Herefordshire Week 092: Tuesday 29 September – Monday 04 October 2021

An On Off On Off week in Pembs with rainy days and dry sunny days alternating. Breezy throughout.

Sunday morning stroll, Newgale Beach
Sunday morning stroll, Newgale Beach

Back home…. a couple of significant new things:

New car!

Say Hello to our New Car
Say Hello to our New Car

Wooden Floors!

The wooden flooring is laid
The wooden flooring is laid

Heavy rain overnight so Tuesday was deemed as day to spend in the van, reading and chatting until cheese on toast lunch. The afternoon held dry spells and we managed the walk around the Southwood Estate picking blackberries and sloes. We stewed the former in anticipation of a crumble on Thursday and froze the latter ready to make sloe gin. Tasty Cashew Nut Curry Risotto for dinner with cheese and biscuits after.


Wednesday was the sunny day of the week so we drove over to Marloes and walked on up to Martin’s Haven and around the headland to Marloes Sands, returning via roads and field footpaths.

Pembrokeshire Coast: Marloes Circuit
Pembrokeshire Coast: Marloes Circuit

Lots of seals and pups in the bays along the way. Lots of photos.

Seal pup perseveres (video, 20s)
Seal pup perseveres (video, 20s)

Tea and welsh cakes back at base and bit of relaxing before Maurice arrived and drove us to Nolton Haven for dinner at The Haven Brasserie. My first evening meal out for a long long time.


Back to rain on Thursday – light windswept showers and heavier spells. Leisurely start then into Narberth. A damp and drizzly potter around time with our buzzer from Ultracomida in order to get a place at their tapas table.

Worth the wait for a tasty tapas lunch then tea with Maurice, Outlet & Lidl shopping in H’west and back to base for the evening.

Rain resumed. We tucked into cheese and biscuits followed by blackberry and apple crumble.


A wet start Friday cleared to leave a breezy sunshine-filled day and so it was off to St Davids to walk the Coast Path from Caerfai to White Sands.

A smashing day, blackberry picking, seal watching and with coffee and cake at Porthclais Kiosk.

Seal pup
Seal pup
Swimming seal, St Davids Peninsula
Swimming seal, St Davids Peninsula

Steffi took the footpath route back into St Davids which cut down the long road section at the end and brings you into St Davids via the Cathedral and Bishops Palace. Lovely.

By the end we were all glowing from a day of sunshine and fresh air.

Whitesands Bay
Whitesands Bay

Back to the van for tea and a welsh cake then wine and nibbles, Lidl Deluxe pizzas, crumble and creme fraiche.

October started well.


Rain returned in the evening and continued in and off overnight and into Saturday, heavy. Lazy morning featuring bed coffee and a late breakfast, sloe gin production, reading and listening to podcasts. And a fab sunset.

Sunset from the van, Newgale
Sunset from the van, Newgale

Early rain cleared on Sunday morning and another bright and breezy day lured us down onto the beach for a low tide stroll.

Then it was packing up and off to Mayhem for one of Maurice’s slap up Sunday lunches. Well up to the usual high standard, even if the gathering was significantly smaller than usual. we’d not managed our Everest Trek Get Together as D&G had decided not to come in light of the petrol shortages and weather forecast.

Sunday lunch - veggie version
Sunday lunch – veggie version

Easy drive home dropping Hazel off at Carmarthen train station en route, returning to find the downstairs walls and skirting painted by Phil and the grass collector bit of the mower fixed by dad and Phil.

Phil managed half of the box of Sunday lunch leftovers I was sent home with…..


Quite a momentous day, Monday:

    1. We collected our new car. It’s a Fiat Panda 4×4, to cater for the icy roads and occasional floods as well as potholes, narrow country lanes and Hereford parking. We did a part-Ex on the Nissan, which made me realise how attached I’d become to it. Sniff.

      Goodby old car.... Hello new car
      Goodbye old car…. Hello new car
    2. The wooden flooring was laid in the hall, dining room and lounge.

      New flooring in the lounge, dining area and entrance hall - before, during & after
      New flooring in the lounge, dining area and entrance hall – before, during & after

TV: Grand Designs, Maid.

Podcasts / audiobooks: History Extra, Great Lives, Books and Authors.


Photos: Herefordshire week 92 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2021-10-03.