Tenby (Dinbych-y-pysgood), Wales - Day 5

Thursday, June 12

Today's blog is being written while watching the Brazil vs Croatia opening game of the World Cup. We had dinner at a pub in Tenby tonight and every TV set was tuned to the opening ceremony so it is going to be a big few weeks of soccer while we're in the UK.

Today we headed off to visit a couple of little towns near Tenby, namely New Hedges which had a market and car boot sale, and Saundersfoot which has a little harbour (again at low tide) and a beautiful beach.

Saundersfoot harbour at low tid

Today was forecast to be sunny and over 20 so we decided to do the boat trip to Caldey Island which is just off the coast from Tenby. The sun certainly brings the Welsh out and the beaches were very busy for a Thursday. Tenby has 3 beautiful beaches, all facing different directions, so you can always find a sheltered spot.

A very British sign advertising deck chairs!

Jetty and passenger walkway for boarding boats at low tide

Due to the tides the locals have been very inventive and when the harbour is dry at low tide they use a tractor to launch a jetty and walkway straight from the south beach. We boarded without getting our feet wet and set off for the 20 minute journey. The sea was calm so our trip was very pleasant and relaxing. We all came to life though when the skipper pointed out a dolphin swimming beside us as we approached Caldey Island.

On the boat to Caldey Island

The "duck" we used to get ashore

At Caldey Island we were surprised to find we had to get on to an old Army "duck" to be taken to the dock because the tide was out, so it was quite a novel journey. Caldey has been inhabited since the Stone Age and has been home to various orders of monks since Celtic times. It is now owned by monks of the Cistercian Order, and the village includes an Abbey, a couple of churches of various vintages, a post office and a few different shops and cafés. The gift shop sells shortbread and chocolate made by the monks, and they also make perfumes which are sold in the Perfume shop.

The shop, Abbey and Post Office on Caldey Island

We decided to do the "cliff walk" which leads to the Lighthouse so set off and thoroughly enjoyed the sun and scenery along the way. We came across the Old Priory that has a medieval courtyard and a leaning spire and inside houses the Ogham Stone, an ancient stone inscribed in Celtic script.

The Old Priory with a leaning spire ( or is that two?)

The views from the Lighthouse were stunning and, being such a clear day, we could see the coast of North Devon in the distance. The Welsh coastline is very rugged and beautiful and we felt quite isolated on this serene island. Although it was very calm today, it was obvious the Lighthouse is a vital landmark for navigation here.

The Lighthouse

View along the coast

The last boat left at 4:30pm and although we were running short on time on our way back, we stopped to have a look at St. David's church that contains the island's graveyard. Inside there were some beautiful stained glass windows - very different to usual church windows as they were quite small but beautifully made to catch the sun and highlight the colours in them.

St. David's Church

Tree of Life stained glass window in St. David's church

As this was our last night in Tenby we couldn't leave without one last walk past the harbour on the way back to our B&B and it looked magnificent bathed in the late afternoon sunshine. It's been a lovely place to stay and a beautiful part of Wales to explore and we can fully recommend it.

Terrific Tenby

 

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