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July 2 Sunday Hot 20º C Bicycle touring Wales Llawhaden, Wales, had interesting info on an old hospice and fort that was founded there. We cycled a road to a dead end (on purpose this time!) in Pembrokeshire National Park to the Milfordhaven Waterway. A dozen sailboats were anchored in the calm water. At 8:30 AM, some were just beginning to show signs of life on board. Those folks get up even later than us bicycle tourists. A fella with a van was camping at the boat launch with his four young sons. He said the hardest part of camping was unloading all his kids. The boys were most interested in setting up a swing - a stick with a rope thrown over a stout tree branch. After a few throws, the father had the rope slung over the tree and the kids were merrily taking turns swinging and pushing one another on the swing. The father came over to talk with us for a few minutes and then excused himself. "I have to get back to watching my tea pot." They're very serious about their tea in Wales. At Broadhaven, Wales, we looked at educational displays on sea life, rocks and vegetation in the area. From Broadhaven, we hit some steep climbs of 16% and over. Not much fun on fully loaded touring bicycles. On one thriller descent my front pannier cover blew off. I had to climb back up to get it. Fortunately, the pannier cover had blown off near the bottom of the descent. And, probably a good thing for me that it blew off, too. At the bottom of the hill there was an abrupt turn over a bridge. Starting from merely a quarter of the way down the hill, I still barely made it around the corner, my bike hopping in the air and skipping sideways as I hit a bump on the corner. We pulled our touring bicycles to a stop and ate supper at a cove next to a marina. At St David's we headed toward the shore to look for a free bicycle camping spot. But, with all of the farmhouses around, we couldn't find anywhere. It started to sprinkle, which hurried up our search. We finally settled on a field with round bales that was out of sight from the road, hidden behind a high hedge. As we set up our Kelty tent, a few more spits of rain fell and the wind picked up. There is a long distance hiking trail along the coast of the park. The coast is very scenic. I imagine however, with the ever-present wind, it would be quite miserable as the coast provides no shelter whatsoever. |
