day hikes, usually with camping, are referred to as backpacking. The idea of taking a walk in the countryside for pleasure developed in the 18th-century, in earlier times walking generally indicated poverty and was also associated with vagrancy. Thomas West, an English priest, popularized the idea of walking for pleasure in his guide to the Lake District of 1778. To this end he included various stations or viewpoints around the lakes, published in 1778 the book was a major success. Another famous early exponent of walking for pleasure, was the English poet William Wordsworth, in 1790 he embarked on an extended tour of France, Switzerland, and Germany, a journey subsequently recorded in his long autobiographical poem The Prelude. His famous poem Tintern Abbey was inspired by a visit to the Wye Valley made during a tour of Wales in 1798 with his sister Dorothy Wordsworth. Wordsworths friend Coleridge was another keen walker and in the autumn of 1799, he and Wordsworth undertook a three weeks tour of the Lake District. John Keats, who belonged to the generation of Romantic poets began, in June 1818, a walking tour of Scotland, Ireland
8.
Welsh language
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Welsh is a member of the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages. It is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, historically it has also been known in English as the British tongue, Cambrian, Cambric and Cymric. The United Kingdom Census 2011 counted 3.1 million residents of Wales, 27% of whom had been born outside Wales, and 73% of whom reported having no Welsh language skills. Of residents of Wales aged three and over, 19% reported being able to speak Welsh, and 77% of these were able to speak, read and this can be compared with the 2001 Census, in which 20. 8% of the population reported being able to speak Welsh. 787,854 of residents in Wales aged three and over had one or more skills in Welsh, in surveys carried out between 2004 and 2006, 57% of Welsh speakers described themselves as fluent in the written language. An estimated 110,000 to 150,000 people speak Welsh in England, Welsh emerged in the 6th century from Common Brittonic, the common ancestor of Welsh, Breton, Cornish and the extinct language known as Cumbric. The Middle Welsh period is considered to have lasted from then until the 14th century, when the Modern Welsh period began, the name Welsh originated as an exonym given to its speakers by the Anglo-Saxons, meaning foreign speech. The native term for the language is Cymraeg, and for the name of the country of Wales it is Cymru, Welsh evolved from Common Brittonic, the Celtic language spoken by the ancient Celtic Britons. Classified as Insular Celtic, the British language probably arrived in Britain during the Bronze Age or Iron Age and was spoken throughout the island south of the Firth of Forth. During the Early Middle Ages the British language began to fragment due to increased dialect differentiation, evolving into Welsh and it is not clear when Welsh became distinct. Kenneth H. Jackson suggested that the evolution in syllabic structure and sound pattern was complete by around 550, Jackson, however, believed that the two varieties were already distinct by that time. The earliest Welsh poetry – that attributed to the Cynfeirdd or Early Poets – is generally considered to date to the Primitive Welsh period. However, much of this poetry was composed in the Hen Ogledd, raising further questions about the dating of the material. An 8th century inscription in Tywyn shows the language already dropping inflections in the declension of nouns, the next main period, somewhat better attested, is Old Welsh, poetry from both Wales and Scotland has been preserved in this form of the language. Both the works of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin were in this era, Middle Welsh is the label attached to the Welsh of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This is the language of all surviving early manuscripts of the Mabinogion. It is also the language of the existing Welsh law manuscripts, Middle Welsh is reasonably intelligible, albeit with some work, to a modern-day Welsh speaker. The famous cleric Gerald of Wales tells, in his Descriptio Cambriae, during one of the Kings many raids in the 12th century, Henry asked an old man of Pencader, Carmarthenshire whether the Welsh people could resist his army
9.
Cemaes Head
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Cemaes Head is a headland and nature reserve in north Pembrokeshire. It lies in the community of St Dogmaels, within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, to the west and north it overlooks Cardigan Bay, and to the east Cardigan Island and the estuary of the River Teifi. This makes the bays below the cliff tops largely inaccessible, the bedrock is composed of Silurian and Ordovician sedimentary rocks, more specifically of Llanvirn-Caradoc black mudstone, i. e. some 470 million years old. This rock stretches southwest as far as Newport, but Cemaes Head lies north of the Ceibwr Bay Fault and these rocks are severely twisted and buckled, with even acute folds, a feature easily seen from the clifftops, though appreciated better from the sea. The soft composition of sedimentary rocks also means that erosion by the sea through hydraulic action, abrasion and attrition is commonplace. The highest part of the headland, at Pengarn, grid reference SN1321448500, is marked by a trig point. On the western side of the headland, at the foot of the cliffs, is a beach area called Traeth Godir Coch which is exposed at low water. The western side of the headland is exposed to the force of the south-westerly Atlantic weather. Most of Cemaes Head comprises pastureland, but the headland contains a nature reserve – Cemaes Head Nature Reserve – measuring 20 ha in size and it is also rated as a Marine Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. At the time it was the 50th nature reserve to be acquired by the Trust, the headland is home to a large variety of wildlife. Birds such as choughs, ravens, kestrels and buzzards are seen. The grassy western slopes of the headland are grazed by ponies, Welsh Mountain ponies were reintroduced here to trample down the bracken in order to encourage the breeding of choughs. This is also the habitat of voles, on the higher parts are varieties of maritime heather, such as ling heather and bell heather, and gorse also grows. Bracken and wild flowers grow on the more protected eastern slopes. Recent efforts have also made to tackle the invasion of Himalayan Balsam. Cemaes Head lies on the 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path, close to its northern end and this is itself part of the much longer 870-mile Wales Coast Path. The remote section of path over Cemaes Head from Poppit Sands to Ceibwr Bay is some 5½ miles long, all stiles and gates on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path are numbered from north to south, the stile on Cemaes Head carries the number 1. It is possible to drive up part of Cemaes Head on the lane from Poppit Sands, a round of the headland can also be made from the hamlet of Cippin, a mile up the lane from Poppit Sands, where there is also a car park
10.
Milford Haven
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Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the side of the Milford Haven Waterway. The town was founded in 1790 on the side of the Waterway. It then became a dock, with the focus moving in the 1960s, after the construction of an oil refinery built by the Esso Company, to logistics for fuel oil. Milford is the second largest settlement in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 12,830, as a Welsh local government community, Milford takes in the town of Milford itself and its suburbs, including Hakin, Hubberston, Liddeston, and Steynton. The total population of the 6 electoral wards in question was 13,907 at the 2011 census, the natural harbour of the Haven was known as a safe port and was exploited for several historical military operations throughout the second millennium. In 1485, Henry VII landed at the Milford Haven Waterway before marching on to England and it was known as a safe port and is mentioned in Shakespeares Cymbeline as blessed Milford. Sir William Hamilton, the founder, had acquired the land from his wife. Seven royal vessels were launched from the dockyard, including HMS Surprise. The town was built on a pattern, thought to have been to the design of Jean-Louis Barrallier. By 1849, the district of Hakin was described as a centre of boat building, and by 1906, Milford had become the sixth largest fishing port in the UK. The Pembrokeshire Herald claimed in 1912 that the trade is Milfords sole industry. the population of the town has doubled by means of it. In 1863, the network came to Milford, linking it to the Haverfordwest line. In 1866, work was completed on an extension which provided access to the docks. Between 1875 and 1886 The Great Eastern was a permanent fixture at Milford Docks and her arrival into the docks was heralded as an example of the scale of vessel which the town could expect to attract. In the late 1850s, work began on a network of forts on both sides of the Milford Haven estuary, as a result of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom. They were designed with the intention of defending the United Kingdom against French invasion, notable examples in the town were Fort Hubberstone in Gelliswick and Scoveston Fort to the north east of the town. By 1901, the population had reached 5,102
11.
Ceredigion Coast Path
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The Ceredigion Coast Path is a waymarked long distance footpath in the United Kingdom, on the coast of Ceredigion, Wales. It is 65 miles in length, running along the coast of Cardigan Bay from Cardigan to Ynyslas, the path forms one section of the Wales Coast Path, an 870-mile long-distance walking route around the whole coast of Wales from Chepstow to Queensferry, opened in 2012. The Ceredigion Coast Path project was funded under the EUs Objective 1 programme for West Wales, the path was opened throughout in July 2008. The coast path runs along the Welsh Heritage Coast from Cardigan northwards along Cardigan Bay to Ynyslas near, the official start, in Cardigan, is the bronze otter next to the bridge on the northern bank of the River Teifi. The end is at the Ynyslas war memorial, the path crosses a variety of landscapes, such as the dune system at Ynyslas, high cliffs, storm beaches, sandy bays and sea caves. There are four sections that are designated as Heritage Coast, and this section of coastline is renowned for bottlenose dolphins, grey seals and porpoises. At its southern end, via the old bridge over the River Teifi in Cardigan, although the Ceredigion Coast Path is a long-distance path, it can easily be split into smaller sections. Some of the sections are challenging, given the nature of the path. Recently, for instance, work completed between Aberporth and Tresaith has re-routed the path to avoid steps, also, the Aberporth Inclusive Access Cliff Top Trail is a 1-kilometre high-quality surfaced path built to wheelchair gradient standards. Many of the villages and towns were visited by the Cardi Bach bus service run between Cardigan and New Quay, particularly aimed at walkers. Introduced in 2004, it initially carried 1,000 passengers a year and this figure had risen to 4,600 by 2010. As a result of success, the service was extended to operate all year round from 2012 until September 2014. Funding ended in September 2014 and the service closed, the northern part of the Ceredigion Coast Path, at Borth and Aberystwyth, can be accessed by train on the Cambrian Line. The Official Guide to the Ceredigion Coast Path
12.
Wales Coast Path
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The Wales Coast Path is a long-distance footpath which follows, or runs close to, the majority of the coastline of Wales. It opened on 5 May 2012, and offers a 870-mile walking route from Chepstow in the south to Queensferry in the north, Wales is the first country in the world to provide a dedicated footpath close to most of its coastline. The Path runs through eleven National Nature Reserves and other nature reserves, lonely Planet rated the coast of Wales first in its Best in Travel, top 10 regions for 2012. The Wales Coast Path was launched on 5 May 2012, and was heralded as the worlds first coastal path to cover an entire country and it follows the entire Welsh coastline from Chepstow in the south east to near Queensferry in the north. Many parts already had established paths, such as the North Wales Path, the Anglesey Coastal Path, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path had been a designated National Trail, and in 2011 was voted by National Geographic magazine as the second-best coastal destination in the world. The whole path is accessible to walkers and, where practical, some sections are suitable for cyclists, families with pushchairs, people with restricted mobility, and horse riders. Overall responsibility for establishing the path lay with the Countryside Council for Wales, five waymarked long-distance coast paths were already established, in Pembrokeshire, Anglesey, Gwynedd, Ceredigion and the North Wales coast. These formed the basis for five of the eight sections that now make up the path. The remaining three areas are made up of single and combined counties and county boroughs with coastlines, the Wales Coast Path is not a National Trail, the England Coast Path, when completed in 2020, will be. The Wales Coast Path was developed by the Welsh Government in partnership with the former Countryside Council for Wales, sixteen local authorities and two National Parks. Since 2007 the Welsh Government has invested in improving access to the Welsh coast through its Coastal Access Improvement Programme.9 million over three years in support of the project. The idea was developed from a desire to build on the success of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail. Plans for the new all-Wales coastal path were first unveiled by First Minister Rhodri Morgan in June 2006 and it was anticipated that the Wales Coast Path project, which would improve access and link up existing paths, would take up to five years, it has been nearer six. Over time, the path is expected to lead to the creation of circular coastal routes, as links to inland towns. The official opening of the 870-mile path took place in a number of locations on 5 May 2012 highlighting the beauty and ease of access for walkers of all ages, fitness. To help celebrate the opening, Ramblers Cymru hosted the Big Welsh Coastal Walk and they already publish the Official Guide for Anglesey, Walking the Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path by Carl Rogers. The remaining titles were due for publication in late 2012 and 2013, there were existing guides to the Ceredigion Coast Path and the Pembrokeshire Coast Path by other publishers. Further to this, it is estimated more than 800,000 visitors to the path also stayed the night in one of the many guest-houses, B&Bs
13.
Chepstow
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Chepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, about 2 miles above its confluence with the River Severn and it is 16 miles east of Newport,18 miles north-west of Bristol and 110 miles west of London. Chepstow Castle, situated on a clifftop above the Wye and its bridge, is cited as the oldest surviving stone castle in Britain. The castle was established by William FitzOsbern immediately after the Norman conquest, a Benedictine priory was also established within the walled town, which was the centre of the Marcher lordship of Striguil. In the late eighteenth century the town was a focus of tourism as part of the Wye Tour. Chepstow is also known for its racecourse, which has hosted the Welsh National each year since 1949. The town had a population of 10,821 according to the 2001 census and it is served by the M48 motorway, and its accessibility to the cities of Bristol, Newport and Cardiff means it has a large number of commuters. It is administered as part of Monmouthshire County Council, and is within the Monmouth parliamentary constituency, Chepstow is on the western bank of the Wye, while adjoining villages on the eastern bank of the river, Tutshill and Sedbury, are located in England. The name Chepstow derives from the old English ceap / chepe stowe, the word stow usually denotes a place of special significance, and the root chep is the same as that in other placenames such as Chipping Sodbury and Cheapside. The name is first recorded in 1307, but may have used by the English in earlier centuries. However, the used by the Normans for the castle and lordship was Striguil, probably from a Welsh word ystraigyl. The Welsh name Cas-gwent refers to the castle of Gwent. There are also Iron Age fortified camps in the area, dating from the time of the Silures, at Bulwark,1 mile south of the town centre, and at Piercefield and Lancaut, some 1.5 miles to the north. During the Roman occupation, there was a bridge or causeway across the Wye, Chepstow is located at a crossing point directly between the Roman towns at Gloucester and Caerwent. Although historians think it likely that there was a small Roman fort in the area, after the Romans left, Chepstow was within the southern part of the Welsh kingdom of Gwent, known as Gwent Is-coed. To the north of the town centre, a small church was established dedicated to St. Cynfarch. This later became an Augustinian priory on what is now Kingsmark Lane, the town is close to the southern point of Offas Dyke, which begins on the east bank of the Wye at Sedbury and runs all the way to the Irish Sea in north Wales. It is possible, though not clearly substantiated, that Chepstow may have superseded Caerwent as a trading centre, after the Norman conquest of England, Chepstow was a key location
14.
Queensferry, Flintshire
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Queensferry is a town and electoral ward in Flintshire, Wales, lying on the River Dee near the border with England. Its name derives from the ferries that crossed the River Dee, the settlement of Higher Ferry is now known as Saltney, while Queensferry was named Lower Ferry. The towns name was changed to Kingsferry on the coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom in 1820, Queensferry lies along the B5441 and B5129 roads, and is bypassed by the A494 dual carriageway. Queensferry is considered part of Deeside, which lends its name to many of Queensferrys features, including the Deeside Leisure Centre, the town has a Memorial Institute rather than a cenotaph type of war memorial. It is a black and white building near the entrance to Asda from the coast road. The Jubilee Bridge, also known as the Blue Bridge, spans the River Dee and it is a double leaf rolling bascule bridge. The railway station served the town on the North Wales Coast Line between 1864 and 1966, Queensferry is served by a citizen led hyperlocal news website, a collaborative community resource set up in 2013
15.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
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Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales. It was established as a National Park in 1952, and is the one in the United Kingdom to have been designated primarily because of its spectacular coastline. It is one of three National Parks in Wales, the others being the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia, the National Park has a varied landscape of rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, wooded estuaries and wild inland hills, covering a total area of 629 km2. It falls into four distinct sections, however, not all of the park is coastal, and there are even forests and marshes on the edges of the park. A stack of note is Stack Rocks, two large detached pillars of limestone. In the west, the National Park is dominated by the sweep of St Brides Bay, bounded at its northern end by Ramsey Island, near St Davids peninsula. In 2011 National Geographic magazine voted Pembrokeshire the second best coastal destination in the world, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path is a designated National Trail. It was established in 1970, and is 186 miles long, mostly at cliff-top level, the southern end of the path is at Amroth. Here the path links with the Ceredigion Coast Path, which continues northwards, the Park is managed by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, which has around 130 staff and a committee of 18 members. The Authoritys purposes are to conserve the National Park, encourage the public to enjoy and understand it and its offices are in Pembroke Dock. The Authority also manages the entire length of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, over the years Pembrokeshires beaches, all of which lie in the National Park, have been awarded many International Blue Flag Awards,47 Green Coast Awards and 106 Seaside Awards. In 2011 it also had 39 beaches recommended by the Marine Conservation Society, beaches in the park include, Electric bicycles were introduced in 2005 by the National park authority for use by its employees. UK coastline Castlemartin Training Area Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority
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Ronald Lockley
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Ronald Mathias Lockley was a Welsh ornithologist and naturalist. He wrote over fifty books on history, including a major study of shearwaters. He is perhaps best known for his book The Private Life of the Rabbit and his son is the palaeontologist Martin Lockley. Lockley was born in Cardiff and grew up in the suburb of Whitchurch where his mother ran a boarding school, while still at school, he spent his weekends and summer holidays living rough in the woods and wetlands that now form the Glamorganshire Canal local nature reserve. After leaving school, he established a poultry farm with his sister near St Mellons. Attempts to make a living from catching and selling rabbits and breeding chinchilla rabbits were abandoned when he found he could make a living writing articles. He was encouraged to record the exact incubation and fledging period of the Manx shearwater by Harry Witherby and he provided the initial catalyst for the entire British Bird Observatory movement which, following the war-time interruption, reached its zenith in the fifties. He described his research in books, including Dream Island, Island Days. The work brought him to the notice of a circle of conservationists and naturalists, among them Peter Scott. Lockleys notable scientific monograph Shearwaters is a result of a years study. He founded the Pembrokeshire Bird Protection Society which later became the West Wales Field Society, with Julian Huxley he made one of the first professional nature films, The Private Life of the Gannets, which won an Oscar. Lockley continued farming on the mainland when Skokholm was used by the military during the Second World War and he played a leading role in setting up the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in 1952, and in mapping out the coastal footpath around the county. Living at Orielton, an estate near Pembroke, he undertook an intensive four-year scientific study of rabbit behaviour for the British Nature Conservancy during the 1950s. As chairman of the West Wales Field Society, he led an unsuccessful campaign against the building of a large oil refinery at Milford Haven. There he continued to write, mostly islands and birds, but also novels. Lockley was awarded an Honorary MSc by the University of Wales in 1977, in 1993 he was awarded the Union Medal of the British Ornithologists Union. He died in 2000, aged 96 and his ashes were scattered from the boat Dale Princess, in the waters just off Skokholm Island in 2000. Lockleys The Private Life of the Rabbit played an important role in the development of his friend Richard Adamss childrens book Watership Down
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Wynford Vaughan-Thomas
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Lewis John Wynford Vaughan-Thomas CBE was a Welsh newspaper journalist and radio and television broadcaster. In later life he took the name Vaughan-Thomas after his father, at Oxford he read Modern History and gained a second class Academic degree. In the mid 1930s he joined the BBC and in 1937 gave the Welsh language commentary on the coronation of King George VI and this was the precursor to several English language commentaries on state occasions he was to give after the Second World War. During the war he established his name and reputation as one of the BBCs most distinguished war correspondents of the Second World War and his most memorable report was from an RAF Lancaster bomber during a real bombing raid over Nazi Berlin. Other notable reports were from Anzio, the Burgundy vineyards, Lord Haw Haws broadcasting studio, the film starred Robert Mitchum and Peter Falk. In 1953 he was one of a team of BBC commentators on the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and he commentated on the funeral of his fellow wartime BBC correspondent Richard Dimbleby in 1965. He wrote numerous books, many on Wales and a subject of his. His wartime overview and experiences, and his broadcasting career later, enabled him to view life. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1974 and he died in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire on 4 February 1987 aged 78. 019865212 BBC Wales History BBC Cymru Thames Television Interview from 1972 Trust to Talk, an autobiography
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Cleddau Bridge
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The Cleddau Bridge is a toll bridge on the A477 road that spans the River Cleddau between Neyland and Pembroke Dock, Wales. It was originally called the Milford Haven Bridge, errors in the box girder design caused it to collapse during its construction in 1970. The bridge became operational during 1975, toll booths are located on the Pembroke Dock side of the bridge. As of December 2014 the toll is £0.75 for cars & vans and £1.50 for buses and lorries over 2 tonnes, cycles, the bridge is operated by Pembrokeshire County Council. Prior to the bridge, the river Cleddau divided Pembrokeshire, the towns of Pembroke Dock on the south side and Neyland on the north side were less than 1 mile apart across the water but a 28 miles journey was required to travel between them via road. Between 1858 and 1950 the Admiralty permitted operation of ferries between the two towns. From 1950 to 1975, the County Council operated a ferry service, a decision was taken in the 1960s to replace the ferry service, two bridges would be built. One crossing the Cleddau river and a bridge crossing the Westfield Pill creek. Four workers died and five were injured, construction was halted until October 1972. These rules lay the groundwork for a new British Standard covering box girder bridge design, as of 2007, the collapse during construction is regarded as the last major bridge disaster in the UK. Construction was eventually finished, at a final cost of £11.83 million, £7 million of the overspend was attributed to design changes made due to the Merrison Committees recommendations. 885,900 crossings were made during the bridges first year in operation, the bridge is funded by tolls which are collected on the Pembroke Dock side of the bridge from traffic travelling in both directions. The present toll rates have been in place since 1993 and are 35p for motorcycles, 75p for cars and £1.50 for heavy vehicles, pedestrians, car drivers may also buy books of 20 or 50 bridge tickets which reduces the cost to 60p per crossing. The toll booths only accept cash or the pre-purchased tickets, toll booths with barriers were introduced in September 2004 to reduce the number of vehicles driving through without paying. A review into the collection of tolls was carried out in early 2016 and it concluded that tolls charges would remain unchanged and neither would they be abolished. The county council may close the bridge depending on speed, wind direction. Vehicles taller than 1.9 m, bicycles and motorcycles are not permitted to cross the bridge when wind speeds exceed 50 mph. The bridge is closed to all vehicles and pedestrians should wind speeds exceed 70 mph, the council records the time the bridge is closed
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Dale, Pembrokeshire
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Dale is a small village and community in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, located on the Dale Peninsula which forms the northern side of the entrance to Milford Haven estuary. The village has 205 inhabitants according to the 2001 census, increasing to 225 at the 2011 Census and it was once a marcher borough, controlled by the Norman de Vale family from the 13th century Dale Castle. Owen, in 1603, described it as one of nine Pembrokeshire boroughs in decay, located in the hundred of Roose, it is part of Little England beyond Wales, and has been English-speaking since the 12th century. The name suggests prior occupation by Scandinavians, Henry Tudor landed at Mill Bay near Dale in 1485 before the Battle of Bosworth, after which he became King Henry VII of England. Villagers mark the anniversary, the most spectacular commemoration having been in 1985 for the 500th anniversary of the landing, on 15 February 1996, the oil tanker Sea Empress grounded at the Milford Haven entrance spilling 72,000 tonnes of crude oil. Dale Fort is a Victorian era fort located on a promontory that now houses a field studies centre, for study of local marine biology, biology, geology, geomorphology. Dale is a centre for sailing, and Windsurfing is taught in the Dale bay, along with sailing. Dale is also often the location of sailing galas, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path passes through the village and around the Dale peninsula. The Dale Coronation Hall is used for events in the community and is home to the D. A. D. S. The society performs a play, pantomime or sketch every year in March, the group is made up of villagers, friends and families from all around the peninsula who come together to sing, dance and perform. The 2011 census showed 5. 9% of the population could speak Welsh, Dale village website History of Dale Map sources for Dale, Pembrokeshire www. geograph. co. uk, photos of Dale and surrounding area
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Tenby
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Tenby is a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, on the western side of Carmarthen Bay, and the name for the local government community of Tenby. Boats sail from Tenbys harbour to the offshore monastic Caldey Island, the town is served by Tenby railway station. With its strategic position on the far west coast of the British Isles, the earliest reference to a settlement at Tenby is in Etmic Dinbych, a poem probably from the 9th century, preserved in the 14th century Book of Taliesin. At this point the settlement was probably a hill fort, the nature of the settlement possibly developing under Hiberno-Norse influence. Tenby was taken by the Normans, when they invaded West Wales in the early 12th century, the towns first stone-wall fortification was on Castle Hill. Tenbys mercantile trade grew as it developed as a seaport in Norman controlled Little England beyond Wales. However, the need for additional defences became paramount after the settlement and castle were attacked and sacked by Welsh forces of Maredudd ap Gruffydd. Sacking of the town was repeated in 1187 and again by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1260, after the final attack, William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke ordered the construction of the towns large outer walls in the late 13th century. The stone curtain wall, towers and gates enclosed a large part of the settlement, with the construction of the town walls, Tenby Castle was made obsolete and had been abandoned by the end of the 14th century. Work included heightening the wall to include a second tier of higher arrow slits behind a new parapet walk, additional turret towers were added to the ends of the walls where they abutted the cliff edges, and the dry ditch outside walls was widened to 30 feet. Consequently, in the Late Middle Ages, Tenby was awarded grants to finance the maintenance and improvement of its defences. Traders sailed along the coast to Bristol and Ireland and further afield to France, Spain, exports included wool, skins, canvas, coal, iron and oil, while in 1566 Portuguese seamen landed the first oranges in Wales. It was during this period that the town was so busy and important, during the Wars of the Roses Henry Tudor, the future King Henry VII of England, sheltered at Tenby before sailing into exile in 1471. In the mid 16th century, the large D-shaped tower known as the Five Arches was built following fears of a second Spanish Armada, two key events caused the town rapid and permanent decline in importance. First, Tenby declared for Parliament in the English Civil War, after resisting two attempts by the Royalists forces of Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, it was finally taken in 1648. Ten weeks later the town was surrendered to Colonel Thomas Horton. Second, a plague outbreak killed half of the remaining population in 1650. With limited infrastructure, resources and people, the economy fell into decline
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St Davids
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St Davids or St Davids is a city, parish and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. St Davids was given city status in the 16th century due to the presence of St Davids Cathedral, City status was restored in 1994 at the request of Queen Elizabeth II. Tradition states that David was born to Saint Non at what is now St Nons, just to the south of the city and it is said that he was baptised at Porthclais, now the citys port, and was brought up by his mother at Llanon. St David may also have been educated at Ty Gwyn, Whitesands, in the 6th century, David founded a monastery and church at Glyn Rhosyn on the banks of the River Alun. The area was known in the Welsh language as Mynyw. They also fed and clothed the poor and needy, the settlement that grew up around the monastery was called Tyddewi meaning Davids house. In 519 the archbishopric of Caerleon in the county of Monmouth was transferred to Mynyw, the original cathedral built on the site was often plundered by the Vikings and was finally burnt and destroyed in 1087. The present cathedral was built by the Normans and contained many relics and it was visited by many pilgrims, many of whom were nobles and kings, including William the Conqueror in 1077, Henry II in 1171, and Edward I and Queen Eleanor in 1284. Pope Calixtus II decreed that two pilgrimages to St Davids were equivalent to one to Rome, because of this, a vast income was raised from visiting pilgrims in the Middle Ages. Pilgrimages later fell out of due to practices such as the selling of indulgences. Since then, better transport and the advent of tourism have helped the city prosper again, the letters patent conferring city status were formally presented by the Queen in a ceremony at St Davids Cathedral on 1 June 1995. St Davids City Council is a community composed of twelve councillors. The City Council employs one City Clerk and one Financial Officer, the currently elected presiding officer is The Rt Wp The Mayor of St Davids Cllr John George. Sir David Jones of Fachelich was recently presented with the key to the city, next to the cathedral, the 13th-century Bishops Palace is a ruin maintained by Cadw and open to visitors. St Davids was once a marcher borough, within which lay the hundred of Dewisland, in 1603 the antiquarian George Owen described it as one of five Pembrokeshire boroughs overseen by a portreeve. Saint Nons Well overlooks the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and St Brides Bay, in addition to the cathedral, notable features of the city include the 14th-century Tower Gate, the Celtic Old Cross and a number of art galleries. St Davids is also a base for walking and water sports and it has several hotels, a pharmacy, shops and galleries, and a youth hostel, and a number of pubs. The entire coastline around St Davids forms part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, St Davids lifeboat, located at St Justinian, has saved an estimated 360 people since the first lifeboat was located there in 1869, and four lifeboatmen have died while saving others
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Solva
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Solva is a village and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, comprising principally Lower Solva and Upper Solva. Solva lies on the side of St Brides Bay, in North Pembrokeshire in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. It lies on a valley at the mouth of the River Solva. In the valley is Lower Solva, consisting of a long street ending at the small harbour, most of the modern development has been in Upper Solva, on the cliff top to the west of the harbour. The village church honors Saint Aidan and is part of the parish of Whitchurch, the rocks at the entrance to Solva Harbour made it one of the most sheltered anchorages between Fishguard and Milford Haven. Solva became the trading centre of St Brides Bay in the medieval period. Several lime kilns are preserved in the harbour area, in the 19th century, Solva had around 30 registered trading ships. The fading coastal trade has been replaced by tourism, and the harbour is now a popular boating centre, the village was the location for Wales first butterfly farm, Solva Nectarium, which opened in 1979. Solva Harbour is an example of a flooded valley known as a ria. Local rocks contain fossils from the Cambrian period, and the village gives its name to this rock sequence. An electoral ward of the name exists. This ward extends to Brawdy and in some of the community was transferred there. The total population of the ward at the 2011 census was 1,877, every year on Easter Monday Solva hosts a Duck Race for charity. The ducks are released into the River Solva near Middle Mill, the winner is the first to cross under the footbridge in lower Solva car park. Each summer, Solva hosts a Regatta which features rowing for adults, the spectacular local cliff coast is popular with walkers, and the classic cliff exposures of Cambrian rocks attract amateur and professional geologists. Solva Woollen Mill, located at the village of Middle Mill. Today the mill mostly manufactures carpets and rugs, there is a tearoom and a shop, and visitors are able to see the looms at work. The musician David Gray moved with his parents to Solva at the age of 8 and his parents ran the Window on Wales craft shop in the village
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Newport, Pembrokeshire
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Newport is a community, town and ancient port on the Pembrokeshire coast in south-west Wales, at the mouth of the River Nevern in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. A popular tourist destination, Newport town straddles the A487 Fishguard to Cardigan road, while the old port area hosts many beach, Newport is twinned with the village of Plouguin in Finistère, Brittany and Annapolis, Maryland, USA. The town was founded by the Norman William FitzMartin in about 1197 and he was a son-in-law of the Lord Rhys, who nevertheless expelled him from his former base at nearby Nevern, which had been established by his father Robert fitz Martin. William founded Newport as the new capital of the Marcher Lordship of Cemais, despite seizure from the native Welsh, it remained within the FitzMartin family until the death of William, the 2nd Lord Martin, who died without male heir in 1326. George Owen of Henllys, in 1603, described it as one of five Pembrokeshire boroughs overseen by a portreeve and it retains some of the borough customs such as electing a mayor, who beats the bounds on horseback every August. The castle built by FitzMartin is situated on a spur of Carn Ingli which overlooks Newport and much of the surrounding countryside. In the 1880s the castle was associated with John Brett, who rented it for his family while he spent summers cruising the south. He moored his 210-ton schooner, Viking at Parrog, a lifeboat station was operated from a beach known as The Cwm to the west of Parrog in the early 20th century. The old port area much of historic interest, including some of the old quay walls. As well as other activities there are moorings for small craft and it is possible, with caution, to cross the river on foot at low tide. Parrog has two beaches, a course, a windsurfing and dinghy sailing club, pubs, hotels. The church of St Marys, situated below the castle though within the town, dates from the FitzMartin era, the church was the subject of a 1860 photograph by notable early Welsh photographer John Thomas. Other religious buildings include Bethlehem Chapel and the Tabernacle Chapel, the towns hostelries include Llwyngwair Arms in the centre of town and Cnapan Hotel, a Georgian hotel and restaurant. Newport Sailing Club is housed in an old warehouse, as well as facilities for members, it has a non-members bar. Newport is situated on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, part of the Wales Coast Path, has a hostel and is popular for walks in the Preseli Hills. Carn Ingli hill, an Iron Age hillfort with Bronze Age hut circles, lies just outside the town, nearby are the Carreg Coetan Arthur burial chamber and the West Wales Eco Centre. A little to the north of Newport lie Newport Cliffs, a Site of Special Scientific Interest managed by Natural Resources Wales, james Bevan Bowen, of Llwyngwair, Newport, was High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire in 1862 William Edward Cheverton, Saloon Steward on the Titanic. John Grono, settler, sailor, ship builder, ship captain, sealer, whaler and farmer, born in Newport, Robert FitzMartin, Norman knight and first Lord of Cemais, founded the Newport Castle
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Milford Haven Waterway
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Milford Haven Waterway is a natural harbour in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. The Haven is a ria or drowned valley flooded at the end of the last Ice Age formed by the Pembroke River and the Daugleddau estuary, and winds west to the sea. As one of the deepest natural harbours in the world, it is a shipping channel, trafficked by ferries from Pembroke Dock to Ireland, oil tankers. Admiral Horatio Nelson, visiting the harbour with the Hamiltons, described it as the next best natural harbour to Trincomalee in Sri Lanka, from the 790s until the Norman Invasion in 1066, the waterway was used occasionally by Vikings looking for shelter. During one visit in 854, the Viking Chieftain Hubba wintered in the Haven with 23 ships, evidence of metal working in the area was recently excavated, suggesting a level of industrialisation in the period 750 –1100. A Benedictine priory was established at the head of Hubberston Pill in 1170, built on virgin land, it stood alongside the priory on Caldey Island as part of the Tironian Order in West Wales, and was dedicated to St Budoc. Founded by Adam de Rupe, it stood until the Dissolution under Henry VIII, in 1171 Henry II designated the area the rendezvous for his Irish expedition. St Thomas a Becket chapel was dedicated in 1180, a structure which looked out over the Haven from the shore of the town. In later years it was used as a beacon for sailors in foul weather, the area however was a source of anxiety for the Tudor monarchy. Due to its location, it was exposed to attacks from Ireland and it was here that Henry Tudor landed with his uncle, Jasper Tudor, in 1485 before his march towards Lincolnshire, ending in the Battle of Bosworth. In April 1603, Martin Pring used the Haven as his departure point for his voyage to Virginia. The land comprising the site of Milford, the Manor of Hubberston and it acquired an additional strategic importance in the 17th century as a Royalist military base. Charles I ordered a fort to be built at Pill which could prevent re-enforcement of the Parliamentarian garrison of Pembroke Castle, on 23 February 1644, a Parliamentarian force led by Rowland Laugharne crossed the Haven and landed at Castle Pill. The fort was gunned from both land and water, and a garrison was placed in Steynton church to prevent a Royalist attack from the garrison at Haverfordwest, the fort was eventually surrendered, and quickly taken, along with St Thomas a Becket chapel. Just five years later in 1649 Milford Haven was again the site of Parliamentarian interest when it was chosen as the site for Oliver Cromwells Invasion of Ireland. Cromwell arrived in the Haven on 4 August, meeting George Monck, before Cromwell, a ferry service to Ireland operated from Hakin around the start of the 19th century, although this ceased in the early 19th century. Although surrounding settlements at Steynton, Thornton, Priory, Liddeston and Hubberston/Hakin were established, the only man-made structures on the future site of Milford were the medieval chapel, and Summer Hill Farm, and its accompanying cottages. Parts of the Haven are within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the northern side is within the Preseli Environmentally Sensitive Area
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Pembroke Dock
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Pembroke Dock is a community and a town in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard. It is the third largest town in Pembrokeshire after Haverfordwest and Milford Haven, from the 790s until the Norman Invasion in 1066, the Milford Haven estuary was used occasionally by Vikings looking for shelter. During one visit, the Viking chieftain Hubba wintered in the haven with 23 ships, in 1172, three years after the Norman Invasion of Ireland, having prepared his fleet and army in the mouth of the Pembroke River, Henry II of England sailed there from the haven. Prior to 1814, the site of modern Pembroke Dock and its settlements were mostly farmland. The first recorded mention of Paterchurch was in 1289, in the area a medieval tower was built and, like nearby 18th century and 19th century fortifications, it may have served as a lookout post. By the 17th century, additional domestic and farm buildings close to the tower. The ruin of the tower now lies within the walls of the dockyard, Paterchurch Tower was the centre of an estate said to stretch from Pennar Point to Cosheston. This changed hands in 1422 when Ellen de Paterchurch married a John Adams, prior to the building of the town and before the dockyard was thought of, various sales and exchanges took place between the principal local landowners – the Adams, Owen and Meyrick families. These exchanges left the Meyricks in control of most of the land on which the dockyard, by 1802 the Paterchurch buildings were mostly ruins. The origins of naval shipbuilding on Milford Haven were in the shipyard of Jacobs on the north side of the Haven at Milford. In November 1757, the Admiralty sent a delegation to the haven. It should be noted that no place as Milford existed at this time. Secondly, the report showed early signs of lobbying existing, with the scale of the local infrastructure and ship building activity exaggerated. In partnership with the administrator, his nephew and heir the Hon. Charles Grenville. They began by building a shipyard, and leased it to a Messrs, in December 1796, in an unusual arrangement, the Admiralty directed the Navy Board to contract Jacobs shipyard to build a frigate and later a 74-gun ship-of-the-line. However, due to a lack of local standing oak, access to supplies of timber from the Baltic, and local skills in volume. The Navy took over the lease, and employed royalist French naval architect M. Rennie Barallier and his son as Builder
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Saundersfoot
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Saundersfoot is a large village and community in Pembrokeshire, west Wales, near Tenby—they are two of the most visited Welsh holiday destinations. Saundersfoot lies in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, Saundersfoot was known in medieval Wales as Llanussyllt and after the Norman conquest as St Issels, both after the parish church dedicated to the Welsh Saint Issel. Its bishop or abbot was considered one of the seven principal clerics of Dyfed under medieval Welsh law and it was a substantial parish in 1833 with 1,226 inhabitants. John Marius Wilson described the village and parish as St Issells in his 1870-72 Imperial Gazetteer of England, the present church lies in a dingle to the north of Saundersfoot and is a grade II* listed building. The village grew up to serve the port which by 1837 had five jetties handling coal and iron ore and subsequently pig iron, the course of the tramway from Bonvilles Court mine bisects the village and ends at the jetty. The tramway from Stepaside forms the sea front, Saundersfoot has a King Georges Field in memorial to King George V. There are several pubs and clubs in the centre of Saundersfoot such as The Captains Table, The Royal Oak, The Mulberry, The Hean, Mermaid On The Strand and The Deck. Saundersfoot holds its annual cheese festival and New Years Day swim every year which is sponsored by local businesses. More than 1,500 people took part in 2016, local attractions include Folly Farm, Heatherton Adventure Park, Manor House Wildlife Park and Tenby Dinosaur Park. Super Street Fighter II Super Street Fighter II Turbo Saundersfoot travel guide from Wikivoyage
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River Teifi
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It flows into the sea below the town of Cardigan. The Teifi has its source in Llyn Teifi, one of several known collectively as the Teifi Pools. These are situated towards the north of the county of Ceredigion and this wide area of Mid-Wales, with a very sparse population, is part of what is sometimes called the desert of Wales. The river flows past Strata Florida Abbey and then through Pontrhydfendigaid before reaching the river valley floor. Here it passes one of the great raised mires of Britain, Gors Goch Glan Teifi. From here the river descends through pastures and bogs forming meanders on farmland below, several small tributaries join from the valley with gorges, rocky and tree-lined sections also in the area. The river becomes tidal below Llechryd and descends into Cardigan through the steep-sided Cilgerran Gorge, on the lower parts of the river the wildlife is rich. There is a large variety ranging from crowfoot river plants to Atlantic salmon as well as otters, wetland birds, there have also been sightings of bottle-nosed dolphins where the river opens into the estuary and flows into Cardigan Bay. Afon Tywi at 120 km and Afon Teifi at 117 km are the longest rivers wholly in Wales, the river is susceptible to flooding and there were some heavy floods in 2007 and 2008. If the swollen river is backed up by a tide, flooding can occur in Cardigan. The most recent flooding was in December 2015, the Teifi and its tributaries are underlain by ancient Ordovician and Silurian mudstones which have been extensively glaciated during the ice ages. The resultant landform is one of rolling hills supporting a range of agriculture in which dairy. Ceredigion had the reputation of supplying London with its milk in the 19th century, the landscapes of the Teifi valley are very attractive and the Teifi is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful rivers in Wales. Teifi Pools, the source of the Teifi, are a series of small lakes left by past glacial activity, the lakes are upland and acid in nature. Some have been enlarged by damming and now provide a source of drinking water, the very extensive raised mire above Tregaron acts as a huge sponge at the head of the river and evens out extremes in flow. Rapids and waterfalls are uncommon but the examples at Henllan and, a dramatic painting of the falls was made by Frank Miles and is now at Nottingham City Museum. Miless father inherited Cardigan Priory from his father, Philip John Miles, the gorge between Llechryd and Cilgerran has a special brooding quality. Few visitors stray into the gorge and the river winds its way almost silently between the densely wooded sides with their distinctive under-storey flora of sedges, Afon Teifi is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Ceredigion, Wales
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Ceibwr Bay
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Ceibwr Bay is a bay opening into the Irish Sea in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. It is about 7 km west of Cardigan, and 3 km south of the headland of Cemaes Head and it is owned by the National Trust, within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. The elevated landscape at Ceibwr Bay is made up of spectacular cliff folds, part of the Nant Ceibwr valley leading through the village of Moylegrove, the river runs out into the Irish Sea through Ceibwr Bay. The Ceibwr Bay Fault is a WSW-ENE-trending fault zone, that extends from the coast at Ceibwr Bay at its end to the coast at Aberporth at its eastern end. Ceibwr Bay is in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and is owned by the National Trust, the landscape is a significant bird habitat and its natural beauty and striking geological features attract large numbers of visitors all year round. Accessed by the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, its cliff-top walks are not recommended for sufferers of vertigo, from the cliff path, it is possible to observe bottlenose dolphins and Atlantic grey seals. To the south of the bay is the Witches Cauldron, a collapsed cave, Ceibwr Cove has a small stony beach beside the outflow of Nant Ceibwr and was once a port serving Moylegrove and the surrounding area. Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation
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Cwm-yr-Eglwys
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The hamlet takes its name from the ruined church by the beach. There is a beach with safe bathing, and it has earned a Seaside Award. There is a narrow slipway for launching boats, limited car parking. There are also some holiday cottage lettings available, dogs are allowed on the beach. From here there is access to the Pembrokeshire Coast Path which runs round Dinas Island peninsula to Pwllgwaelod, alternatively, Pwllgwaelod can be reached by a popular short direct walk through the valley that almost divides Dinas Head from the mainland. This is level and suitable for disabled access, Cwm-yr-Eglwys is a popular location for holiday makers, and every year the Cwm-yr-Eglwys boat club reunites for the first two weeks of August to have sailing events and regattas. There are regular in shore diving competitions and lots of activities for the children too, however it can be disruptive so if you prefer a quieter holiday avoid visiting within factory fortnight. The church of St. Brynach is on the site of an ancient llan, the building suffered storm damage in 1850 and 1851 when the chancel was destroyed by the sea, the church footings left hanging over an abyss. The graveyard was damaged, the level being reduced by at least three feet, exposing human remains in large quantity. The great storm of October 1859 removed the roof and damaged the walls. The ruins stood until 1880 when they were demolished to the present west end only, another storm in 1979 caused damage to the sea wall, repairs by Preseli District Council and rearrangement of the gravestones converted it into a most pleasant public space. The ruins of the church are now a popular tourist attraction, by the gate is a scale model of a Cwm Trader - the type of coastal trading vessel that would have plied these waters at the time of the storm. Sheltered from prevailing winds, Cwm-yr-Eglwys has its own microclimate, being a few degrees warmer and dryer than other parts of the Pembrokeshire coast and this allows the growth of trees and shrubs of almost Mediterranean luxuriance. Forces of Nature Coastal Sports - Cwm-yr-Eglwys Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales - St. Brynachs Church, Cwm-yr-eglwys Historical information and sources on GENUKI
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Dinas Island
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Dinas Island is a peninsula located in the community of Dinas Cross between Fishguard and Newport, Pembrokeshire, in southwest Wales. It reaches a height of 466 above sea level at Pen-y-fan, Dinas Head is strictly the northernmost part of the promontory, where the cliffs meet the sea, but the name is sometimes loosely used to refer to this highest point. Dinas Island is contained within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the headland is under the care of the National Trust and this was the same Ice Age melt-water that formed the Gwaun Valley further down the coast. There are also coastal wildflowers such as ling, scabious, thyme, heather, thrift, pennywort, foxglove, bluebells bloom in spring on the eastern slopes. Feral goats at one time inhabited the headland until they were destroyed in 1947 and this section of the path can be accessed from Pwllgwaelod at its south-western end, and from Cwm-yr-Eglwys at its south-eastern end. Both these locations can be reached from Dinas Cross on the A487, a path, suitable for wheelchair access, links the two. Pwllgwaelod is served by the Poppit Rocket, a bus which follows the coastline from Fishguard to Cardigan, in 2012 it won the Farmers Weekly Sheep Farmer of the Year Award and a National Grassland Management Award. Strumble Head to Cardigan information at the National Trust
31.
Pwllgwaelod
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Pwllgwaelod is a small scattered hamlet centred on a bay on the south-western side of the Dinas Island peninsula. It is located in the community of Dinas Cross between Fishguard and Newport, Pembrokeshire, in south-west Wales, many of the properties within the hamlet of Pwllgwaelod are holiday cottages. The small sandy beach, which is wide and open, with dark sand, has rocks and cliffs on either side, making it protected. It offers good views across Fishguard Bay to Fishguard Harbour, Pwllgwaelod beach failed to meet EU water quality standards in 2011 and 2012, possibly as a result of landwater run-off following two exceptionally wet summers. Nearby Cwm-yr-Eglwys has a Green Coast Award and a Seaside Award, Pwllgwaelod is reached by a narrow, twisty road from the centre of Dinas Cross. In the summer months it is served by the Poppit Rocket. Pwllgwaelod lies on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path which from here runs for 3 miles all round the peninsula of Dinas Island, Cwm-yr-Eglwys can also be reached by a direct footpath through the valley that almost divides Dinas Head from the mainland, and is suitable for wheelchairs. There are two car parks and public toilets, and the boat-park has a slipway for launching dinghies, dogs are allowed on the beach. Close to the beach is an old pub, now a bar/restaurant called the Old Sailors and this is the only building by the beach itself, and has seen some 500 years of use. Formerly called the Sailors Safety, it dates from 1593. It was visited by Dylan Thomas at least once, Pwllgwaelod was at times used as a sheltered harbour when strong winds from the east made Fishguard dangerous. There is a medium-sized three-quarter lime kiln by the beach, used for converting the limestone brought in by boat to quicklime and this was used on the land, in this case on Dinas Island. This beach has better shelter than that of Goodie*, and small vessels frequently beach upon it in fine weather, when the sea is calm, through the crystal waters can be seen the golden roofs and spires and marble palaces of the underwater folk. The vision lasts for five to ten minutes at a time. Your anchor is in the roof of my house, the captain promised to disengage it and not cast anchor there again. Nearestbeach. co. uk - Pwllgwaelod Forces of Nature Coastal Sports - Pwllgwaelod
32.
Fishguard
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Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,419 recorded in the 2011 Census. The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5,043 in 2001 and 5,407 in 2011, the town is divided into two parts, the main town of Fishguard and Lower Fishguard. Lower Fishguard is believed to be the site of the hamlet from which modern Fishguard has grown. It is situated in a valley where the River Gwaun meets the sea. It is a fishing village with a short tidal quay. The settlement stretches along the slope of the valley. The western part of the town, facing Goodwick, grew up in the first decade of the 20th century with the development of Fishguard Harbour, Fishguard and Goodwick are now Twin Towns with a joint Town Council. Fishguard is within the historic Welsh cantref of Cemais, and part of the Welsh province of Dyfed, the town name Fishguard derives from old Norse fiskigarðr meaning fish catching enclosure, indicating that there may have been a Scandinavian trading post, although no evidence has been found. The Norman settlement lay along what is now High Street between the church at its end and the remains of a Norman motte at its south end. Lower Fishguard developed as a fishery and port, trading with Ireland. In the late 18th century it had 50 coasting vessels, and exported oats, in 1779, the port was raided by the privateer Black Prince, which bombarded the town when the payment of a £1,000 ransom was refused. As a result, Fishguard Fort was completed in 1781, overlooking Lower Fishguard, the port declined in the latter half of the 19th century. The story is told in the Fishguard Tapestry created for the 200th anniversary to emulate the Bayeux Tapestry, a 19th-century vicar of Fishguard, the Rev. Samuel Fenton MA, wrote the book The History of Pembrokeshire. The ancient Parliamentary Borough of Fishguard was contributory to the Borough of Haverfordwest, in 1907, it was created an urban district, which included Goodwick from 1934 until it was abolished in 1974. During the Second World War, the Fishguard Bay Hotel was Station IXc of Special Operations Executive where submersibles were tested in Fishguard Bay, Fishguard & Goodwick Golf Club was founded in 1921 and closed in the 1960s. It has a mild climate due to its coastal position. The winds coming from the west or south-west have an influence on temperature. There is an islet in Fishguard Bay, Needle Rock which reaches 131 feet, wildlife around Fishguard is rich with a wide variety of colourful wild flowers and sea mammals including the grey seal, porpoises and dolphins
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Goodwick
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Goodwick is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, immediately west of its twin town of Fishguard. The coasts of Wales were subjected to Norse raids during the Viking Era and, in the latter 10th century, the place name probably derives from a combination of the old Norse forms, góðr and vik giving góðrvik. Compare formation with Reykjavík where reykr = smoke, many older developments in Goodwick have the name Goedwig meaning forest - Goedwig Terrace, Villas, Chapel etc. Thus an alternative explanation for the name may be that it was Goedwig, Goodwick was a small fishing village in the parish of Llanwnda, but in 1887 work commenced on a railway connection and harbour, and the village grew rapidly to service this. The main industry is now tourism although in the industrial past brick making was once an important industry. Some fishing still takes place on a scale but most activity is centered on Milford Haven. The local beach, Goowick Sands, is where the defeated French invasion force assembled prior to their surrender on 24 February 1797. A separate electoral ward exists with the same name, the total population of this ward at the 2011 census was 1,988. The harbour was constructed by blasting 1.6 million tonnes of rock from the hillside to make a 900 m long breakwater, the quarried-out area became the quay. The harbour was opened on 30 August 1906. Planned to be the end of the Great Western Railways line and its sea port, replacing Neyland. Accordingly, the harbour has an inner breakwater protecting the remaining open side. The Great Western Railway ordered three new steamers for its service to Rosslare, St David, St George and St Patrick, RMS Mauretania visited once in 1909 although passengers had to board by tender when transferring to and from the London train. The smaller breakwater was built as part of the preparations for the visit of the RMS Mauretania and is known as the Mauretania Mole. The breakwater lead to unanticipated silting, and the prospect of future visits from larger liners was abandoned, directly above the harbour is a small estate known as Harbour Village, built to house workers during the construction of the harbour. The port now accommodates a ferry service to Rosslare operated by Stena Line, the RNLI operate an all weather Trent class lifeboat, the Blue Peter VII, and a class D inshore lifeboat from within the harbour. In October 2011 plans for Fishguard & Goodwick Marina were revealed in the Western Telegraph, the scheme would also create a publicly accessible promenade and waterfront, and visitor parking as well as workshops, stores and ancillary facilities. Conygar have also exchanged contracts to acquire a site for a lorry stop
34.
Strumble Head
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Strumble Head is a rocky headland in the community of Pencaer in north Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park the coastline making part of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, views extend eastwards towards Dinas Head and Cardigan Bay, and westwards to the Irish Sea. Three islands lie off the head, Ynys Meicel and Ynys and it gives its name to Strumble Head Lighthouse and Strumble VOR, a way-point in many trans-atlantic flights. It comprises part of the Strumble Head - Llechdafad Cliffs Site of Special Scientific Interest, Strumble Head is one of the best sites in Britain to view cetaceans, particularly the porpoise which can be spotted in the tidal races around the headland with modest binoculars. Public cetacean watches are frequently organized by Sea Trust, seals can often be spotted in the waters beneath the light house. A wartime lookout post was converted for use by the public as a shelter from the wind for wildlife fans and was opened by Bill Oddie, the headland has been the site of numerous ship wrecks. A French shipwreck, possibly from the last invasion of Britain, was nearby in 2003. The Bardse of the Pile of Fowdrey was wrecked off Strumble Head on 3 October 1763 laden with a cargo of iron and copper from Wicklow bound for Chepstow under its Master, another notable wreck was the barque Calburga in 1915, one of Canadas last square rigged sailing ships. Strumble Head Lighthouse Strumble Head - Llechdafad Cliffs Strumble Head lighthouse at Trinity House www. geograph. co. uk, photos of Strumble Head and surrounding area
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Strumble Head - Llechdafad Cliffs
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Strumble Head - Llechdafad Cliffs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since January 1954 in an attempt to protect its fragile biological and geological elements, the SSSI has a total area of 204.63 hectares and is managed by Natural Resources Wales. The nearest large settlement is the town of Goodwick, some 4 miles away and this SSSI has been notified as being of both geological and biological importance. Strumble Head List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Pembrokeshire Natural Resources Wales website
36.
Abercastle
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Abercastle is a village in the Welsh language speaking area of Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. Abercastle has a harbour which is managed by Abercastle Boat Owners Association. The harbour was the site of the first single handed atlantic sailing west to east in 1876 starting from Gloucester, Massachusetts by the Danish born fisherman. Abercastle is an old trading harbour which exported local slate and grain, limestone, butter, honey, corn, there are also the remains of nineteenth century limekilns. Alfred Johnson landed at Abercastle on Saturday, August 12,1876 after sixty six days sailing from Gloucester Massachusetts, Johnson, a Danish born fisherman used a small dory named Centennial. Managed an average pace of about 70 miles a day, quite respectable for such a boat in the open sea. A plaque made of Welsh Slate is on the wall near the slipway and was unveiled by Alfred Johnsons grandson. Local author Rob Morris has also written a book about the crossing called Alfred Centennial Johnson, Carreg Samson, also known as Carreg Sampson, Samsons Stone and the Longhouse is a 5000-year-old Neolithic Burial Chamber and the site of over 1000 burials. Half a mile west of the Abercastle near the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and it is thought to have been a portal dolmen and was built over a pit. It is called Samson because of a legend that Samson placed it in position with his little finger. Excavations in 1968 found an early Neolithic bowl, the harbour faces north-west and is therefore sheltered from south-westerly gales, providing a safe haven for the local fishing fleet. There is a telephone and free parking for a small number of cars. The slipway goes to soft sand and is not suitable for non off-road vehicles, the coastal bus “The Strumble Shuttle” calls at Abercastle. Popular for fishing and diving, there are several recorded climbing sites in the area although they are suitable for group use. The harbour is a launching site for sea kayaking. The coastal path that follows the coast of Pembrokeshire passes through Abercastle, the 3800 ton wreck of the Leysian lies on the west side of the harbour, about 50m from the cliffs. As it is at a depth of around 15m the wreck is popular with divers who report lots of wreckage, a small shark has also been reported nearby. Alfred Centennial Johnson Photos of Abercastle and surrounding area on geograph. org. uk
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Trefin
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Trefin is a village in the Welsh-speaking area of North Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. It is sometimes given the anglicised spelling Trevine, particularly on older maps, trefins name comes from the Welsh Trefaen meaning village on the rock outcrop. The rock outcrop can be seen in places around Trefin. The village lies within the parish and community of Llanrhian, although small, Trefin is an historical village. It is linked to the Archdruid Crwys, who was born in Craig Cefn Parc, Glamorganshire, the mill was in use for around 500 years and was used by the villagers of Trefin and surrounding areas. Wheat was milled to produce flour for bread and barley was ground into feed for livestock. By the 1900s cheap grain was being imported from overseas and milled in larger mills in towns and cities, the mill stones remain in the ruins of the roofless mill. Trefin is an area of outstanding beauty, surrounded by the Irish Sea and on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and it is on the route of the Strumble Shuttle bus service, part of the Pembrokeshire Greenways public transport service. Trefin lies within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the coastal area included in the National parks of the United Kingdom. Trefin is a village of around 130 people, and houses a weaving centre, The Mill cafe. Nearby villages include Llanrhian, Abercastle, Porthgain, Mathry, Square and Compass, Penparc, edgar Phillips born 8th October 1889 was a Welsh poet and served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Map 2001 Census Data for Trefin Photos of Trefin and surrounding area on geograph. org. uk
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Porthgain
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Porthgain is a village in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in Wales, located between St Davids and Goodwick, and just north of Llanrhian. The village of Porthgain has a wealth of historical relics from its time as an industrial harbour in the early 1900s. At one time, the harbour exported slate from quarries a few miles south at Abereiddi, Trwynllwyd, Abereiddi and the quarries to the South were linked by a tramway. Water-powered mills at Porthgain sawed the quarried slate slabs before shipment, in later years the slate trade was abandoned, although Porthgain survived by turning to brickmaking, and later to crushed roadstone. Large brick hoppers dominate the harbour and these hoppers were used to store crushed dolerite before shipment and are now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In 1987 Porthgain was designated as a conservation area, slate, from a local quarry, was handled through the harbour from 1850 to 1910. Bricks were made in the area from 1889 to 1912 using waste from the slate operation. The crushed dolerite was used as a road stone, the harbour, still home to local fishermen, can get very busy in the summer with recreational boaters. Porthgain also has the Shed, a small bistro situated by the Quay and the Harbour Lights Gallery, Porthgain Railway Map sources for Porthgain National Park Authority www. geograph. co. uk, photos of Porthgain and surrounding area
39.
Abermawr
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Abermawr is a stretch of coastline and is regarded as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Abermawr is a shingle beach with marsh and woodland behind it. It is popular with walkers who are walking along the coast past Porthgain, Abereiddi. The large pebble bank of the bay was created by a storm on 25 October 1859, the currents at Abermawr can be hazardous but the headlands are low so are less gusty. In 1847 one Captain Claxton surveyed the Irish Channel to try to ascertain the best route across, Abermawr was considered briefly as the terminal of the South Wales Railway, later to merge with the Great Western Railway, for services to Ireland and their trans-Atlantic service. After surveys by Brunel though, this route was re-planned to move to Neyland instead, an Act of Parliament to abandon these works and redirect to Neyland was granted on 17 June 1862. In 1862 cables were laid from Abermawr to Wexford by a ship called Berwick, there was a corrugated iron hut for the operators to work and live in. Messages received here would be retransmitted to London, the storm of 1859 resulted in the wreck of the ship Charles Holmes, commanded by Captain C. H. N. Bowlby. All the 28 people on board were drowned and their bodies washed up on the beaches of Aberbach, in World War I the site proved of great use to North America and a small number of soldiers guarded it. However, in the early 1920s a storm damaged the site, when the tide is out you can see there is evidence of a prehistoric forest. National Trust - Abereiddi to Abermawr Abermawr - Coast & Country Holidays website
40.
Abereiddy
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Abereiddy is a hamlet in the county of Pembrokeshire, in south-west Wales. It has a beach which was awarded the Blue flag rural beach award in 2005. A large car park adjoins the beach, where in the summer an ice cream van can usually be found, the beach also has public toilets which are open from Easter to October half-term. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path gives fine walking in both directions, the Common which runs inland behind the beach lies within the Manor of Llanrhian. Following the coast path north leads to Porthgain, Abereiddi to Porthgain is roughly a forty-minute walk. The coastal path taken in the direction to the south east goes around St Davids Head. Nearby are the ruins of the Blue Lagoon, a slate quarry. Initially slate was exported across Abereiddi beach, but later through a tramway to the harbour at Porthgain a couple of miles to the North, although never as large a quarry as even those nearer Porthgain itself, it did operate a steam-hauled lift. Ruins of a group of slate houses known as The Street remain near the beach. These were houses built for the workers of the Blue Lagoon and was only abandoned after a flood in the early 20th century. The Blue Lagoon is 25m deep, according to a nearby Pembrokeshire National Park information board, despite the name, the water is always a distinct greenish hue, owing to the mineral content within the quarry. The lagoon is a favourite for adventure groups practising coasteering, in September 2012 the Blue Lagoon at Abereiddi was the location for one of the stages of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, making its UK debut. Fourteen of the worlds best divers dived from a platform,27 metres above the Blue Lagoon. The championships returned in September 2013, and September 2016, Abereiddy appeared in the music video Delerium - Silence from 2000. Abereiddi was the location for the 1961 film Fury at Smugglers Bay starring Peter Cushing. Abereiddi and the ice cream van that regularly visits were also the subject of a promotional film called Ice Cream for Visit Wales. The south side of Abereiddy Bay consists of dipping beds from the Upper Llanvirn. To the north, the succession passes up into beds of Llandeilo age, North over the northern headland, there is a small cove eroded in up-faulted Didymograptus bifidus beds
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St David's Head
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St Davids Head is a headland in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, in southwest Wales. This headland is considered the limit of the Irish Sea in Wales. Northwest of the city of St Davids and jutting into the Irish Sea. To the south are Whitesands Bay, Ramsey Sound and St Brides Bay, the headland and its immediate hinterland are owned by the National Trust. Described in a Roman survey of the world in 140 AD as the Promontory of the Eight Perils. The headland can only be reached on foot along the coastal path, the headland is abundant in wildflowers and wildlife and the waters around it provide a rich habitat for fish, grey seals and porpoises. A wide variety of seabirds and peregrine falcons are also to be seen, tarleton, a slaver of 400 tons, Christian, master, foundered on 28 November 1788 off St Davids Head on her way from Liverpool to Africa. National Trust page Map sources for St Davids Head Coetan Arthur Photos of St Davids Head on geograph. org. uk
42.
Whitesands Bay (Pembrokeshire)
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The area to the north east of the bay is dominated by a large rocky outcrop,594 feet at its highest point, known as Carn Llidi — which could mean Cairn of the Gates or Cairn of Wrath. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path passes alongside the bay, giving access in the north to the bays of Porthlleuog and Porthmelgan. To the south, the path leads to Porthselau and St. Justinians. There are a number of burial chambers, stone hut circles and British Iron Age field systems and enclosures to be seen in the vicinity of Carn Llidi. It is said that St. Patrick had his vision to convert Ireland to Christianity here, St David, the patron saint of Wales, is said to have been educated at Ty Gwyn by St Paulinus. It is believed that St Non, Davids mother, also lived here when it was a monastery. At very low tide and after heavy storms the remains of an ancient, submerged forest can be seen on the beach, consisting of stumps of birch, fir, hazel and oak trees. The remains of animals have found in these deposits including parts of an aurochs, a red deer antler. The main tarmacked car-park, and at least two field car-parks used in an overflow system, easy Wheelchair access to beach Beach shop and Cafe
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Newgale, Pembrokeshire
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Newgale is a village with a three-mile stretch of beach in the parish of Roch, Pembrokeshire, West Wales. The beach is situated in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and has rugged coastal scenery with the winding up. Newgale is one of over 40 Welsh Blue Flag beaches, which means it has the top certification for quality, cleanliness and facilities. In the January 2014 storms the sea washed the pebble wall across the road, Newgale is popular with holiday makers, windsurfers, surfers and canoeists throughout the summer months. There are two parks, a camping site, some shops and a pub, The Duke of Edinburgh Inn. The surf at Newgale is good for beginners, with the waves usually backing off a bit even on large swell, surfing is best on the rising tide. The beach is a place for the local people, who promenade on Boxing Day every year. Many campers on lower ground experience flooding during rain in the summer months, Pembrokeshire County Council - Blue Flag Beaches - Newgale www. geograph. co. uk, photos of Newgale, Pembrokeshire and surrounding area
