It promises to be a roller coaster kind of day but with little challenging ascent or descent above 25 - 30 metres until the last section of the day when we have a steep climb up to Penbury Hill. The weather forecast is good and we expect to be walking in sunshine, but with the possibility of a cool breeze. It is pretty wild countryside and, apart from St Justinians, we do not expect to find any settlements of any great size, hence, we have provisioned in St David's for two or three days.
Our route brought us on to the coast just before the harbour of Porth Clais where there are toilets and a small coffee kiosk should you fancy a wee lift before heading out in to the countryside. This little 12th C harbour was once a busy port importing and exporting everyday items such as coal, grain and timber. On either side of the harbour there are the remains of the limekilns that once worked here and nearby was a gasworks, demolished in the 1960's. Owned now by the National Trust, the harbour is popular with people with small boats and canoes. It looked really lovely, quiet and serene in the early morning sunshine.
Moving towards the headland Carreg Fran, below the clifftop there are numerous caves and archways, including the natural arch between the coves of Ogof Lie-sugn & Ogof Golchfa. The waters around the archway are pristine and clear and the most wonderful shade of green. Looking off shore the sea is studded with little rock formations, including the plethora of islands that come off the bottom end of Ramsey. The sides of the of the path were a mixture of old dead bracken and new, bright green growth with clumps of wild flower running down the cliff top. As you turn the corner at Carreg Fran, looking through Porthlysigi Bay, Carn Llidi rises up in the background, looking much closer than it actually is.
Almost directly opposite the lifeboat station are the early 16th C ruins of St Justinian's Chapel. The current structure is thought to be built upon the site of an early-Christian church. The site was a place of pilgrimage for Medieval pilgrims, thereby raising money for the nearby cathedral of St David's. After some discussion, we decided to push on to Whitesands before stopping for a break.
The last effort of the day's walking was over a hilly section with one or two little but steep gullies, from one of which, at Aber-pwll, we struck uphill to our destination. Just before this, at Porth Tre-wen, we had a lovely view over Llechaucochion waterway. When we arrived at the adventure centre it was to find the place alive with school parties, but fortunately they were staying indoors and the camping fields were very empty.