Tenby to Manorbier - 1
Posted by Paul Allyn Sat, 04 Mar 2006 23:24:00 GMT
After puttering about Tenby, checking out the churches and local shopping (walking and shopping rule no. 1 – “If you can carry it, you can buy it. Otherwise, you can’t buy it!”) we started out on the Pembrokeshire coastal path proper. We actually started at the harbour where St. Julian’s is.
The extreme tides always fascinate me. I love seeing the boats high and dry, especially the sailboats. Sailboats need some sort of keel so the wind doesn’t just blow them sideways (sub-optimally, into some rocky beach). In a “regular” sailboat, the keel goes straight down the middle, much deeper than the hull. In Tenby – and many other harbours around the British Isles – such a boat would just flop over at the first low tide. So, they build their sail boats with the keels on the sides – one on each side. At low tide, they just balance there. I stare in wonderment like the flat land rube that I am.
Walking around the headland we came upon this structure I just couldn’t figure out – what a rube. I had been staring at this building ever since we could look across the Tenby beach. Once you know what it is and consider the tides, it makes perfect sense. It’s a lifeboat house!
This area has been the scene of hundreds of shipwrecks through the years. And for hundreds of years they have needed rescuing. You can’t just leave a lifeboat down on the beach, ‘cause you never know where the cockamamie tide is going to be. You build the storage facility up high with a long ramp way out into the water so even at low tide you hop in the boat, give it a shove and in a few seconds you are out in the water off to the rescue! They were building a new one when we walked past that ought to be open to the public when you read this.
Once around the headland there was another fabulous beach. The cliffs are magnificent! I love the hotels perched on the tops. I thought only Miami beach hotels used those pastel colors, but wrong again! Even though it was overcast, there were still lots of people on the beach – can’t image what it would be like on a sunny weekend. The beach is about 2Km long and a great fun walk as long as the tide is out. About half way down the beach there was a guy with a fat tire skateboard strapped to his feet flying a huge kite. The wind, through the kite, sent him scooting along the sand. It looked like fun, but wondered how much skin you would lose if you lost your balance and the kite dragged you down the beach for a while.
At the far end of the beach we played with the dog walkers for awhile. Most dog walkers seem to like talking about their dogs and their silliness in the water. On another walk we happened upon a matronly women with a small dog… My advice is, use caution when approaching matronly women in the company of small dogs. It’s not the dog that’s dangerous.
Up on to the cliff tops we climbed at the end of the beach (Map), there is a military firing range. Best to avoid it when in use. The danger area is marked on local maps. I thought Kathy looked like a spy on some clandestine operation, scooping out various NATO small arms capabilities. Note the Coastal Path does go right through the firing range. Just keep your eye open for the red flags! There is an alternative route and weekends are usually OK.
Even though it is overcast there was enough glare coming off the sea to justify sunglasses. 
If you are planning on taking this walk – be sure to pack the ‘em!
From here on to St. Davids the seascapes are spectacular and mesmerizing – I am going to post lots of them. Between the sound, the movement of the water, and the waves splashing up on the rocks, sometimes it was hard to tear my eyes away and make progress along the trail. No worry though, a few feet along there was always another great view.
Later on this particular day the overcast cleared and it was sunny and breezy the rest of the trip. The cliffs and sea only get better and they were pretty darn good even in cloud cover and mist.
God give you joy
Fr. Paul
