Buttyland Caravan & Camping Park, nr Tenby

It was dry this morning for a change. After a leisurely breakfast we managed to get the awning packed away in the dry and left around 11:00am.

We has a nice steady drive home, arriving back at Mirey Leys about 4:30 pm.

Tenby

Overcast again today, although the sun was trying to break through here and there, although we still had the occasional drizzly shower.

We drove into Tenby for a look around the shops, and a relaxing sit by the Sea.

We also had a look around the Tudor Merchant’s House. The National Trust Managed property was built in 1500 by a successful merchant, and is very impressive. 

After another ice cream, very nice but not very good value, and a Pembrokeshire pasty, We headed back to the van for the evening.

Pembroke Castle

A lot of rain in the night again and still raining in the morning. We had a late shower and once again it started to brighten up a little around lunchtime.

We decided to go to Pembroke Castle. The medieval castle standing beside the River Cleddau underwent major restoration work in the early 20th century.  The first castle on the site was built by Roger of Montgomery in 1093. when he fortified the promontory during the Norman invasion of Wales. A century later it was given to William Marshall by Richard I. Marshall who would become one of the most powerful men in 12th century Britain, rebuilt the castle in stone, creating most of the structure that remains today.

Inside the Castle the Pembrokeshire Falconry centre were giving Falconry flying displays which were well worth a look.

We had a walk into town for a coffee before driving to Haverfordwest for tea at the local Wetherspoon’s.

We headed back to the van for the evening

Colby Woodland Garden & Tenby

Drizzling and overcast again this morning, but it started to brighten up around lunchtime and turned into a very pleasant afternoon.

We had a ride to Colby Woodland Garden. Set in a tranquil hidden woodland garden with a rich industrial past.

There are lots of shady woodland walks. We followed the path over the 8 arch bridge and down to the little coastal village of Amroth. Not much sand on the beach though, mainly made up of large rounded boulders.

We rested for a while, enjoying an ice cream on the sea front, followed by a nice pint of Stowford Press at the Smugglers Inn.

We the walked back up and along a different route back up to the lovely walled garden. We had a nice cuppa and cream tea at the nice little tea room, before walking back to the car.

On the way back we called in at Tenby. We had a nice walk around the harbour and the town. Tenby is a walled seaside town on the western side of Camarthen Bay, with 2.5 miles of sandy beaches. The walls date back to the 13th century. We walked down to the lifeboat station before heading back into town to find somewhere to eat.

We had a nice meal at the Hope and Anchor, before heading back to the van for the evening.

Stackpole Estate

Another cloudy star to the day and yes, you guessed it, by the time we were ready to go out, the drizzle had returned.

We drove about 12 miles to the Stackpole Estate. Stackpole is a former grand estate stretching down to some of the most beautiful coastline in Wales. Today it’s a Nature Reserve recognised for it’s abundant wildlife.

We parked up and walked over the 8 arch bridge, down to Stackpole Quay, one of the smallest quay’s in Wales. We stopped at the National Trust Café for the traditional Cuppa and bag of crisps.

Then we walked across The lovely sandy Barafundle beach and followed the footpath  back across the 8 arch bridge and up to and across the 1 arch bridge.

We then walked back to the car and drove down to Broadhaven South beach for a quick look. 

Another lovely Sandy beach. Then we drove back to the caravan fir tea and a relaxing evening. The drizzle came back in the evening, and it did rain heavily in the night.

Brunel Trail

Overcast today but reasonably warm. We decided to take the bikes down to Neyland and ride the Brunel Trail. Unfortunately by the time we were ready to go the horrible drizzly rain had set in again.

We decided to wait a little and after about an hour the blue skies started to roll in from the West.

We decided to risk it as we were going west anyway, and by the time we arrived the sun was out and it turned into a lovely warm afternoon.

The first 5 miles or so were along the old Great Western Railway and were relatively flat. The last few miles into Haverfordwest were a little undulating but not too bad.

We dropped into McDonald’s for a McFlurry before riding back to Neyland. The trail goes through Westfield Pill Nature Reserve with stunning views over the Preseli Hills and Pembrokeshire countryside.

We stopped for  a while at  Neyland Key to enjoy the view and then headed off back to the van for tea.

Saudersfoot & Manorbier

Unfortunately this morning it was still raining quite heavily.

Unfortunately the showers were 20p for 2 minutes or £1 for 10 minutes, but were nice and hot and powerful. Even though there were only 4 showers I didn’t need to queue.

We had our usual cooked breakfast and had a chill for a bit, before driving to Pembroke in search of the Tesco Superstore to find some nice bread.

We then went to Cowpots Ice Cream Shop at Whitland. We sat and ate a 3 scoop cone in the car, because it was still raining.

We decided to have a ride and have a look at some of the beaches. First we came to was Wisemans bridge. A wide sand and pebble beach with rock pools. At low tide it can be accessed by walking along the beach from Saundersfoot.

Then we went to Coppit Hall. A small sandy beach adjoining Saundersfoot beach with rock pools at low tide. We decided to have a walk on the beach as it was brightening up now. We had a steady walk along the waters edge and onto Saundersfoot Beach. A large South-East facing beach, with safe bathing and water sports.

We walked back to the car and moved on to Manorbier Beach. A sandy dune backed beach with a stream running down the northern end. Being south westerly facing it is a good surfing beach.

By now the sun had come out and it was a very nice warm afternoon. At the top of the beach is Manorbier Castle, a Norman castle and birthplace of Gerard of Wales.

We then headed back to the van for tea and a relaxing evening. It turned out to be quite a pleasant evening.

Buttyland Caravan & Camping Park, nr Tenby

We got to Mirey Lees about 8 am and had to wait a while for the Cows to come in for milking.

We set off just after half past and called in for the traditional full English at Stonebridge Island Toby Carvery, Just off the M42 near the N.E.C.

We had a nice uneventful journey until we were within a couple of miles of Buttyland when the Sat Nav tried to take down a narrow lane. A local hotelier came running out to say not to go down there and he helped us unhook the van and turn around in his car park. Very good of him.

We set off again and the Sat Nav took us to a hill that said unsuitable for caravans. Then Maddy remembered that the Website said not to follow the Sat Nav, but to follow their direction, which unfortunately were left at home.

We decided to Head for the main Tenby Road and head for Manorbier along the main Road. This time we found it quite easily.

Buttyland was quite a nice level site with touring pitches for caravans, campers and tents and is only 200 yards from the station, linking it with Tenby and Pembroke. It is situated in the heart of the Pembroke Coast National Park.

We got the awning up ok, just before the rain started and settled in for the night.

We had a ride into Tenby and found a Sainsbury’s where we did a bit of shopping, before heading back to the van for tea. We had some chips from the onsite Fish and Chip shop to go with our salad and Pizza.

We settled down for the night with the TV. TV reception was reasonably good.