There are three nice little bays on this section including Watwick and Mill Bays. The views from the cliff top were superb, enhanced by the changing nature of the light over the water. With differing thickness to the cloud cover the light that was coming through created magical effects over the Haven. At times it seemed we were almost walking in the dark, only for it to suddenly change as shards of light penetrated the grey skies. Of course, where the cloud was thick it was also very cold. With a cold stiff breeze it was hard to get the leg muscles warm and moving and the early walking was stiff-limbed and ponderous.
From West Blockhouse there is a good, narrow packed earth foot path passing above Mill Bay leading on to St Ann's Head which you have clear views of from some distance away. Mill Bay was the landing spot for Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and his troops in 1845 en-route to the battle of Bosworth where he defeated Richard III and founded the Tudor dynasty.
From the lighthouse there is now a path that takes you to the Cobbler's Hole which is known for the rock formations on its steep, almost vertical cliffs. There is both anticline and syncline folds in the Old Red Sandstone rock, which, unfortunately, our photographs did not capture clearly as we came at it from the wrong side. It can, however, be seen in this photograph by another hiker.
If you are interested in more information about the geology of the area, I found this short paper quite interesting.
From what I can gather the Vomit is so called because of the white foam-like substance that gather in the cove when the waves strike against the rocks.
Too taken up with the scenery here and not paying attention to the walking, I took a tumble when my feet became caught up in the long grass and weeds. No fall when you are carrying a forty pound pack is an easy one and, as well as turning my ankle I gave the back of my head a hard bump that resulted in a headache for the rest of the day.
Marloes Sands, despite the deteriorating weather, was as nice as we expected. With the tide still some way out and the sands exposed, it seemed huge and spacious. From the top of the Red Cliff we had long views along the beach, Gateholm Island guarding the western end of the beach. Despite its name, it is actually a tidal island and you can cross to it, with care, at low tide. Close to the landward end you can see clearly the gaps where the waters come in at high tide to cut of the main island feature. In the distant past it would have been an extension of the main land, the landbridge having become victim to the crashing sea. There are traces of use from over various time periods including the Roman/British period with evidence of roundhouses found on site. It was the site of a Time Team investigation in 2013. As well as the island, Time TEam also investigated the remains of an Iron Age fort on the mainland itself, slightly to the west of the island. Marloes Sands and the surrounding area are all in the care of the National Trust.
Cooking in the conditions would have been difficult but the campsite owner offered us the use of the barn, set up as a wee information centre and with fridges. After borrowing matches from him to light up the damp Jetboil, we soon had a hot dinner made and sat back to eat it watching and being watched by the swallows that were nesting in the roof of the barn. The one drawback about the site was the very drafty showers that we were determined to brave in the interests of hygiene. When you share a close-fitting two man tent some standards are non-negotiable. After dinner, we settled down in the tent to read and to try and find some warmth in the cosy sleeping bags. Despite the good bags we had, it was a cold, cold night with the sound of driving rain on the canvas stopping us from enjoying sleep of any length. What a lark!