Herefordshire Week 144: Tuesday 27 September – Monday 03 October 2022

Meeting L and Everest Trek Get Together No. 17.

Hazel, Steffi and Dave on Newgale beach
Hazel, Steffi and Dave on Newgale beach

Powered through more of the admin pile on Tuesday morning, work in the afternoon, and down the road taking dinner for T & J – and new arrival L! Lovely evening.

BAU Weds and Thurs, but no Family Zoom as dad and Jean were on their Northern Tour.


H arrived 10pm Thursday evening (Mary-the-taxi arrived at HFD a little later….), allowing for a cheese and wine supper once home. And a late night. H had very kindly brought the 9 tubs of (still frozen) damsons I’d left in her freezer – my post-Picos rucksack had proved too full to fit them in.

Cloud and damp on Friday, so H and I headed into Hereford for library, a look around and lunch. I think it’s the longest I have spent mooching around Hereford’s clothes shops ever. Nice! Plus lunch at All Saints / Bill’s Kitchen, Pembs contributions purchased from M&S / Waitrose and a leisurely look around Wren Kitchens….

Home to unload / repack, a cup of tea, then off West to Steffi’s for Everest Trek Get Together No. 17!


A smashing weekend – curries on arrival at Mayhem, then over to Newgale for our final stay in the current caravan.

Saturday was sunnier than expected, perfect for a circular coastal walk from Marloes, seal spotting, blackberry picking and lunching at the superb Runwayskiln. Very glad Steffi had booked!

Seals, Marloes
Seals, Marloes
Al fresco aperitif, Runwayskiln
Al fresco aperitif, Runwayskiln

Sunday’s forecast had been rain rain rain, so waking up to blue skies came as a surprise. An hour or so helping S pack up the contents of her kitchen, which D Jenga-Tardissed into his Touran, just time for a short walk along the beach (high tide imminent), then off to Mayhem for Sunday lunch. M, M & C did not disappoint.

Sunday lunch
Sunday lunch

3pm-ish, D & H headed off for Newport, and I drove home.

Another fab weekend.


VIP news from Phil while I was away: he’d seen goldfish in the pond!


Spent most of Monday preparing my talk for Kingstone’s Sunshine Club. N’s mum had suggested me earlier in the year, and I’d agreed to give a talk about Nepal. I’d planned to just do a “My first visit was in 2005 and this is what I saw/did …. My first trek was in…. ” etc but as I was pulling photos together into a Flickr Album I decided themes was the way to go – cities, villages and farms; transport, roads and bridges; homes, crops and animals; rivers, hills and mountains – and that worked much better.


TV: The Eddy, Grand Designs, Ghosts.

Podcasts: Not really any other than History Extra ones I fell asleep to (intentionally). Busy workdays sometimes lead to sketchy sleeping.


Photos: Herefordshire week 144 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2022-10-02

Herefordshire Week 120: Tuesday 12 – Monday 18 April 2022

Picked up the Panda. Easter weekend in Pembs = Everest Trek Get Together No 16 = More puffins. And cake.

Puffin, Skomer Island
Puffin, Skomer Island

Tuesday’s main event was picking up the Panda from Ponthir after its service. Expensive. Let’s hope it’s an investment.


Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday were work, but Thursday to Tuesday were spent in Pembrokeshire with Steffi, Hazel, Dave and Gwyneth for Everest Trek Get Together No 16it’s been a while – and my birthday.


Hazel arrived Wednesday evening, and Phil and I picked her up from Hereford train station after an Aldi/Sainsbury’s shop-a-thon.

Easy drive to Steffi’s on Thursday morning. Lunch, then a walk around Minwear Woods before driving on to Newgale via Lidl (supplies) and Morrisons Petrol (163.9p/l) in H’west.

Friday dawned a grey day, so we scrapped our plans to walk north from St David’s and walked around the Peninsula from Caerfai to Whitesands instead.

Around the St David's Peninsula from Caerfai to Whitesands: View from the path
Around the St David’s Peninsula from Caerfai to Whitesands: View from the path

No dolphins in Ramsey Sound, but good coffee and cake at Porthclais and a solitary seal near St Justinian’s. And sunshine by the end. Dave and Gwyneth arrived in the evening bringing Easter treats and Indian starters and sides for the traditional Friday Night Curry.

Saturday was Skomer day! Puffins and porpoises, rabbits and seals. Smashing. Young Jim was a brilliant host for the boat trip there and back.

Puffins afloat, Skomer Island
Puffins afloat, Skomer Island
Rabbit, Skomer Island
Rabbit, Skomer Island

After a wash and brush up back at the van it was off to Nolton Haven for a delicious dinner at The Haven. Highly recommended.

Easter Sunday was another cool day – unlike the South East which was spending the Easter weekend in record breaking temperatures. Still, good weather for a stroll around the Southwood Estate, taking in some of the new footpaths towards Nolton Haven. A drizzly, damp afternoon did not deter me from heading out to walk Newgale Beach end to end before driving the gang to Mayhem for one of Maurice’s traditional slap up Sunday Dinners. We were not disappointed.

Pembrokeshire Easter Weekend: Carmen's Amazing Birthday Cake
Pembrokeshire Easter Weekend: Carmen’s Amazing Birthday Cake

Another smashing walk along the coast path on Monday: Caerfai to Newgale via Solva. Sunshine all the way, and an ice cream at the end. In the evening, Mexican and Margaritas rounded off a lovely holiday.

St David's to Newgale along the Coast Path: Porth-y-Bwch
St David’s to Newgale along the Coast Path: Porth-y-Bwch
Mexican and Margaritas to round off a lovely day
Mexican and Margaritas to round off a lovely day

Walks Round Up


TV:  Peaky Blinders (series 6), Russian Doll

Audiobook: The Confession – Jessie Burton

Podcasts: You Must Remember This


Photos: Herefordshire week 120 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2022-04-17.

Everest Trek Get Together No 15

Another fab weekend in Pembrokeshire, with Steffi and Maurice, Hazel, Charles and Dave.

Summary: A gig in Tenby on Friday courtesy of Maurice and his band, and a wet walk along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path on Saturday doing a figure of eight from West Angle Bay. Sunday stroll around the Southwood Estate with blue sky views out over Newgale Beach, then another of Maurice’s Marvellous Sunday Lunches, with crumble by Carmen. Painful train journey home.

For photos, take a look at my Flickr Album: Everest Trek Get Together No 15. Read on for the detail.

Friday followed its usual pattern – train from Paddington, rendezvous with Dave at Newport, generous G&Ts on arrival at Mayhem followed by one of Steffi’s curry feasts. Then the evening diverged from the norm, as we headed over to Tenby to watch Maurice and his band in a gig at The Lifeboat Tavern. Brilliant!

A late night drive got us to Newgale, Steffi’s caravan, and bed.

No photos… I always fail to get any of the array of curries. Must be the aperitif.

Saturday‘s weather forecast offered 50% chance of light rain and moderate winds for our stroll around the headland from Angle to Freshwater West and cutting across the peninsula to East Angle Bay and back through the long, narrow village to West Angle Bay.

The 50% was not in our favour. We got a morning of very wet Welsh rain, and grey views out to sea as we walked this section of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path.

Wet Walk from West Angle Bay
Wet Walk from West Angle Bay

The rain eased off as we headed back towards Angle through, looking across to Milford Haven with views of the refinery, tankers and Irish Ferries arriving into port. Walking along Angle’s medieval main street, the nineteenth-century Estate-built hotels and houses standing out somewhat, we were passed by a vintage car rally. A fine parade, although we became rather concerned when we realised they were also heading to the Wavecrest Cafe, down at West Angle Bay.

Fortune smiled on us, and we managed to get a corner table for five, and the ladies who run the cafe were super efficient. We were tucking into Welsh Cheddar and Leek Tart (me), Bacon & Brie Baguettes (H & S) and bowls of steaming Cawl (D&C) within 10 mins. Five stars for the Wavecrest Cafe, team and food. Highly recommended!

As blue skies put in a determined appearance above us, we headed out to do the other half of the Angle peninsula, 3.7 miles along the coast path and back via the Pele Tower House with its spiral staircase, arrow slit windows and views of the stone dove cote. Angle has an ancient history.

Information Board: East Angle Bay
Information Board: East Angle Bay

We made it back to the Wavecrest Cafe with 15 mins to spare for pots of tea, tasty cakes and a warm welcome back, even though they were shutting up at 4pm. A really impressive bunch of women run that place.

Home and dry by 5pm, we had time for more tea and the papers as the rain pelted down outside.

Wine, soup and Cardigan bread lasted until 9pm when sleep called.

Sunday dawned with clear skies and a colder breeze. A light breakfast then out to the beach and then up on the footpaths to and through Southwood Estate, as discovered by Gwyneth and Dave this summer. A smashing stroll from Pinch Hill to Maidenhall Car Park, then back along the coastal path above Newgale Beach. Great views out to Grassholm and Skomer.

Newgale Beach Panorama
Newgale Beach Panorama

A speedy drive back to Mayhem via Aldi, for another Marvellous Maurice Sunday Lunch, with Carmen’s Blackberry and Apple Crumble for afters.

Sunday lunch
Sunday lunch

Full rabbit to Newport, where our scheduled return to London was scuppered by GWR. Our train broke down at Cardiff, the weekend engineering works were overrunning, there were rolling stock chaos and staffing shortages. AKA loads of cancelled trains. We took the station staff’s advice and jumped on a train to Bristol Temple Meads, only to find the next London train was cancelled, so we had an hour to wait. We got into Paddington at 20.44. Delay Repay submitted this morning. Now we just need to give GWR twenty working days to process it….. I think they’ll be busy.

Everest Trek Get Together No 14

On a sedate train service heading towards Cardiff, after another lovely weekend in Pembs, this time combining the 14th Everest Trek Get Together with the start of Steffi’s birthday celebrations.

Friday featured generous G&Ts followed by curry and then the onward drive Newgale and the Van. Dave and Gwyneth had met us in Newport with the usual smooth station rendezvous and a drive West that was somewhat wetter than desired.

The damp theme resurfaced on Saturday this time accompanied by strong winds – the forecast had promised heavy rain and winds over the 50mph mark, and proved accurate. The morning was slightly less bad, and we ventured out along the road to the cafe/paper shop. Huge waves and steady rain kept almost everyone else inside. The return walk, into the wind, took 6 mins longer than the outbound leg. A day in the caravan seemed the sensible option, with D&G driving back to the Duke of Cambridge to watch Wales romp to victory in the Six Nation final. We celebrated that and Steffi’s birthday minus 3 days with ginger tiffin, tea and sparklers.

Steffi and I ventured out to watch sunset from the beach, catching a final shower en route but one that delivered a wonderful full rainbow over the caravan park. Beautiful sunset, the sea still strong.

Sunset after the storm, Newgale Beach
Sunset after the storm, Newgale Beach

Back in the van, present opening followed together with further toasts, of champagne this time, accompanied by crisps from the pub. We dined on Steffi’s special soup, Cardigan bread, hummus and carrot sticks, cheese and biscuits.

Then bed.

Leisured breakfast on Sunday. No rain and crystal clear skies out over St Brides Bay. A beautiful walk along the beach, busy with walkers and dogs. Lovely.

Sunday stroll on Newgale Beach
Sunday stroll on Newgale Beach

Back to Mayhem for continued celebrations with more champagne and a slap up Sunday lunch cooked by Maurice and Maria. Yes, we did visit the Aisles of Aldi en route. It’s tradition.

Sunday lunch bonanza!
Sunday lunch bonanza!

Hazel and I caught the 15.54 from Whitland, changed onto the GWR service at Swansea and are whiling away the journey back to London listening to podcasts / watching downloads. Currently at Cardiff where our naturally quiet carriage now has a lady putting the world to rights on a phone call…

Everest Trek Get Together No 13

No Unlucky No. 13 for us! In fact magically lucky, yet again, on the weather front.

Friday: Lunchtime train to Newport. Rendezvous with Dave, then west to Steffi’s for a stroll in Canaston Woods followed by G&Ts, curries and port…. uh oh. Then on to Newgale and the caravan in the company of Phil and Lesley.

Saturday: A late start, handily missing the rain. The Puffin Shuttle from Newgale to St David’s, then south along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Late lunch at The Cambrian Inn, Solva, then on via The Gribin and Gwadn to Newgale.

On the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, between Solva and Newgale
On the Pembrokeshire Coast Path between Solva and Newgale

A superb sunset over St Bride’s Bay.

Sunset, Newgale beach
Sunset, Newgale beach

Sunday: A stroll on the beach ….

Newgale beach
Newgale beach

…. then LUNCH!

Sunday lunch
Sunday lunch