It was a little bit overgrown at this point, shrubs crowding the edge of the hard earth path, interspersed with bright, wild flowers including Blue Bell and Ragged Robin. Here and there, little clumps of Marguerrites turned their bright yellow centres towards the sun on the horizon. On the sloping tops of the cliffs pink and white Sea Thrift sat at the feet of the Broom displaying yellow flowers, all of it highlighted against the bright green of the thick grasses. Seagulls floated effortlessly on the upward drafts above the cliffs, their harsh cry gathered up and taken away by the wind almost before it struck the senses.
We stopped just to take in the quiet of the morning, the wonderful vistas at all points of the compass, just being in the moment and gathering in that 'Mrs Dalloway' appetite for what we hoped would be an adventurous day. "What a lark! What a plunge!"
The first section to Musselwick Sands is fairly straightforward, albeit there is a lot of up and down, and there are no little bays or coves to distract you until you come to the Musselwick Sands. The walking was a little bit difficult at times because of the heavy growth and you could not always see where you were putting your feet. After my tumble yesterday in which I injured my ankle, I was a bit wary but after walking a short distance I forgot all about it. Early on I had some trouble with the bag and just could not get it comfortable. Despite trying to pack it the same way every day, there are just times when it refuses to sit right. Usually after a shift or two of straps, or sometimes a re-jigging of the contents and all is well.
Just before Musselwick Sands, I came across a female Wall Butterfly, sunbathing in the long grass at the tide of the path. Once fairly numerous in England, its numbers are dwindling and it now borders on being a threatened species. With some similarities to the frittillary butterflies, you need to look closely to accurately identify it.
On the little hill at the back of the Haven is the Church of St Bridget. It is known that the church was there in 1291, but may be earlier. There was an earlier church and cemetery down closer to the water but all trace of the church has disappeared. With the cemetery slowly disappearing under the waves, Dyfed Archaeological Trust completed a dig on the site in 2011, uncovering a number of 'cist' graves dating from 9th & 10th C. After four weeks of work and with no sign of the church uncovered, the graves were covered over again and left to the tender (sic) mercies of the sea.
At the back of the beach is a small building known as the pump house which contains a working Tangye engine and pumps that were used to take water up to the castle, a height of one hundred and eighty-five feet.
The route passes through Mill Haven where there were a number of limekilns. Just after leaving Mill Haven, on the hilltop we stopped at a sculpture known as 'Awakening', one of a series of five by the artist Alain Ayers (1989), known collectively as 'The Eyes of the Sea'. The location of the sculpture draws the eyes to the natural rock feature offshore called Stack Rocks, highlighting the relationship between sea and land. After the sculpture there is a steep gully as you drop down into Mill Haven, over a neat little bridge and then back to the relentless climb up to Borough Head.
I came across my second Wall Butterfly of the day here, againing sun bathing by the side of the grass. This time it was a small male.
It was not until the last minute that we actually saw Little Haven so quickly is it upon you. Our first attempt to drop down on to the beach was unsuccessful as there had been a landslip but we managed at the second attempt. Little Haven is a nice little harbour and fishing village and originally we had intended to stop here for lunch. Having stopped recently on the hillside we decided to bash on to its big brother up the coast, Broad Haven.
As we were preparing to head off, I realised that I had not turned on my Garmin GPS device after my little snooze on the hillside. For the eagle-eyed among you, that accounts for the route map showing us walking on water from Mill haven to BroadHaven. When turned on again it just creates a straight line to the last reading.
Pitched up, unpacked, dinner made and eaten and ready to settle for the night, I settled down in the sleeping bag and was soon 'gone with the wind'. Joanna continued to be active and was rewarded with a beautiful sunset over the bay. She told me the next morning that if I thought the scenery had been wonderful during the day, the light show at night was in a realm of fantasy. It felt as if the fairies had visited us and I had slept through the whole thing. No matter what your day has held for you, there is nothing like a stunning sunset to end the day.