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By viv, 24 April, 2012 8:00 am

What better way to discover the Wales Coast Path and think of ideas to connect communities and visitors along it than to get out for a walk along part of it?  The guest post below from Gwyn Hughes-Jones first appeared on the Ordnance Survey blog in February and takes in a 10-mile section along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path around St David’s is available on OS Explorer Map OL35, North Pembrokeshire.

Starting at the car park at Caerfai Bay, follow the Pembrokeshie Coastal Path sign to the right for St Non’s Bay. After a kilometre, you will arrive at St Non’s Bay. St Non, who was the mother of St David, lived in a cottage on the site of the present chapel. It was here that St David was born in about 462 AD.

From St Non’s Bay, continue on the coastal path for 2 km to Porth Clais. Porth Clais is where St David was baptised by Elvis, the Bishop of Munster. After another 2.4 km along the path, you will reach Porthlysgi Bay – keep an eye out for the natural sea arch on your way.

From Porthlysgi the coastal path tracks around the tip of St David’s Penninsula to Porthstinian (about 4.8 km).  There are fantastic views of Ramsey Island: Ynys Dewi in Welsh. Is was here that Dewi Sant (St David) supposedly met St Patrick. There is another natural arch as you approach Porthstinian, and you will also be able to see Ordovician and Pre-Cambrian rock types providing stunning views.

Porthstinian was home to the Breton hermit St Justinian, who was, apparently, the confessor of St David. He met a sticky end on Ramsey when his head was cut off by his followers, apparently for being too strict a discipliarian!  Porthstinian is also home to the Tyddewi (St David’s) lifeboat. I realise it is not everyone’s cup of tea but I, for one, always enjoy the opportunity to look around the boat house, explore the slip way and take a peek at the Tyne-class lifeboat itself.  Those with wider interests might also be interested in the boat trips around Ramsey Island that set off from here.

From Porthstinian the coastal path goes on to Porthselau which is just south of Porth Mawr (a distance of 3.5 kilometres). When you reach the beach at Porthselau take the first footpath on the right after the campsite and follow it inland for 700 metres (ignore the left-hand fork).  When you reach the road, turn left and follow the road for 1.5 kilometres until you reach a T-junction. Turn left at the junction and continue for 200 metres. Take the road on your right which will lead you to St David’s after 300 metres.

It is worth having a look around St David’s, which is the smallest city in Britain. There is plenty to see and, in contrast to the city, the cathedral is the largest in Wales. There are several local hostelries and it is well worth seeking out a pint of Felin Foel Double Dragon.  It was the first beer in the world to come in a can but, more than that, it tastes great too!

From St David’s it is only a brief 1.5 kilometre stroll back down to the car park at Caerfai Bay.

We’ve also got a Welsh version of the walk for you:

Pa ffordd well sydd i ddathlu Gŵyl Dewi na chael taith gerdded 10milltir ar hyd Llwybr Arfordir Penfro o amgylch Tŷ Ddewi? Mae’r daith ar gael ar fap ‘Explorer’ OL35 Gogledd Penfro.

Cychwynnwch o faes parcio Bae Caerfai, dilynwch arwydd Llwybr Arfordir Penfro I’r dde i gyfeiriad Bae Santes Non. Ymhen cilomedr dewch at y bae. Mam Dewi oedd Sant Non drigai mewn bwthyn oedd ar safle’r capel presennol. Dyma le’r ganwyd Dewi tua 462 OC.

O Fae Santes Non ewch ‘mlaen ar y llwybr am 2 gilomedr i Borth Clais. Yma gwelwch Ffynnon Dewi lle y bedyddiwyd Dewi gan Eilw, Archesgob Munster. Ymhen 2½ cilomedr fe ddowch at Fae Porthlysgi – cadwch lygaid am y bwa morwrol naturiol cyn cyrraedd.

O Borthlysgian, ymlwybra’r llwybr heibio I  Benrhyn Dewi Sant at Borthstinian (tua 4.8 cilomedr). Yma mae golygfeydd arbennig o Ynys Dewi. Yma, yn ôl hanes, y cyfarfu Dewi a Sant Padrig. Mae bwa naturiol arall fel y dewch at Borthlysgian, ac fe welwch hefyd greigiau Ordofigaidd a Chyn-gambriaidd.

Roedd Porthlysgian yn gartref  i Sant  Justinian, y meudwy Llydaweg, oedd , mae’n debyg, yn gyffeswr i Dewi. Daeth diwedd ar ei fywyd ar Ynys Dewi pan dorrwyd ei ben i ffwrdd gan ei ddilynwyr, mae’n debyg, am fod yn rhy llym fel disgyblwr! Mae Porthlysgian hefyd yn gartref i fad achub Tŷ Ddewi. Rwy’n sylweddoli nad yw hyn yn plesio pawb ond dwi’n mwynhau’r cyfle i edrych ar yr adeilad, y llithrfa a’r gwch Tyne ei hun. Efallai fod rhai a diddordeb a dal cwch oddi yma i fynd o gwmpas Ynys Dewi.

Mae’r llwybr yn arwain o Borthstinian i Borthselau sydd ychydig i’r de o Borth Mawr 3.5 cilomedr). Pan gyrhaeddwch y traeth ym Mhorthselau, cymerwch y llwybr cyntaf ar y dde ac fe ddowch at y maes campio. Dilynwch hwn am y tir am 700 medr (anwybyddwch y fforch i’r chwith). Pan gyrhaeddwch y ffordd, trowch i’r chwith a dilyn y ffordd am 1½ cilomedr hyd y dewch i ben y ffordd. Yma trowch i’r chwith ac ymlaen am 200medr. Cymerwch y ffordd ar y dde a wnaiff eich arwain i Dŷ  Ddewi ymhen 300 medr.

Mae’n werth i chi edrych o gwmpas Tŷ Ddewi, y ddinas leiaf ym Mhrydain. Mae digon i’w weld ac, yn wahanol i’r ddinas, mae’r gadeirlan y fwyaf yng Nghymru. Mae yma nifer o dafarnau lleol and mae’n werth chwilio am beint o ‘Double Dragon’ gan fragdy Felin Foel. Dyma’r cwrw cyntaf yn y byd i’w gael mewn can ond, yn well na hyn, mae’n flasus hefyd!

Dim ond 1½ cilomedr sydd o Dŷ Ddewi yn ôl i’r maes parcio ym Mae Caerfai.

Our Wales Coast Path Challenge closes at noon on 2 May – so hurry you have just over a week to enter your ideas to be in with a chance to win a slice of up to £125,000 in funding to get started.

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By dee, 7 October, 2011 11:04 am

Walk to School Month is run in the UK by national charity, Living Streets who work to create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets where people want to walk.

The focus of this years’ campaign will be on safety of the roads around schools, especially traffic speeds.

Back in the day when I walked to school, Tufty and his friends would have taught me to travel to safely. 

Fast forward a few years!? – we have all manner of interactive online tools to help get to school safely.

From using OS OpenSpace to get us simply walking, through the Walk4Life website.

To councils using OS OpenData to provide dedicated route finders providing smarter ways to school.

Hampshire County Council

Sheffield County Council

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By viv, 22 September, 2011 8:00 am

Did you know that today is World Carfree day and an opportunity to leave the car at home and walk, take a bus, train or cycle? All this can help to highlight congestion on our roads, pollution from exhaust fumes and the threat of dangerous climate change caused by cars.

Some of the winners of our‘How can we improve transport in Britain?’ GeoVation Challenge have some great ideas and tools for alternative ways to travel.

If you’re cycling,  Cyclestreets have a great journey planner.  Their website and mobile apps use OS Street View® map data from the OS OpenData™ datasets as well as  OpenStreetMap options for route planning.

Public interest in the London Cycle Map Campaign is growing with nearly 1500 signatures but they need 100,000 signatures in order for a petition to be debated in the House of Commons. So if you think Simon Parker’s London ‘Tube Map’ for cyclist is  a great idea  – sign the petition now!

Mission:Explore are working closely with Sustrans and Arla to create challenges and activities called ‘missions’ along parts of the cycle network to encourage families and new users to get out and cycle on the National Cycle Network

If you have problems travelling on public transport, why not report it on FixMyTransport a site for public transport users to report problems and get them fixed!

AccessAdvisr, another of our winners are busy building their proof of concept for a new website and smartphone app that intends to improve the quality and richness of information about accessible transport networks.

And if you really need to take the car, have you heard about liftshare week (3^rd – 7^th October 2011)?  liftshare Week is the UK-wide event which aims to encourage more people to discover the benefits of car-sharing.

What maps or apps do you use to help you to leave the car at home and plan your cycle, walk or journey by public transport?

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By viv, 16 November, 2010 10:42 am

A massive well done to Nat who, on 5 November, completed his huge challenge – a continuous walk around the coast of Britain, starting and finishing in Portsmouth.  The mega-trek took 10 months – here he tells us how he felt during the final stage:

So I have finished. On 5 November, just after 4:30 pm, I walked up to South Parade pier in some pretty miserable weather to be welcomed by a group of friends and family. I had been dreading the return slightly. Not because I wasn’t ready to stop, I was looking forward to being able to do something other than walk every day but I was not looking forward to the attention being on me. Luckily after an awkward 5 minutes, stood, having people photograph me, I was able to enjoy seeing the people that had come out and chat to them in a more relaxed way. Moving on to the pub helped that.

The last 10 days of my journey took in some interesting places, not least Dungeness which is one of the strangest places I walked through all year. I don’t know whether the weather compounded the feeling but the place was very bleak with its power plant and dark flat surrounding landscape.  Getting closer to home meant that, just as with the first week, there were people to stay with most nights. My last ever camp spot of the walk was near Bracklesham but was disappointing in that it was definitely not one of the better spots. I think the increasingly urban landscape and contact with more familiar people as I neared home has meant that the transition back to normal life has been easier than I anticipated. I haven’t yet been home for even a week yet though so we shall see if it holds true.   As this is my last entry, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the people who have helped and supported me along the way. I have been lucky enough to not only have the support of my immediate family, but also of friends, acquaintances and strangers alike and without all these people it could have been a very different adventure. Thank you also to all those that have sponsored me through one of my 3 chosen charities, the donation pages are still open via my website for anyone still wishing to donate.

Lastly, thank you to GeoVation for your massive contribution to the walk.

Nat

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By viv, 29 October, 2010 9:21 am

Nat is approaching the final week of his ‘mega trek’ around Britain’s coast.  Catch up with him and this thoughts on litter:

So I am on the home straight, but unlike a marathon I am feeling fresher than ever, my body, I think, believes this is normal. This will clearly cause me problems when I stop, I will not be walking 25 miles each day for fun, but for now I will give thanks that life is a little easier.

Nat in Kent

It occurred to me that this whole way round there has been one thing that has shocked and disappointed me in equal measure: the ever-present companion of litter.

In the busier places or near the cities, you would expect to see detritus washing up onto the beaches or littering the promenades and indeed you don’t have to look far to find it. It’s annoying and you wish people would be more careful, but it appears to be an accepted evil of coastal towns and cities.

Where it gets shocking is when you are miles from anywhere and you walk along a beach hardly trodden and every few yards you find yourself looking at plastic bottles, packaging or bags. Even in the remotest parts of Scotland a plastic bottle would be sitting on the shoreline, a constant reminder of commercial exploits far removed from the scenery.

Clearly, the sea is its transport, which makes things a whole lot worse. I was fortunate enough to see the otters, dolphins and sea eagles that have made these remote spots their homes, away from that dangerous predator the human. But the human impact still reaches them through the rubbish.

There are so many beautiful bits of coastline in Britain but they are in danger of being eclipsed by the blight of rubbish. I had no idea of the scale of the problem before I started this walk.

I must appear to grumble quite a lot in these blogs but I have actually really enjoyed the whole walk – I just felt that when I saw issues like this arise I should try and bring them to people’s attention so they can be fixed!

I will be finishing on 5 November back in Portsmouth, so if you are about and want to come and say hello, you are more than welcome to come down. See my website for more details.

Nat Severs

If you’ve been inspired by Nat’s Big Walk you can find further details and information on the charities he’s fund-raising for on his website