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Welsh Tour October  2008

 

The letter falls on the mat and I pick it up. The address is handwritten and postmarked Matlock. Don’t know anybody in Matlock do I? Puzzled, I open it and quickly scan the contents. Sacre bleu! C’est incroyable!  For the second year running I have won the Independent Hostels’ draw at York Rally! The prize is a night’s accommodation for 2 people at the Lawrenny hostel in Pembrokeshire with a £10 voucher thrown in for food - just the excuse I need to escape the marital home once more. I immediately contact Sol Lomas and Brian Parkinson to ask them if they want to share my good luck. They agree on the understanding that we make it 3 nights with a fourth somewhere in North Wales on the way back.  Once more we are blessed with an unanticipated autumn trip.

We drove down leisurely on Monday with stops at Newtown and St Clears to arrive in the late afternoon amidst heavy rain. We are met by the warden who informs us that the hostel opened as a millennium project, but that disappointingly after a year or two the YHA pulled out of the joint venture and that it is now run solely by the local community. She tells us that this week we will be the only occupants – what luxury for the hostel is modern and  well-quipped with a local store only a few yards away.  That evening we cooked, ate, chatted and then settled down in comfortable bottom bunks.

Tuesday, and the warden is here first thing for a chat before we leave. She is a very small dark haired, voluble Welsh speaking lady who also doubles as the local peripatetic milk tester. Eventually we get away. The weather having much improved, we set off along quiet lanes to pass through Jeffreystone, and then down a steep and entertaining bridleway to reach the coast at Saundersfoot. Here we took tea at a harbour café whilst sitting outside in pleasant sunshine. Refreshed,  we followed a cycle route to Tenby which was at its uncrowded best with only a light sprinkling of tourists and bathed in autumnal sun.

Following a steep climb on to The Ridgeway we were treated to extensive views to the south and north as we rode along towards Pembroke. However we turned off to drop to Carew, where we took time to ride around the magnificent castle and cross the dam wall of the impressive and unusual tidal mill before calling at the local inn – too late for food but ok for a coffee. Finally we returned along the inlets of the Cleddau visiting Cresselly Quay and Lawrenny Quay on the way, both very picturesque in the afternoon sun.  Back at the hostel we were once again entertained by the warden before cooking. Apparently, there was little in Lawrenny that escaped her notice!

Wednesday and we drive to Maenclochog a village in the shadow of the Preseli Hills. We decided against a traverse of the ridge as we understood that the going is always very boggy and would be even worse after the recent rains. So we climbed up towards the old mining hamlet of Rosebush to take the road that skirts the southern slopes of the Hills and leads to Crymych. On the way we paused to look at a couple of memorials made bluestone. It seems remarkable that stones from here were dragged all the way from here to construct Stonehenge. Crymych lies somewhat incongruously at the summit of the A478 from Tenby to Cardigan - not a lot there but a large Welsh language school and a number of cafes. We settled for Lyn’s where portions were large, wholesome and cheap. After lunch we descended steeply to follow the Afon Taf and pass through a number of isolated but pretty villages before climbing back to re-cross the A478 at Efailwen. Finally we follow a series of seemingly never ending undulations back to Maenclochog.

On our return we find the warden waiting for us to brighten her day with another chat and tales of where we had been. She told us that despite the rural nature of the area there was a significant amount of crime. Expensive boats at Lawrenny Quay had been targeted – a number of marine engines had been stolen in one week alone, for thieves came in on the tide midweek at night when the owners were away.

Early evening we ring the YHA to try and book place for the following night. Kings is closed Thursdays, Llanbedr has closed permanently. It transpires that none of the convenient hostels are able to accommodate us - an increasingly familiar story – useless!  We try to raise an independent hostel near Dolgelly to no avail so decide to try again in the morning. Then it is another meal, another shared bottle of wine, a convivial chat and bed.

Thursday we are away early before the warden comes for her promised chat. We decide to move up to Dolgelly where we can do an afternoon ride around the Mawddach estuary. However mid-morning the rains come so that becomes a non-starter. We stop at Morrisons’ in Aberystwyth for lunch where again we fail to raise the hostel. We carry on stopping at Corris only to find that also closed.  At Dolgelly the heavens open again,  so we decide to ring Bala. The first hostel is not open - then at last we are in at Bala Backpackers. We are met here by Stella the owner/warden best encapsulated in the words of Dylan Thomas’s,  “before you let the sun in mind it wipes its shoes!” She has travelled the world, settled in Bala, opened the hostel and seems to be a mother confessor to some of her younger guests. I guess she has seen some unruly backpackers in her time. However, it is clean, cheap and convenient with copious outdoor magazines to keep one occupied on this most inclement of evenings.

Morning and we drive round to Chirk station from where we can make a half day ride in the Ceiriog Valley. At last I manage for the first time to ride Church Hill – but this time it is downwards!  We had climbed high on to the ridge between Llangollen and Ceiriog before descending to Glyn Ceiriog. There is no café open so we stop at the pub for lunch and find the quality and service excellent.  In the afternoon we make a rapid ride down towards Chirk where we meet the Shropshire Union Canal to pass over the impressive aqueduct and continue through the 479 yards long Chirk Tunnel to arrive back at the car.

Finally, we left for home. We had had only two days of bad weather and through good fortune those were the days we were driving. The  other three days had been particularly clement. It had been an enjoyable trip - so, much so that we intend to win the Independent Hostels’ raffle again next year. You cannot break with tradition - can you?

 

John Kemp

 

Click here to see the photos of the Tour