One Holiday

Yippee it's another holiday journal.

21/06/2008 Pre-amble

Avid readers will of course have been following the camper saga.  

For the rest of you a summation.  

Feb mot failure front suspension and emissions - several months repair work.  

Take it back in today fails on two different things.  

The roof was hit.  

I could understand one of the new things.  CO levels 11% (limit is 4.5%) last time the Hydrocarbon levels were so high it gassed their analyser.  

But the other new thing - corrosion in load bearing etc etc.  

No advisory in Feb. how can this be?  Corroded that much in 4 months?  

Was this the same corrosion that your's truly pointed out to the same testers for the past 3 years to be told 'ah it's just a cosmetic panel’.

Fixed CO levels - far too much fuel in idle circuit.  Argued toss vigorously re corrosion won the case in the end.

23/06/2008- Monday

Re-presented camper for mot - nearly no CO and no mention of corrosion - £25.00  to pay - bastards.

But we could set off on holiday - off we go!

As we have new barrels and pistons plus completely re-built front suspension, care was exercised, 32mph average to St David’s in Pembrokshire.  

Came here last year, I got pissed and wrecked my knee on the kids playground and we couldn’t walk anywhere.  So we've come back to have a proper explore.  

Needless to say the logs on chains and all other dangerous devices are definitely disallowed.  Beautiful weather for the drive down, sunshine and breezes.  

British isles in June can't beat it

 24/06/2008 - Tuesday

Off for a walk, some of the bits that we missed last time.  Most importantly the big lump of rock that looms over the campsite.  So off we set, in the opposite direction to make a circular walk, first stop St. Justinian’s chapel, lifeboat station and boat trips to Ramsey Island.  Not that they are all the same, just the same place. I suspect St J was a special friend to St David or Dweddi as they have him around here.  But that just my prejudice speaking - Justinian and Sandy any one?

Any way pallones that was our first stop - the blue guide has it as 'charmless' and I wouldn't argue.  

Can't even get to it, as it's in some ones front garden.  

Quick saunter up the coastal path and next stop Whitesands Bay - as featured in guardian best beach guide -v lovely but it rained.  

British isles in June can't beat it. 

'Round St David’s head then up the big rock.  Weather cleared up for the ascent.  We were brave and I even stood on the very pinnacle for about a whole second. Photos will be posted.

25/06/2008- Wednesday

After the previous evening of raining and a night of wind - woke me up and then I started worrying about the pop-top on the camper. But it wasn't that bad.  The weather wasn't promising but the forecast was okay.

Off to St Non's (she was a nun - non the nun - nun non) mother of St Dewy.  She has a much better chapel - two in fact.  There's a 6th century ruin and holy well also contemporary with St. D.  The holy well sprung up, along with a thunderstorm at the moment of his birth on the site of the chapel.  Big magic - I’m impressed. Also impressive is the 1935 replica 6C chapel built by some rich person who didn't want to travel to a catholic church.  Well this is the land of non-conforming etc.  Probably had to go to Swansea, but who would officiate?  Whatever happened they built their own chapel at the end of the garden which is now not used but still has stuff in it.  Language is failing me now- sun sun more sun and strong lager are a great combo for destroying  the intellect - bring it on!  The walkcontinued with more of the coastal path to Solva. Can't tell you much that isn’t expressed much better by the pictures, great geology, violent seas and sunny weather.  Oh, and pint of local bitter while waiting for the bus back - perfect day.

26/06/2008 - Thursday

The weather forecast is miserable and the sky is black and heavy.  But we have courage, a plan and an early start.  A bus, the Strumble shuttle takes us up to ... Strumble Head and we set off around the coast.  Although we' re are not far from yesterdays walk the geology is v different and it's repeated headlands an creeks to negotiate, lots of ups and downs.  By the time we got to Fishguard I was tired and a bit bored of ascent/descent ascent/descent ascent/descent ... Our courage paid off no rain until we got to Fishguard and plenty of shelter there in second hand shops 'til the bus arrived. Bus journey back was punctuated with picking up wet walkers from the ends of their walks.  I felt dry and a bit lucky.

27/10/2008- Friday

Day at leisure- got up and couldn't see the big rock in fact couldn't see other end of campsite.  

Slow lazy start to day and then into St David’s for a look about.  Plan was, in my head, for a jaunt around the bishop’s palace; 

St David’s has two enormous ancient buildings.  

Amazing as it only has about 4 streets. 

But plan faded and we didn’t do much really.  Looked in shops failed to buy seafood for lunch, stocked up on groceries - local lamb - lovely?  

Internet café for some college work

28/06/2008 -Saturday

More coastal path, to be honest there is very little else to do here.  They try their best but the inland bits of this end of Benfro 

[it's the vernacular welsh, don’t you know, but I’m not sure whether it's b or p at the beginning.  It’s a funny language where words change their spelling in away unknown to me]

 are dull.  

After the obvious highlights of the cathedral and palace next up is a wollen mill and sheepdog training academy.  Absolute swizz - the wollen mill is quite clearly constructed of breeze blocks, concrete and the other usual building materials.  I've been entertaining S with that joke all week.  

'If you say that one more time; I'll stab you!'

So from the campsite, through some farms for pony spotting fun and then along the coast to Abereddie or Aberieddi or several other spellings.  Different geology yet again, how much can they get into one place?  Why don't they market the area to tourists using it?  The Scots seem to manage that quite well - come on you welshies - lets rock (quite literally)

Penfro Rocks

Rock of Ages

Bus back to St David’s and then for a change walk back to the campsite.  

We have been getting the bus at the end of walks but the bus driver and his two ever-present pals have started to become a little creepy.  

When we get on the bus it's just us and them three.  

They conduct one conversation amongst themselves, finishing each other’s sentences with the driver taking the lead.  They speak English like it isn't their first language, although I suspect it is, and they were taught it by a Methodist priest using bible passages to illustrate.  They are welcoming, friendly and attentive but ultimately scary.

 

29/06/2008 - Sunday

 I guess we went home but I can't remember much about it really - must have been alright I suppose.  Camper ran lovely.