Tag: Llanelli

Day 02 – Llanelli to Pembroke

On Day 2 we traveled from Llanelli to Pembroke, about 120 miles again.  Here are some of our more interesting stops.

 

Photo of the day

Coastal Road Trip, Tenby
Tenby Harbour

 

Burry Port

Coastal Road Trip, Burry Port
A bit of grey start to the day at Burry Port.  Here with the view out to sea, behind us a small harbor town and rolling green hills.

 

Kidwelly

Coastal Road Trip, Kidwelly Castle
Kidwelly Castle, quite impressive for a little town.  The first of several castles today!

 

Carmarthen

Coastal Road Trip, Carmarthen Castle
Carmarthen, the oldest town in Wales, also had a castle.  Looked quite similar to Kidwelly, at least from the front, don’t you think?  I thought I had a been here as a kid, but then realized I had it muddled with the much more impressive Caernarfon Castle in North Wales.

 

Llansteffan

Coastal Road Trip, Llansteffan Castle, Julian, Jarno
Further down the west side of the River Towy we reached Llansteffan Castle, a pleasant 10 minute walk up from the beach car park.  Great views from the top across to Ferryside and Carmarthen Bay.
Coast Road Trip, Coastal Road Trip, Llansteffan Beach
And back down at the car park, great views again across the beach and the bay.

 

Laugharne

Coastal Road Trip, Laugharne Castle
Further west we reached Laugharne, the final resting town of Dylan Thomas.   An impressive castle for a small town, sitting next to the River Taf.

 

Pendine Sands

Coastal Road Trip, Pendine Sands, Lifeguard Notice
At Pendine Sands the Lifeguards had put up this fun notice board.
Coastal Road Trip, Pendine Sands, Museum of Speed, Babs
Pendine Sands is most famous for its land speed records in the early 1900.  Babs is the most famous car, and is displayed in the  Museum of Speed by the beach.  Sadly its driver (Parry-Thomas) was killed when the car crashed during a land speed attempt in 1927.   The car was buried in the sand dunes, and was later dug up and lovingly restored. Look at that engine!

 

Saundersfoot

Coastal Road Trip, Saundersfoot Beach
At Saundersfoot, one of the most popular tourist towns in Wales, we looked over the beach.  Full of families enjoying the milder late afternoon weather, as now the clouds had started to clear.
Coastal Road Trip, Saundersfoot, Wollen bollard covers
Cute wollen bollard covers in the streets of Saundersfoot, don’t ask me why, but they brightened up the streets.

 

Tenby

Coastal Road Trip, St Julian Terrace
We loved Tenby, and a bonus,  we found a street with my name…. but I’m no saint.
Coastal Road Trip, Tenby, Fudge
Fresh Tenby fudge being prepared.  Another bonus.
Coastal Road Trip, Tenby
Colourful Tenby houses, and boats all neatly anchored in the peaceful harbour.
Coastal Road Trip, Tenby, Lifeboat
Then we heard the emergency signal call for RNLI crew, and a few minutes later a lifeboat was launched.  Hope all was OK.

 

Manorbier

Coastal Road Trip, Manorbier Bay, Julian, Car, Jarno
Around the corner we found the beautiful Manorbier Bay, and posed for some road trip selfies…

 

Stackpole

Coastal Road Trip Stackpole Quay
The National Trust owned Stackpole Quay was full of families enjoying the evening sun, playing about in the sea.
Coastal Road Trip, Stackpole Quay, Jarno, Ladder
We climbed down the ladder to reach the second bay.
Coastal Road Trip, Stackpole Quay, Julian, Jarno, Pasta
An evening picnic with great views!
Coastal Road Trip, Stackpole Quay, Beach Books
Back in the car park we noticed this beach books trailer.  We are not sure exactly how it works but we guess that during the day you can borrow books from this, like a mobile library.  If so, what a great idea.

 

Freshwater West

Coastal Road Trip, Freshwater West, Seaweed Hut
A renovated seaweed hut at Freshwater West.  Yes, new to us too!  Apparently used in the early part of last century to dry seaweed that was used to make Welsh lava bread.

 

Angle

Coastal Road Trip, West Angle Bay
Warm evening sunlight as the sun started to set at West Angle Bay.

 

Pembroke

Coastal Road Trip, Pembroke Power Station
Pembroke Power Station viewed across the fields from Angle to Pembroke.  It was quite a contrast to the landscape we had seen so far, but here it somehow looks organic, growing out of the bushes at the edge of the field.
Coastal Road Trip, Pembroke Castle
Pembroke Castle in the evening light, our final castle of the day!
Coastal Road Trip, Pembroke to wind turbines
Final shot of the day from Pembroke Dock across to wind turbines at Milford Haven.

 

Daily Video

Day 01 – Cardiff to Llanelli

Hi!

Welcome to our first blog post. Day one of our seven week British Coastal Road Trip.
Today we started in Cardiff and drove 120 miles along the beautiful Welsh coastline to Llanelli.
Here are some picture highlights of our first day on the road!

 

Photo of the day

Coastal Road Trip, Rhossili
Rhossili Bay.

 

Cardiff

Coastal Road Trip, Cardif, Julian, Jarno, Map
Map ready in Cardiff for our Coastal Road Trip!
Coastal Road Trip, Beach chairs, Wales Millennium Centre
Beach chairs in front of the impressive Wales Millennium Centre, bit optimistic considering it was about to rain…

Penarth

Coastal Road Trip, Penarth, Beach, Pier
Penarth pier and pebble beach, a quiet little town across the Cardiff Bay.

Lavernock

Coastal Road Trip, St Lawrence church
The cute little St Lawrence church, where we found two friendly resting locals, who pointed us in the direction of the coastal path to Lavernock Point.
Coastal Road Trip, Lavernock, Marconi Plaque
Marconi sent the world’s first ever radio messages across water at Lavernock Point in 1897.  Sadly the building was abandoned and overgrown, but we found this plaque on the church wall.
Coastal Road Trip, Flat Holm Lighthouse
The view across to Flat Holm, and our first Lighthouse on this trip!
It’s in the Severn Estuary, 3-4 miles away from Lavernock Point, so a bit of grainy pic.

Barry Island

Coastal Road Trip, Barry Island, Red Arrows
A great surprise as The Red Arrows roared over our car as we drove into Barry Island.

Nash Point

Coastal Road Trip, Nash Point, Lighthouse
Nash Point Lighthouse, our 2nd lighthouse – yay!  And its antique foghorns (looked scarily loud).

Porthcawl

Coastal Road Trip, Porthcawl, Rest Bay
Surfers at Rest Bay, near Porthcawl, one of the best surfing beaches in Wales, but looked especially cold today!

Swansea

Coastal Road Trip, Swansea Bay, Mumbles Head, Pier, Lighthouse
After briefly checking out the German Beer Festival in Swansea, we headed south around Swansea Bay to view Mumbles Pier and Lighthouse (love that name… Mumbles).
Coastal Road Trip, Mumbles Head, Big Apple Ice Cream
…and back at the Mumbles Head Car Park, a big apple selling ice cream… curious.

Rhossili

Coastal Road Trip, Rhossili
After exploring some of the beaches along the Gower Peninsula we ended up at the stunning Rhossili Bay.  A National Trust site, but it was early evening by the time we arrived, so all the visitors had left for the day, so we had the place to ourselves!
Coastal Road Trip, Worms Head, Julian, Jarno
And final pic of the day down a short path from Rhossili to view Worms Head.

 

Daily Video