We were torn between sleeping in or getting up and get going since this was to be our longest hiking day to date. We opted for the later start. George and Karen are always up at the crack of dawn and then want to go to bed at 3 in the afternoon. Pam and I started waking up around 8:15 with a planned breakfast of coffee and pop tarts. While we were eating and packing, George and Karen showed up with donuts and cinnamon rolls–they had been up for a couple of hours and gone shopping. We forced ourselves to eat the rolls (it always pays to be polite).
The day started out with a lot of road walking through Pembroke Dock to crossing the Cleddau Toll Bridge. This bridge was built the year after Pam was born, so it’s quite old. It was originally delayed 4 years because of design flaws which caused similar bridges to collapse so they thought best to scratch the original plans.
By the time we got to Neyland, we already had 3 miles and a couple of hours of walking in, so we decided we needed to find a cafe and restrooms (the women feel a little encumbered peeing on the streets). We made our way down to the marina to the Brunel Cafe. When I ordered a hamburger for lunch, Karen heard the cook express concern about cooking a burger for an American. We ate outside at one of the picnic tables and the waitresses took turns bringing our food out to us so they could each have a chance talking to the Americans. When we got done eating, I went back in to talk to them and tell them all what we are doing (with the 5 year hiking plan). They all were very enthusiastic and excited for us. I wish I would have remembered to get a picture with these women. If they would send us a pic, I’ll put it in our blog.
The trail into Milford Haven wandered in and out of industrial, residential, and natural areas and was not overly taxing (unless you listen to the whining of Pam and George). Following is a conversation I had with George today:
George: “I’m losing weight in my balls and they sure do hurt. Also, I’m not shaving any on this trip so I’m a little itchy.”
Me: “TMI! Your privates are your business.”
George: “What are you talking about? I said I’m loosing weight in my feet and the balls of my feet hurt. I noticed you shaved this morning and I’m just saying I’m not shaving on this trip.”
It’s kind of hard to hear the person in front of you on the trail when their talking is is punctuated with wheezes, sighs, and sobs.
We had to walk along a busy road heading into Milford Haven. Karen was afraid of the traffic and would stop with every passing car. Then George started leading and he would practically climb the hedge to get out of traffic. Finally, I took over the lead and got far enough out front that I was able to wave my poles at oncoming cars to slow down so we could continue walking. We finally made it over Black Bridge and into Milford Haven.
There is a very nice park along the shore with memorials to fishermen who built up the town (Quakers from Nantucket who felt they were being persecuted in the USA so they went back to Wales). Also, a memorial to 5 workers killed in an explosion at the refinery we walked by a couple days ago.
We stopped at Lord Nelson for a second lunch for me (and a first for everyone else); I operate on a Hobbit eating schedule. George and Pam’s feet were hurting so bad, they couldn’t wait to get off of them. Even Karen got in on the therapy ball getting passed around under the table to massage our feet at lunch.
More road walking through Milford Haven after lunch. By now, George was getting in his cranky, I’m not waiting or slowing down mood when he gets tired. The plan was to just stop after we got out of town and wild camp. But when we got passed the last residences, the trail was on refinery property with fences on both sides of the trail and was video monitored–we had no choice but to push on another 3 miles to reach Sandy Haven.
The original reason we were shooting for a long day was to time our crossing across the Sandyhaven Pill which is only passable within 2.5 hours of low tide after which we have another low tide crossing in another 5 miles. If we could get close enough to cross Sandy Haven before low tide, we could make it across the second crossing in the same tidal period. This is the long way of saying, George was tired and whiny and Pam was in pain. Karen and I were fine for the most part. I decided that Pam and George needed some consolation in knowing that we were all suffering, so this is when I started faking to have blisters to keep everyone motivated to move.
When we got to the campground, we had to check in at the 9th caravan but we weren’t able to decide which was the 9th because we were too tired to count consistently and debated if they were including the ones in the trees. Finally, a woman came out to help us and told us there was a key and we would have to camp in a numbered site because other people were coming in for the weekend. Site 7 was at a 30 degree angle so we camped where we wanted–there was only one other family present and they said they had been alone for 2 days.
So fun! Curious on foot pain. Is it due to too many miles?
It’s a combination of factors: too much body weight, not enough training ahead of time, hard uneven surfaces, and the wrong shoes for this trail. We underestimated this trail and didn’t bring our boots. This is a challenging trail and not the cakewalk we were expecting.