Wales Day 1 – The journey to Pembrookeshire

Today we start our six day break in Southern Wales. Wales is a place that we’ve always wanted to visit but just not had the time. In fact, I’ve not visited it on the previous trips to the UK.

Merrilyn has located an out of the way cottage in Pembrokeshire that’s nestled in a farm property yet close to the coast of the western most tip of Wales – St Brides Bay.

We set of about 10am heading west on the M4. It’s about a 4.5 hour trip but we decided to venture in to the Brecon Beacons to take advantage of their proximity to our route.

Passing Bath we skirted Bristol to cross the mouth of the mighty Severn River. Once across we diverted north to Abergavenny. (And try as we might we couldn’t conjure the song Ninny sings about this place.) It was lunch time so we ventured out of the car into the blustery wet for a quick stroll through the mall and in to a café. It had turned into a grey afternoon with rather icy wind.

From Abergavenny we ventured on the A465 which is also known as the “Heads of the Valleys” road. It’s known for dividing the industrial coal valleys from the Beacons. Although as we drove past the cloud deck had descended to cover the range.

We talked of visiting the Carreg Cennen but it was getting late and we still had a few hours ahead of us. So we punched in our destination on the SatNav and headed further west along the M4, through Carmarthen to Haverfordwest to pick up some provisions. Being Boxing Day most everything was shut although we did manage to find a convenience store. At least we have some red wine!

Turning north we headed to Wolf Castle where we may our last turn on to a country lane winding through thicket hedges. It was 5pm and dark so we had to be a little careful. However, the directions to the property were good and we had no trouble finding our way.

Arriving we were delighted to find that our home for the next six days was a beautifully converted stone barn. It features lovely thick walls, central hydronic heating (although it was a little chilly on arrival), and – to Merrilyn’s delight – a Rayburn oil heater/stove in the kitchen. This not only provides a good deal of warmth but also it used to supplement the hot water service. Its cooktop is so hot that it boils coffee in minutes. Its also three bedrooms with a large dining/living area and James’ room has a low sloping roof line and deep windows that he just adores. Through the lounge room window look directly onto a field that has horses. As Merrilyn set about making some dinner I darted outside and took a few photos before we settled in for the night.

A few photos here.