DATES: 18 – 21 APRIL 2023 INCLUSIVE
As is “usual” with holiday planning, I’d decided back in November 2022 that I’d have another bash at The Great Escape (see blog for previous 2022 attempt) – hopefully this time without any catastrophic terminal tent issues !!!!!!!
So deciding to be away for the whole of May 2023 necessitated a thorough checkout of all things camping, which in turn meant a few days away, to remind myself how it all goes together, if anything needed repair/replacement, etc.
The week AFTER Easter looked prime, so I booked a few days at the Llanungar Caravan and Camping site, just outside Solva ( where a certain Ms Vorderman lives, I’m told….) . The idea was to have a look round St Davids, walk around the area a bit, check that my packing/inventory lists were still valid (all SEVEN pages of it – sad but necessary IMHO, you only forget tent pegs once !!!!) and see what else happened….
Thankfully, only 3 hours away, I went the pretty route, ie via Brecon, Llandovery, Carmarthen and Haverford West. Not been to this part of the world recently ( the last time I was still wearing short trousers to school …..) so wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting. Certainly not a view like this all of a sudden at Newgale !! There’s a humungous camp site there, just across the road from the beach – by the look of things they’d had a busy Easter weekend ……..
My campsite was dead easy to find, so a “quick” set up and tea were the order of the day. Nice touch to have your name on an arrivals board……. Obviously not very busy after Easter, so had the place almost to my self, so could indulge AND watch the beautiful sunset.
One of the sub-plots of this trip was to sort out extra guy ropes (for potentially windy Outer Hebrides places in May) and practice collapsing/securing the tent down if it all got a bit much…. I’d seen somewhere that using ratchet straps and para cord cross ropes was a potential solution. So the next day was spent playing tents……..
Not very pretty, but might just save the day. Hopefully a complete waste of time and prove totally unnecessary….Rewarded with yet another glorious sunset.
Next morning it was explore Solva time ! Brilliant blue sky as well…..On advice from the campsite persons, I walked the long way down on the back roads, as it seems the main A487 is a bit of a rat race with no footpaths and not much verge to walk on either !
Solva village is positioned on a river estuary inlet, so provides sheltered anchorages, etc.
It’s only a small village, but very pretty with it. Since it was early ( before 9), I treated myself to a coffee and Welsh cakes, sitting in the sun, watching the world wake up….
In the afternoon, I ventured into St Davids – the UK’s smallest city ? Obviously went full tourist and “did” the cathedral. Irrespective of your religious inclinations ( or indeed none) its a pretty impressive building with its quirky inward leaning support pillars and sloping knave !
After a wander round the city (???) and a bite to eat, it was off to find the Camping and Caravan Club site nearby, for future reference. Perched on a hill a bit, but useful to have gone there for a look.
Another site recommended was Whitesands Camping, adjacent to the huge Whitesands Beach Nice little site, but must be very, very, very busy in Summer. Also no bookings, so “first come best dressed”. Not really my modus operandae, but I can see it would be very attractive to some – especially the “younger generation “ !!!!!!! Still, worth a look.
So back to camp and get ready for the journey back to civilisation on the Friday. Good few days away to check everything out. Now the big one, a month away in Scotland …..