" 4. St Davids and back for Sunset "

Date & Time: Tuesday 14th May 2013

Locations : St Davids, St Non's Bay, Druidston Haven, Haroldston Chins.

Places visited : St Davids, St Non's Bay, back to Druidston for the end of the day.

Accommodation : The Druidstone Hotel, Druidston Haven, Pembrokeshire.

With : Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : A grey day that showed little prospect of sun until the very end.

In this period of very changeable weather it was inevitable that we would probably get a poor day following yesterday's lovely sunshine.

so today we chose to visit the grand city of St Davids further round on the northern end of St Brides Bay.

A grey prospect looking out to sea from Druidston Haven.

A little brighter as we drove north around the coastline . . . Newgale beach is a classic "storm raised beach"

with a large bank of stones driven to the back of the beach by the constant action of the waves coming off the Atlantic ocean.

In the valley adjacent to UK's smallest city is the major cathedral and ancient priory of St Davids.

The present building was established in the 12th Century . . . an amazing 900 years ago.

Inside the scale of the building starts to be revealed.	High in the roof of the nave, an ornate triptych is suspended from above.

The round windows of the west wall . . .	. . . major structures, both slightly different.

The statue of St David, patron saint of Wales.	A modern replica of an ancient church organ.

There was a project recently to construct this ancient style organ from original plans.  It is now resident in the Cathedral and played on occasions.

The newly restored shrine to the local saint.	At the east end, the quiet Lady Chapel.

The medieval shrine of St David's was restored and re-dedicated on St David's Day, March 1st. 2012

and has been a focal point for visitors and pilgrims since the time of his death in the 12th Century.

The red arch is in fact the major organ pipes of the modern organ.	The briefest of glimpses of the roof of the main tower.

In the Treasury is a display of rare artifacts . . .	. . . including these two ancient stone carvings.

They presumably are of St David and his mother, St Non.

- - - o o o - - -

After a walk around the town we took the dogs down to the local St Non's Bay for a brief walk.

The late spring meant that the flowers are still giving a colourful display.

The rocky coastline at St Non's Bay.	Sea Pinks or Thrift as it is better known.

A dazzling display of Gorse overlooking the sea.

Even the grey weather can't dim the effect of this bright yellow flower.

St Non's has a religious retreat and a chapel dedicated to St Non, St David's mother.

The original chapel is now a skeleton of its former self.

Self explanatory signboard . . .	. . . next to the free flowing well of drinking water.

- - - o o o - - -

On the way 'home' to Druidston Haven we passed the rather damp and forlorn inlet of Nolton Haven.

No doubt in fine weather and with plenty of tourists about, all the holiday cottages would be full and the beach crowded with holiday makers.

The Mariners Inn pub at the back of the beach is a little quirky but gets great reviews for hospitality.

- - - o o o - - -

Back at our haven we leave our waterproofs at the hotel now the weather has improved

and take a stroll out onto the headland .

These cliffs go by the wonderful name of Haroldston Chins and their tops reach over 250 feet above sea level.

Click here or on the photo above for a larger Loweswatercam annotated panorama.

Out to sea . . . the South Bishop Light House some 3.5 miles out from Ramsey and 13.5 miles away from here.

Further south and further away . . . the gannet colony of Grassholm Island, some 16 miles west.

On a sunny day half the island is dark rock and the other half appears white due to the guano (droppings) of the birds.

The tide is low and the beach is quite sandy.

"Lean To" . . . the art of draping a room, in this case a glasshouse, against the solid boundary wall of the garden.

Inside the hotel has a few nursery beds, the produce of which no doubt ends up in the garden or in the kitchen.

Jane's Place.

Jane was the owner of the old house who inspired the hotel to become the place it is today.

This was her favourite place to retreat from the cares of the world and she often used it as a bedroom.

It has stunning views over the garden of the bay and the evening sunsets.

Our bedroom is up in the top loft . . . shall we use the lower bar entrance	. . . or the normal back door to get to our rooms.

Ann enjoying the ever-improving sunset view over dinner.	Afterwards I walked outside with the camera . . .

Suddenly the sun really burst out.	Outside the bar with a golden trail to the sun.

Druidstone Walls give this shot a particular signature.

Others are out enjoying the spectacle as the sun illuminates the rich colours of the stonework.

If you look carefully there's a slight rainbow.	We stand and stare . . . enjoying another fine sunset.

Hidden behind a bank of cloud . . . the sun continues to illuminate the sky.

Click here or on the photo above for a larger Loweswatercam annotated panorama

The setting sun changes from yellow to orange to red as the sun sink below the horizon.

- - - o o o - - -   The Druidstone has come up trumps again with a glorious sunset.   - - - o o o - - -       Time to return inside to continue the evening.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon Sureshot SX220 or my 1100D Digital SLR.

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

This site best viewed with . . . . a break in the clouds on the western horizon.

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