Date & Time: Tuesday 2nd October 2007.

Location : Druidston Haven, St Brides Bay, Pembrokeshire ( SM 862 168 )

Places visited : Haroldston Chins, Settling Nose, Black Point, then over to Broad Haven,

Nolton Haven and the Deer Park - the Skommer section of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.

Walked with : Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : An overcast day with a slight coastal breeze but clearing nicely.

An old conservatory, in the walled garden, Druidstone Hotel.

Day 5.

After another large breakfast we decided to walk a short section of the coast path adjacent to the Hotel.

Looking back, the garden and stone wall show clearly.

The tide is in this morning and all the sand had been covered, giving the beach a totally different look.

( This first section of the path is within the grounds of the hotel and are not normally crossed by long distance walkers of the coast path.)

Haroldston Chins is the name given to this high cliff section of the coast.

The cliff seems to be rather unstable in that at some time in the past several large cracks have appeared.

Hopefully in the very distant future, further earth movement or sea erosion may cause large sections of the cliff to fall.

The impressive cracks are quite old but extend down some 20 ft or more.	A rock pinnacle stands proud of the cliff face.

More wonderland for geologists as the varying bands of rock strata add a time signature to the cliff.

Back onto the official coast path we look north from Settling Nose Point, almost the full width of St Brides Bay.

Screes of softer shale rest at an oblique angle on the harder grit stone base of the cliffs opposite.

Ann's got that camera again as I'm pictured on Black Point, the furthest south we walked this morning.

On the way back we met this local donkey	Harry wasn't sure how to react, but she was only being friendly !

Returning on the official path, we soon find ourselves back at the hotel.

Some of the buildings to the rear are available to let as short term self-catering cottages if you don't want to stay in the main house.

After my energetic early morning exercise (yes I managed a sea swim at 8 am) and that mid morning stroll,

we loaded the dogs in the car and drove around the southern part of the bay. This is the sea front at Broad Haven.

Just around the corner is the smaller village of Little Haven, with the picturesque Swan Inn on the back of the beach.

At the end of the peninsular is Martin's Haven.

During the summer season this is the starting point for boat trips out to Skommer.

You may have gathered that I'm fascinated by old machinery.

This old boat winch would have lasted longer had it been made in stainless steel, but then stainless steel hadn't been invented when this was installed

approximately one hundred years ago.

Seagull Outboard Motors hadn't been invented either at that time.

Which came first the motor or the seagull ?

Leaving the car in the end of the road car park, we followed the footpath out onto the peninsular known as the Deer Park.

The cliffs here are as spectacular as further north, with deep sea-cut caves and impressive rock strata.

Ann stands carefully back from the edge of the high cliff.	The large crack below is the precursor of future cliff erosion.

Out to sea, and south west at this point, is the smaller island of Skokholm.

It's a nature reserve for seals and particularly bird life, in fact the whole of this local sea area has been designated a Marine Nature Reserve.

Due west is the larger Skommer Island, again an important bird reserve and seal breeding area.

Click here or on the photo above for a short video

( The 1 min video should open a new window and play in your Windows Media Player)

( It may take a minute or so to download on slower connection speeds - please be patient )

@ 2007 Loweswatercam.co.uk

Seal pups of the beach below.

Their parents, particularly the mums, are not far away.

This is the rather rare Pembrokeshire Chough. (pronounced Chuff)	It's a large coastal Crow, notable for its curved red beak and red legs.

Bethan sits quietly as Harry studies the last of the summer wild flowers here on the high coastal cliffs.

Me ? . . . . I'm just sitting here watching the boats moored up in the bay,

and looking across to the sunshine on Newgale beach that we didn't get yesterday.

At the old lookout on the Deer Park we get a final view of Skommer.

The lookout is now an automatic weather observatory for the Welsh Office, to help predict the weather and also to measure climate change.

Technical gear against the clearing sky.	The signboard back at Martin's Haven Visitor Centre.

The sun is out and the beach is looking more inviting than before.

Perhaps I might get a photo of the seagull with a little sunshine this time ?

Harry and Bethan take to the water . . .	. . . whilst a Bethan look-alike has never left it.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with a Canon G7 Digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . a pair of big brown eyes !

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A previous time here - 13th to 21st May 2005 A visit to Swansea and Pembrokeshire.