After a busy few weeks of visitors, buses and tides coincided on Monday to allow us to walk the next section. It was drizzling when we parked in Dale but improved slightly by the time we got off the bus in Milford Haven. The first two or three miles were pretty dull walking, first through the town and then along a tarmac path between the shore and yet another refinery, with high hedges and no views, but then the tarmac ended and we could see cliffs and hear the waves – after several days walking around the Haven, we were getting closer to the real coast again.
Although we could see Dale across the water a few miles ahead, there were several big inlets to tackle. Sandy Haven was a much bigger beach than I’d expected and we decided to walk along it. Unfortunately this meant crossing some slippery rocks and Ian ended up shin-deep in a rock pool with a scraped elbow and hurt pride.
It was almost low tide so there was no problem crossing the stream at Sandy Haven (at high tide there is a 3.5 mile detour), and we continued round past Lindsway Bay and up the inlet opposite Dale, where a notice warned us that the Pickleridge footbridge across the channel had been washed away and could only be crossed, at very low tide, by wading. The alternative was another long diversion so, since Ian had already got damp boots, we decided to risk it and yomped along the pebbly foreshore to get there while the tide was still low. In the event it was more of a paddle than a wade with just a small section missing.
When we reached Dale we had done about 11 miles and after coffee and cake at the pub, we decided to walk the circuit round St Anne’s Head – I’d mentioned this to Ian as a possibility and he looked at the map and decided it wasn’t too far. I had my suspicions it was further than it looked, but off we went again, now with sunshine and glorious views but also with a deadline of 6.30 when we were due back at the Griffin Inn for a meal.
It took well over half the time to reach the lighthouse at the southern end of the head, but the walk up the western side was much more straightforward, and at last we had proper sea and cliffs and distant islands, but chill air and fading light reminding us that summer is just about over. 17 miles of coast path (phew!) and just half a mile or so back into Dale for a very well-deserved meal.
And finally a request – we have joined the Families for Children Adoption Trust’s Miles for Smiles campaign. Families for Children finds loving and supporting adoptive families for the most vulnerable and hardest to place children – including sibling groups, older children and those with complex additional needs. The charity places children from all around the country into secure homes in the South West of England, and then provides Adoption Support Services that help families unite to achieve positive change that will last a lifetime.
We have an indirect vested interest since our daughter Corinna works for the charity, but we know how hard it is for them to get the funding they need. Any donation you feel able to be make would be very much appreciated.
Home From Home 