We’re up early, Raymond is not sure if the roads are still closed. As we approach Solva, fire trucks are passing us, heading away from town, a good sign. We arrive at the town centre, and have time for a morning coffee, I like those mornings where I can ease into the day!

Moira has joined us, so I’m chasing the two of them through town. This is the last day of the hike, we end up at Whitesands Bay, one of the few surfing beaches on this coast. The trail leaves Solva at the top of the harbour, and as we turn the corner, there they are! Too many boats to count, but just off of the seawall are a dozen or so dories drifting on anchor, and there’s still some of that soft, early morning light lingering about, the sun is still behind the hills.

 I get an hour or so for shooting, the girls are anxious to get going, this is a long hike, close to 18 miles. It’s quiet, with a cool breeze blowing and we hardly see anyone else on the trail. We come across more of those horses, they seem to wander wherever they please, but they’re easily spooked, so it’s hard to get close to them. This part of the trail drops and rises along the coast, so there are many small beaches, and I keep hoping for more boats!

We drop down to a small harbour, and from a distance there seems to be a few tied up, but as we get closed to Caer Bwdy Bay, I notice that they’re all power boats. And no pub in site, we have to settle for ice cream cones in the shade!

Ice Cream but no doryA faint hope that there will be drifting dories, but disappointed again! But ice cream cones in the sun make short work of that!

The afternoon is fading and we still have quite a distance to go, we’re up on a headland, following old stone fences that must be centuries old, and as we round the corner a castle looms on the top of the hill. Kyla decides to sit it out, Moira and I head off the trail to check it out. As we round the corner, all of a sudden the gardens turn formal, and there’s a golf course in the background. It’s a high end resort, and it’s clear that it doesn’t cater to hikers looking for a cold one!

We soon arrive at St. Non’s Bay, and spend some time sitting in the chapel, it’s perched on top of a cliff, overlooking the sea. St Non’s is still used as a retreat, and it’s easy to see why.

We’re off for the last leg, arriving in Whitesands Bay in time to sit at the pub while we wait for Raymond to show up. The hike is over, and it was a long walk for the few boat images I managed to find. We’re off to St. Davids for a day and then to Scotland and Northern Ireland, where there’ll be boats galore!