October

I was listening to the radio on the way home from my swim yesterday morning, hearing an interview with a forester who was talking about the state of the trees around us this year. After such a long, hot and dry summer, many expected the Autumn colours to appear and for the leaves to turn crisp and fall earlier than usual.

Actually, as he confirmed, that hasn’t happened. Here we are in mid, even late October and the trees are still covered in their green leaves. Though there is a little Autumn colour appearing here and there, it’s certainly very different this year. It seems as though the trees are confused. Some are still growing - we’ve not really had the chilly evenings we’d expect yet, and who knows whether we’ll have “Autumn” as we know it at all?

We were heading off for a few days, travelling west and over the bridge into Wales to begin with. It was a fine morning, fresh and sunny and the air was clear so the views were fine as we drove through Gwent and Glamorgan, passed by Carmarthen and finally, into Pembrokeshire. It was a journey we’d made many times when my Hero’s parents lived down here, but it still always comes as a surprise just how far it is!

Once through Haverfordwest, it wasn’t long before the sweep of the coastline came into view as we went down the hill into Newgale Bay.

The perfect day…

We were heading for St Davids, where we planned to stay overnight at the Twyr y Felin, the same hotel where we’d spent a few days a couple of years ago. Our plans had been made in reverse however, for we were originally heading for Fishguard, a bit further on from here, but I read a great restaurant review in the newspaper and since it was in St Davids, it seemed a good reason to overnight here on the way!

Our travelling companions felt immediately at home here.

Their Welsh language isn’t so good though, and they needed help in translating the name of our room. (It’s “Seal Cave” in English)

They stayed in whilst my Hero and I set out for the restaurant about which we’d read such rave reviews. Here. Yes, it’s in a collection of sheds and stables, more outdoors than in and on a night like this with the first storm of the season coming in and the rain starting to fall heavily, we did wonder why we were here!

The answer was soon delivered to our table in the form of two of the best pizzas we have eaten!! No question about that! Perhaps it’s just as well they are not closer to home than this, because I fear we would risk becoming regulars.

They were so very good, I forgot to take a photo!

I had a little longer to snap one of our drinks…deliciously refreshing local brews from the Bluestone Brewery.

The thing is, since we arrived in St Davids, the 1400 ferry tomorrow afternoon, for which we have a booking, has been cancelled due to the incoming storm. We’ve been rebooked onto the 0130 tomorrow evening and in the meantime, will have a little longer to enjoy the delights of St Davids and also, since the warning light appeared on the car’s dashboard this afternoon, we’ll have time to get one of our tyres checked at the place recommended in Fishguard.

Not quite the day we planned, but then better safe than sorry, in terms of both tyre and ferry, wouldn’t you say?