Taking the coastal path

Ok, I admit it, the sea has claimed my mind once again, thanks to the glorious summer weather in Norfolk and a recent escape to the ever-inspiring coast of Pembrokeshire in Wales.

My Oak King and I embarked on a travelling holiday, staying in a different place each night and covering more ground than we would otherwise have done. Beginning on the English side of the border, with visits to Kenilworth Castle and the Neolithic and Bronze Age Rollright Stones, we moved on for a day at the literary Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, before continuing on towards the sea.

At Manorbier we explored the ancient castle, used as a backdrop in the 1980s/90s television adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia.

At Stackpole, we struggled through the soft sand, paddled in the cool water, and found barnacles, limpets and rich red anemones, like boiled sweets, in the cliff crags and huge jellyfish washed up on the shore.

At Abereiddy we searched for didymograptus fossils and saw jellyfish swimming in the Blue Lagoon and a huge crab scuttle across the sea floor

Meanwhile at nearby Porthgain, after some rather delicious fish and chips at The Shed, we were lucky enough to spot a lone seal, basking on a raft tethered just outside the harbour.

Finally, at Trefin, we walked a little of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path on a baking hot day, where the sea sparkled, the skylarks sang, and the ruins of slate buildings clung to the cliffs.

I also had the opportunity to visit the marvellous Solva Woollen Mill, and collected my signed copy of Jackie Morris's recently republished book, The Seal Children. Back at the B&B, I eagerly devoured both story and illustrations.

Lucky for me, waiting at home was another literary gem - The People of the Sea by David Thomson - and so I was able to indulge in many more tales of coastal life, selkies and mermaids. Thomson's book is hauntingly evocative, detailing the stories of his own journeys and experiences meeting locals in the Hebrides and on the west coast of Ireland. He captured many traditional folk tales, straight from the mouths of the elders, with their dialects preserved, which may otherwise have been lost.

Best wishes for a very happy summer, rich with adventures, for those reading from the Northern Hemisphere, or a magical winter for those in the south.

Photo of Manorbier: Paul Allison