Day 1–Wednesday, April 12. Amroth to Saundersfoot (4 miles)

I was pretty late getting to bed last night because of blog updates for the last few days (true devotion to my one devoted reader–thanks, dad). Once again, Pam was concerned about where I was and what was taking so long, but not to the point where she came looking for me or stayed awake.

Not too long after I got into bed and had the lights out, a young couple quietly crept in and got on the top bunk next to the door. They definitely had more fun than I did that night while Pam was snoring away above me. The most infuriating part (other than too dim of light to see anything) was that I had to go to the bathroom after they got started. I just held it until they finished, waited 15 minutes, faked waking up, and then made my exit.

When I got back in bed but still hadn’t fallen asleep, Karen woke up (I found in the morning) worried about me because I hadn’t been snoring. She said she almost woke Pam up until she saw me move. I’m still confused because Pam is the snorer.

Once we got up, showered, packed, ate breakfast, repacked, took one more bathroom break, shuffled all of our gear around, performed one final pack, and headed downstairs, we were ready to head to the trail for Wales. Unfortunately, George’s latest repacking for efficiency made him forget where he put things and if he put them in the proper bag, so he got one more tear down and repack in. All we had to do was find a place to store our extra gear while we were in Wales. Right across from the train station, we found our savior in having 3 competitors right next to each other. What we thought was going to be 3 BP/day for 2 bags for 21 days (3x2x21=126 BP or approx $160) we got for about 1/3 of that. We were off to a great start.

We then went to the train station and figured out our travel arrangements and had time for a spot of tea and a chance to buy lunch for the train. We had a 4 1/2 hour ride in front of us. We navigated the trains like old pros and got to Tenby, Wales without incident (the biggest problem we had was so many people interested in what we were doing and then wanting to help us out with advice and directions. One woman got off the train and directed us to the information center and bus stop. The Welsh people have been absolutely fantastic to us so far.

After acquiring bus schedules, tide tables, and chatting with the information clerk, we ended up taking a taxi to Amroth instead for just a couple extra pounds. This was a great bargain and the most efficient way to get there as we were going to have to wait almost 2 hours for the next bus and we ended up passing the previous bus less than 1/2 way to Amroth. The taxi driver drove us directly to the start of the trail. Unfortunately, just 50 yards from the start is a Welsh Pub by the name of New Inn. It was already 4:30p and the trail would still be there if we had a snack and a pint.

At 5:30, we finally were on our way through Amroth walking along the beach with the Atlantic to our left (an easy enough indicator to keep us from getting lost). At approximately 5:45p we lost the trail. We ended up on a dead end in a parking lot next to the beach. We recovered and headed on to our first goal of Wiseman’s bridge just 2 miles up the road.

At 6:30, we arrived at our goal of Wiseman’s Bridge Inn for a supper before we set up camp. Once again, there were plenty of people with suggestions as to where we could camp since the local park was full. After we had another pint, some curry, and some lively conversations concerning the current state of American politics. I tried my Canadian accent, but it was too late. Everyone was nice, but concerned about the stability of our country.

We decided to head on through the tunnels towards Saundersfoot where we might be able to find a wild campsite for the night. It was still light out so we weren’t concerned. Another mile and we could set up camp.

Unfortunately, we missed the recommended spot and ended up in Saundersfoot. The town is right on a beach so I decided to step around one of the beachfront condos and take some pictures. When I came back, everyone had abandoned me. I started up the road and ran into a lovely young English couple and their 2 children who were just returning from a walk to Tenby and back. They described the trail and we were having a pleasant conversation about what our plans were. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m normally not a talker. After about 10 minutes (Pam and Karen claim 30, but I don’t believe them–everyone knows how excitable Pam can be), Pam andKaren came screaming after me that they were afraid I’d fallen off a cliff (when they left me standing on a beach). The husband apologized for getting me in trouble. I humbly fell back in line trying to calm Pam down.

We caught up with George downtown and tried to find some lodging for the night. It was too late and a holiday week so we decided to keep walking and maybe we’d find a spot in the woods. This is when we discovered the secret to the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path–follow the upside down acorns where ever they appear. The towns have incorporate the acorns on their street signs so you must watch carefully. We didn’t watch carefully. We missed the last turn in town and ended up walking about a mile (all uphill, in the dark, with 6′ of snow, both ways–wrong point, let’s settle for dark and uphill). We finally realized what we had done, turned around and got back on the trail. By now, George was tired and running on adrenaline. He shot up the trail like a jackrabbit and we couldn’t keep up. We finally caught up with him and set up camp the first open area we saw–the only drawback was in was about a 30 degree slope. I know how to compensate for these things so I wasn’t worried. Just sleep on the uphill side in the tent and as you slide down, you end up with a person cushion under you.