West Wales

Quick Tips:

Take water and a hat for the coastal path as some parts are miles from the nearest shop and there is little shade if the sun starts beating down, which it does, even in Wales.

Best Way To Get Around:

There is a communal kitchen which is small but adequately equipped. The dining area offers fine views of the sea, as does the reading room and TV room. The hostel does do food and for £5-10 you can have a three-course meal. We had soup, chicken, jacket potato, peas, salad, bread, ice cream, and coffee, though there is a wide choice each evening. You can also purchase wine and beer at reasonable prices or bring your own. I'd recommend eating at the hostel as the only pub in town gets very busy unless you go early, though it too has great food.

The staff are very helpful and even double as staff at the pub! A great hostel for families, walkers, or passing tourists.

For £5 you can have a lovely dinner - we had cold turkey, potato salad, fresh green salad, coleslaw, and then raspberry cheesecake. The warden/owner Ken was very helpful and offered you more food, in fact he seemed upset we couldn't eat more. They also have a wide range of wines and beers for sale with your meal.

The hostel is a little remote and access without a car wouldn't be easy, the main road is over a mile walk away, along country lanes that would be very dark at night.

I'd recommend this hostel as a great base for exploring the surrounding area, with easy access to St. David's, Solva, and the beaches of Newgale.

The hostel is purely self catering and is small but adequate. The finest feature of the hostel is the conservatory overlooking the cliff view, great for sitting in with a bottle of wine and a bowl of pasta after a hard days walking. The staff are very friendly and helpful. My only word of warning is to book early for this hostel as it's popular with scout groups and other youth groups. This is one of those places that has to be visited just once, hopefully when it's clear and sunny as it could be bleak in the cold and wind !

The hostel when we visited was being run by volunteers and so although they were helpful, knew nothing about the area since they were from Yorkshire. However, the hostel was converted from an old school in 1995, so everything is new and smart. The rooms are adequate and the showers hot and very powerful (I switched it on and was propelled into the corner of the shower cubicle!). This hostel is also self catering only but has a huge kitchen and with the local abundance of pubs and cafes, really only cooking breakfast is necessary. A great hostel for families as there is plenty to do in the surrounding area, the beach, Castell Henllys (Iron Age village)is near by as is the ancient burial chamber Pentre Ifan.

The rooms are adequate and the toilet, shower facilities good. A cottage on the other side of the road offers a common room, further dorms and facilities. The kitchen isn't very large but manageable. The hostel is self catering only and the nearest pub is five miles away. From a walking perspective there are lots of forests and waterfalls to take in and you could easily use this as a base for a week's walking.

We arrived about 6pm for food thinking this was early however at 6:15pm we grabbed the last table available in the upstairs 'Captain's Table Restaurant'. Although the upstairs is called a restaurant it's just a quieter area to eat the same food as you can order downstairs in the bar but since this is a small pub and very very busy, getting a table is tricky.

The food however is superb. In the restaurant we were served by a very helpful and nice lady called Sue. I had pork chop with red wine and cranberry gravy, fresh new minted Pembrokeshire potatoes and peas. Sadly the peas were tinned but the rest of the meal was wonderful. My partner had a beef and ale pie that was huge and came with potatoes and peas. We were too full to attempt dessert but there was a good range to choose from and Sue will fetch you extra drinks from the car if need be.

In summary, good food, reasonably priced with good service in a very popular pub.

The menu had a wide range of food but we both opted for a Welsh Black Beef Curry with poppodums, pilau rice and mango chutney. We smelt it before we saw it and it was divine. For dessert, I had the Cambrian speacial - blakc cherries wrapped in pancakes with icecream and a cherry and cream sauce - this was sheer heaven. My partner had a very nice apple pie an cream.

The food here is wonderful, the staff helpful and friendly and the whole atmosphere is laid back and pleasant.

A great meal and really friendly staff. It is clearly a busy place with the locals as well as tourists and I wish we'd had time to go back and try something else.

The coastal path is superbly signposted and maintained with excellent maps for purchase too incase you want to meander off the path on circular trails or to places of interest. It's also the only coastal national park in Britain and arguably one of the best NP's.

You need to book accommodation ahead as it gets very busy and after a long day trekking up and down cliffs you don't want to find yourself without a bed. There are lots of youth hostels and B&B's along the route. Pwll Deri youth hostel is probably the most stunning on the path.

Also allow yourself time to visit some of the pretty villages, for exaple Solva is a great place to stop for icecream. You'll need to allow yourself time to see St. David's and the other intersting sites along the way.

The flora is wonderful, in May it was a mass of bluebells, soft green bracken, foxgloves and pink flowers with buzzing bumble bees everywhere. We even managed to see some seals and hundreds of birds.

the castle is privately kept and is open from 9:30am-6pm April-October and 10am-4pm November to February. During the summer months the castle also hosts falconry displays and medieval exhibits.

The tidal mill can be reached from the castle on a one mile circular walk which is clearly signposted and offers an all round view of the castle. The mill is Wales' only working tidal mill and one of only three in Britain. It has been restored by the national park authority. It works like this -- the tide fills the millpond twice a day and some of the water is released through a sluice gate which turns an underground wheel and drives the cornmill inside. The mill is displayed on 3 floors and each floor has a button to press for a description of what you are looking at and how it works -- this is particularly good and offers a good insight into the works of this unusual place.

You can buy a joint ticket for the castle and tidal mill for £3 and they're open from 10am-5pm Easter to October.

On your way past the tidal mill there is also a small shop (doubling as an art studio) which sells fantastic ice cream as well as homemade bara brith and other cakes.

This really is an interesting and unique insight into how Iron Age man lived and would be enjoyed by adults and children alike.

First stop is the Dan-yr-Ogof cave, discovered in 1912 by two brothers. You enter through a couple of sets of doors designed to keep the temperature and then follow the path through the cave, there are lights along the way and stalactites and stalacmites everywhere. There are also pools and rivers, it is beautiful and goes on for miles. You exit out the same way and continue on the the Cathedral Cave discovered in 1953.

The lake is fed by two large waterfalls and the noise of the water is wonderful, you can even walk between them and surprisingly not get wet ! Then it's on around the dinosaurs, hundreds of life size models all with name tags and informtation, this is the bit the kids love best. After that there is a climb up some steep steps to Bone Cave, so named as there have been 42 human skeletons found there, most dating back 3000 years to the Bronze Age. You need to put on a hard hat and bend down (not good if you have a bad back) and then enter the cave. Once inside you can stand up and view the spectacular exhibit and listen to the hostory around the cave.

Once you've finished with the caves then you can visit the Shire Horse Centre and for children there is Barney Owl's playground, which is inside a converted barn. The Showcaves have something for everyone and are amazing.

Here you will find St. Non's Chapel. Non was St. David's mother (St. David is the patron saint of Wales). The Chapel is small, but pretty. Continue on along the coastal path to Porthclais Harbour.

Walk along the inlet road, then turn right and take the footpath immediately on your right beside the wooden gate. The views of the harbour are lovely. Follow the footpath through Porthclais Farm and on past Warpool Court hotel. (The path is between fields and the long grass can be very wet). Turn left onto the St. Non's Road and follow it into St. David's, turn right into Goat Street and follow it to Cross Square. Here is a good place to stop and visit the cathedral (which is down to your left) or have a coffee in one of the many cafes.

To get back to the carpark, continue up the High Street and the visitor's centre will be on your right.

Once back down on the main path continue to the next stile and follow the coastal path westwards for about 2km. This is where you should keep an eye out for the rare chough -- they're black with red legs and make a strange noise. Also there are seals along here in the coves.

After you pass Porth-y-Dwfr, take the signposted track inland above the cove of Porth-gwyn and climb steeply (actually it's really very long and steep) between Carn Treliwyd and Carn Ffald. If you haven't collapsed at the top, continue down the other side to the settlement of Treleddyd Fawr. Walk through the farmyard, turn right and walk down the tarmac lane. Turn left at the lane and follow it round the edge of the settlement. Bear right onto the footpath past Ty Uchaf (a house with the name outside), cross the next field, turn right down the track to Trelewyd Farm and continue on to the road. Turn left on the road and follow back to your car.

I did this path earlier in the morning before most people were out and about and, for the first two-thirds of it, saw nobody - it was beautiful and peaceful. I'd recommend you take water and supplies as it is a bit strenous in places, but the views make it worth the effort.

The cathedral itself is hidden from view by the hills and you find yourself coming across it rather unexpectedly. The spectacular grey cathedral has been added to over the years but commands a beauty that surpasses most cathedrals. Inside the beauty of the columns and wooden roof give this cathedral an amazing feeling. Walk around slowly in the hope the organ will start off - the bass notes shake your body and St. David's is rumoured to have the best accoustics of any cathedral. The chance to see a concert here shouldn't be missed, details can be obtained from the tourist information office.

This is one of the finest cathedrals I have visited and shouldn't be missed. I plan to return at some point as the views and power of the place are quite extraordinary.

Between the Palace and Cathedral is a pleasant little giftshop and the River Alun (a stream by some standards), but pretty nonetheless.

You need at least a half day to do full justice to the Cathedral, Bishop's Palace and immediate area, so allow for it and then perhaps take the circular walk in the afternoon taking in Porthclais and St. Non's (see separate journal entry).

Another word of advice would be to arrive early or later in the day as around 11am, the tour buses start dropping off their hoards and it starts to get crowded.

Your tour begins with a short video in the lift wheel room. Then you follow your tour guide (a genuine retired miner) to a seating area for a second video. The wax characters in the room speak so hold onto small children who are prone to leaping from their seats at such things. Then comes the exciting bit - the mock up mine. In truth, you don't go very far underground, but you feel as though you have. You see and have explained to you how the coal was extracted and transported and get to ask lots of questions to which the guides know all the answers. Then it's off to a simulated ride back to the surface - it's a bit Indiana Jones-like, so again, hold on to the children, as they are likely to love this bit and scream, etc. After this is another short video explaining about the brass bands, the life of the miners outside of the mine, and the demise of mining in the area.

This is one of the best mines I have ever been to and far exceeds the slate mine tours in north Wales. This a must visit for anyone particularly those interested in the mining industry or the historical era of mining and the most famous valley in Wales - The Rhondda.

Strumble Head itself is a white lighthouse sat on an island linked to the mainland by a small bridge. (The lighthouse will blind you several times if approaching via the path from Pwll Deri so watch your footing.) There is a viewing point out to sea, just past the lighthouse. This area is a good viewing spot for passing whales and dolphins. Whilst I was sat retying my boot we spotted some porpoises feeding and were able to sit watching them for some time. Seals are also regular visitors to this area though we didn't see any, possibly because we were too absorbed with the porpoises or possibly because they weren't around.

Strumble Head is worth a visit whether you are driving or walking past, you never know what wildlife will be on view and if there isn't any it's still a beautiful spot.

There are several things to do here, the first is to take a look at the limestone kilns on the beach. Another option is to take the coastal path up on to the top for a full biew of the caostline and harbour area -- it's beautiful up here. If however, you've had enough coastal views the town has some lovely craft and arty shops as well as a number of pubs (see Cambrian Inn entry). There is a large Welsh shop selling touristy items as well as local craft items and a good range of maps and walking routes. A gallery further along the road hosts a surprisingly large cafe at it's rear and some lovely icecream, follow the small signs through the gallery to the back.

Solva was a surprise as it was lively and had lots to look at. A great place to stop for lunch if nothing else.