Pembrokeshire Coastal Path Day 3

Corston to Hundleston
Distance 21.5 miles
Ascent 650m
Weather warm and sunny

After a very nice stay at Cawston House, we were off at about 9.20am, laden down with lunch and a light dusting of dog hairs. We retraced our steps down the bridleway but thankfully they we didn't need to use the footpath of doom again, as we turned off down a lane instead, as the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path follows roads for a while here. The lane was quiet except for some coaches and a tractor bedecked with spikes.

At Castlemartin we joined the Castlemartin Range permissive path, mostly grassy, where we obeyed the do not stray from the path or you may die signs. As warned, there were loud bangs heard on and off during the morning.

At Freshwater West we got sandy wet feet crossing the beach, and then we went up on to the clifftops. I think I need to find some other words for cliffs.

This section of the Coastal Path is described as strenuous. So what we thought we would do is to do this section along with some of tomorrow's too.

The path follows the coast mostly up on the cliffs but with steep ups and downs to coves along the way. Some of the decents were knee jarringly steep and the climbs hard work but with less fear of slipping. We went down and up about 6 or 7 times, including Black Cave, East Pickard Bay, West Pickard Bay, Guttle Hole, where we disturbed a buzzard and then saw a Peregrine having a sit.

Sheep Island was bereft of sheep but there were a couple of grey seals on the rocks between the island and the mainland. We heard them grunting before we saw them.

At East Blockhouse there are quite a few look out posts on the rock faces, including one that allegedly dates from Henry the Eighth's time. It is now inhabited by horses, which was unexpected. The lookout looks out over Rat Island, we didn't see any rats either but they are harder to spot than sheep. Maybe they had gone for a swim.

Further around the coast into West Angle Bay is Thorn Island, with a big imposing building on it that is actually a hotel. It made me think of Chateau d'If from the Count of Monte Cristo.

We stopped for refreshments at the pub in Angle and then followed the path along a driveway then along the edge of fields at the side of the estuary. On the rocky shoreline there were some curlew and some swans swimming in the sea, which I'm not sure I knew they did.

We walked around Angle Bay, under the oil refinery along a lane. This was flat but quite tiring on the feet. We stopped at Popton Fort (built in the 1860s to defend the town of Milford Haven, there's a matching one on the other side) for a short break so Rob could put some tape on his foot. There were ants. Again.

The Oil refinery and power station looks bad on the map but in reality it is a lovely shady woodland path with tall chestnut trees and ferns. We left the wood briefly to pass under load of pipes that lead out over the water, and then we were back into the woods and fields. A cow meet and greet ensued. The last part of the day's walk was nice, wooded paths and quiet lanes but it was getting late so we had to rush.