Llwybr yr Arfodir

Yes, believe it or not, that does actually mean something. The language is Welsh, and if you haven't guessed, that's what they apparently speak in Wales. It's odd though, because even though everything (road signs, menus, brochures, etc.) is printed in both languages, I never heard anyone actually speak it. I think it's almost a pride thing; keep the language around to show your heritage even though it's the weirdest language anyone has ever seen.

There really are some amazing pics to go along with this post, take a look at: http://picasaweb.google.com/bbergey/PembrokeshireNationalParkUK

So the title of this post translates as "Coastal Path," and it is referring to the 186 mile long hiking trail that follows the coastline of Pembrokeshire National Park in Southern Wales. I decided National Parks would be a good destination for me to travel to and this is the one I picked first. I researched the trail, found the most strenuous section, and set off by train last Friday to Fishguard Harbor, a small coastal town/harbor in the National Park.

The train was surprisingly nice and it took about 4.5 hours to get there. I haven't actually looked at the map to see how far it is from London. The train moved pretty quick but also made a lot of stops. I met a family from Colorado on my way there. They live in Leadville and have a place in Boulder. They were in England celebrating their twin daughters 18th birthdays. They were taking the ferry to Ireland from Fishguard the next day so the girls could drink on their birthday.

The train arrived in Fishguard at 1:45pm, but I missed the bus I had planned to take up the coast a couple miles to shorten my hike for the day. So instead I had to start hiking from town which made for a 14.7 mile day. I hiked up the coast and needed to keep moving because of the late start, but that didn't stop me from taking way too many pictures along the way. The coastline is absolutely beautiful. It followed the ins & outs and ups & downs of the coastline which made it pretty tough. It is also one of the most isolated sections of the entire trail although there are a few very small settlements at some of the easily accesible points along the trail. Every turn I made I saw something else amazing. It was an impressive mix of stunning coastal views and classic rural wales. I could often stand in one spot and see craggy cliffs with endless coasts, then turn the other direction and see livestock grazing near farmhouses and hills covered with fields. As the afternoon went on the sun came out and I couldn't stop taking pictures. I arrived in the village of Newport, my destination for the first night, around 8pm...not bad for over 14 miles.

Newport is probably the most beautiful town I've ever seen. When I first turned the corner and saw it from afar it looked great. But as I got closer it kept getting better. It sits on a huge beach with awesome cliffs on each side. It's small enough to be very quaint and classic, yet big enough to have a couple pubs and resturaunts. The hostel where I stayed was very nice. I was pretty tired so I showered, got some pizza, read a magazine in the lounge and hit the sack. I woke up a number of times overnight hearing rain falling on the roof, which had me question my plans for the next day.

The section of the trail from Newport to the north end of the trail at Poppit Sands Beach is the most strenuous and remote section of the trail. It is 13.8 miles long and had only one escape by road. Even though it was raining, I decided that I went to hike the trail, so I better do it! I got the raingear and pack on and started hiking. It really wasn't so bad...the temp was not cold and the rain was somehow peaceful. Within 30 minutes my feet were sloshing because the rain made a lot of brush fall over the trail which means my legs brushed against it and the water fell to my shoes. It also made the trail pretty slick and there were a number of very steep sections...I slipped and fell 3 times. A number of times I was a couple steps away from falling a few hundred feet off a cliff to the water below. It was pretty cool and the gloomy day definitely changed the atmosphere from the sunny day before. As the day wore on, I got more tired of being in the wind and rain and just kept going. I got to the Poppit Sands hostel around 3:30pm, another great time for hiking nearly 14 miles. Unfortunatley the end of the trail doesn't end in a town, so there was a coast guard station and a small cafe. I ended up getting a ham filled roll (ham sandwich) and some hot chocolate. Then ordered another filled roll for dinner since I didn't really feel like eating more tortillas and peanut butter that I had brought with me. When I went back to the hostel to check in, they did have some food to buy so I bought a can of soup to have with my roll. The hostel itself was not as nice as the night before, but the location and views were unbeatable. It sat up on the hill and had a wonderful view of the inlet and the beach.

On Sunday morning I got up early to catch a bus back down to Fishguard. It allowed me to see rural Wales up close. The roads are so narrow too! I explored Fishguard for a couple hours, but it was pretty uneventful since most places were closed on Sunday. I caught my train at 2:30pm and got back to London in the evening...just enough time to go to bed and get up for work the next day.

It was an excellent trip and was the first of many many more to come. I found a magazine that is the UK equivalent of Backpacker in the States, so I already have my next few locations in mind. Now I just need to meet some people who are interested in hiking way too many miles each day and roughing it in tents and hostels. I'm sure in time I will.

I could have written a lot more but I didn't want to make this too long and boring. If you have any questions, thoughts or want to hear more, just let me know!