The second day of our hike was spectacular. It was a perfectly blue sky day, which is apparently rare on the Pembrokeshire coast. After breakfast, we hopped on a bus to the town of Newgale, which was about 30 minutes away and a completely different part of the 180 mile long coastal path. We found the path easily; it ascended up a steep climb immediately across from the bus stop, and the little wooden acorn signs marking the way were easy to see. It was always a fun challenge trying to find these signs, the path sometimes weaves through towns and we get a bit lost, but we always manage to find the little acorn signs. We were all pretty quiet during our walk. I imagine we were all pretty busy enjoying the view, deep in our own thoughts. We often stopped for pictures and to catch our breath, weaving our way up and down cliff sides and through kissing gates. Despite the fact that we weren't talking much, I really enjoyed talking to everyone as we walked. Hiking is a great way to get to know people. We saw kayakers on the sparkling water, which made me really yearn for a good long kayaking trip. I bet the cliffs are just as awe inspiring from the water.
We stopped for lunch at a lovely quay outside of a cute little town. We sat along the path and watched a fat dog play with a ball while eating our PB and J sandwiches and chocolate, then carried on towards St. David's, the birthplace of the patron saint of Wales. We had learned in our Welsh Folklore class that the ruins of St. David's birthplace were right along the coast, and as we approached the town, we saw the ruins from the distance. When we got there, we went into St. Non's Chapel first. St. Non is the mother of St. David, and her chapel was old and weather beaten, but beautiful. Apparently also the site of many a pilgrimage. We also got to see St. Non's well, which is known to have healing powers. I wanted to put my sore feet in, but I figured that would be disrespectful. St. David is known for being able to cause the ground to rise under him; this ability doesn't seem to impressive, until you witness the Pembrokeshire cliffs. The sheer enormity and age of the cliffs makes one think of the effort it must be to move them.
We got into town and went to St. David's Cathedral. We didn't make it into the ruins of the old Cathedral, but we did get to wander around the new one, and it was beautiful. I love religious places. The atmosphere of reverence is calming and healing in its own way. I think it is noble that people chose to believe in things they cannot see: certainly those things are the most important anyway. We got ice cream to reward ourselves for trudging another 10 miles, then sat at in a small bench area to wait for the bus. We played some riddles and word games, and managed to thoroughly stump John Dow on several of them. We got on the bus and realized that it was the same woman who had driven us down to Newgale that morning, apparently she just does the whole coast. The towns definitely seem to have a personal feel; she seemed to know everyone she drove around.
We made it back to the hostel and promptly took showers, roasted in front of the fake fire, made pancakes and eggs for dinner, and passed out from exhausted satisfaction. What a great day.
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