Thursday, August 16, 2012

Ferryside-Part Two


 



I can’t believe the last few days have flown by so quickly. We had an interesting drive down from Abertstwythn to Ferryside taking many side roads so that we might sample some of coastal Wales we had heard so much about. Our first stop was the town of Newport; mainly because it has, among other things, a well-marked tourist information office. The woman working there was very helpful in providing a map with viewpoints around the coast clearly marked out, her own recommendations and also a clear warning about places to avoid. She was also quick to point out some of the must-sees in her own town, and so we walked down to the estuary, along the path and back to our car. It was probably not the best of scenery in the world but it did give us a chance to stretch our legs before continuing our journey.
We picked Cardigan Bay and St David’s as the must-dos…and they were not disappointing. The small town of St David’s sells the best ice-cream, but we could have given the drive to Whitesands a miss. By this time S (as the driver) had seen enough of narrow roads and hedgerows that offered very little in the way of a view. We were very taken, after a reasonable walk from a carpark, with the cliffs at Dale. I think the walk between Dale and Martin’s Head would be a fantastic one for anyone with the time.
After a little confusion about where exactly in Ferryside Margot lived, we finally spotted her waving a silver fern flag. She directed us to her carpark, and by the time we walked back, she was talking to another kiwi in a car towing a caravan. She invited him back for a drink later on once he had settled. He arrived an hour or so later smothered in aftershave and he regaled us with chapters in his life including his broken marriages, deaths of family members including a son who sits on his shoulder wherever he goes, how he came to having bolts through his chest (he got S to feel them), his assets in Thailand , how he rescued an Irishman and was now travelling nowhere in particular around the UK. “You can buy a nursing home here for a song and clear at least eight hundred thousand pound a year,” he told us. And then he was gone heading for a jazz band somewhere in town. This was this start of our time with Margot.


The following morning we allowed ourselves some time to recover, and around 11, with Margot in the front seat, she directed us the small town of Laugharne where Dylan Thomas wrote Under Milkwood.  We spent some time there, visiting his grave in the churchyard and walking along beside the estuary to and from his home and boatshed where he did a lot of his writing. We also explored the town  itself and had a coffee in the pub where he used to drink.
We then drove to the town opposite Margot’s  called Llansteffan. our objective was to explore he ruins of Llansteffan Castle.

 This impressive ruin originated in the early 12th century, built by the Norman conquerors. We all loved climbing the last remaining stone staircase to take in better views of Ferryside. This castle would have been huge in its day.
We decided as a way of thanking Margot for her hospitality we would take her out for dinner. We had a lovely final evening together. In the morning we left early as we knew we had another big driving day to London.



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