pembroKeshire
A long weekend, 200 miles
away in South Wales, exploring an area of Britain new to me.
There is no easy, direct
and speedy route from Macc to Pembrokeshire. So we opted for the
interesting one. Over to Chester, avoiding Knutsford and the RHS
flower power attraction at Tatton Park, then the mountain route
via Bala Lake to lunch near Dolgellau.
The George
III Hotel at Penmaenpool. The Danger-sign on the redundant
signal post warns that 'Survivors will be prosecuted'.
The view from the Hotel
down the estuary of the River Mawddach.
Continuing our journey down
the coast road, the view back over the mouth of the Mawddach to
Barmouth with the peak of Diffwys in the rear and the rail/footbridge
across the estuary.
Looking north, the distant
Lleyn Peninsula and rain clouds. Those particular clouds missed
dumping on us but others took their place ...
... and I dashed out of
the car to grab this picture of an oversized undershot waterwheel.
The rain can be seen against the shadow under the eaves above
the wheel.
Under clearing and brightening
skies we reached our cottage home for the next four nights in
the middle of the Mynydd Preseli, the Bluestone Country, from
whence came the inner circle of stones at Stonehenge.
The Pembrokeshire
Coast National Park, set up in 1952, is one of the smallest
National Parks and covers only 225 square miles but is the only
one that is predominantly coastal. The Preseli Hills are the only
inland and upland area within the Park and are also one of the
major concentrations of prehistoric sites. This standing-stone
was in the field opposite our cottage.
The Gellifawr
Hotel in evening sunlight.
Setting off in the morning
on our first sortie into the area this tableau caught our attention.
These platforms, still around on roadsides near farms, are where
milk-churns, such as the three here, were deposited by the farmer,
full of milk, to be collected by the Milk Marketing Board lorry
and exchanged for empties. The inclusion of the pottery sheepdog
and puppy in typical pose was the first manifestation we had of
the friendly openness and humour of the local people.
We didn't have much further
to go before we met another much more extensive example of this
trait. But it was the the splash of colour from the building and
the flowers that caught our eye and signalled a 'photy-stop'.
....
The Post Office at Llanychaer,
apparently sited in a private house, has been lovingly decorated
and embellished with domestic and agricultural impedimenta, sometimes
in a stylish and humorous manner. The milk churns stand next to
a butter churn with varnished timber and fresh painted metal work.
The retaining wall of the parking area incorporates the oven door
of an old kitchen range and items that stood on the mantelpiece
above - a candle in its holder, hurricane lamp, wooden spoon and
ladle, briar pipes for smoking and even Grandma's false teeth
(at left). None of these items were secured against theft or vandalism
- though whether they are taken in at night for safe keeping,
I know not.
Above the town, in clearing
weather, our first sight of Fishguard Bay.
Continued
in Part II
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VISTAS
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