Before proceeding to view these pages of Ilkeston Cam On Holiday in Pembrokeshire you may like to see some images from previous years which are accessible from the Specials Index. |
 I continued my walk westwards along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path for a short distance, but turning to look back, the thought crossed my mind that if I were a few years younger - and a good deal fitter - I would love to walk the whole length of the 180 odd miles of the path if this is just a sample of the scenery. A word of warning here though - the cliffs are unstable and visitors are well advised to keep to the path. |
 Part of the cliff top here is still under the jurisdiction of the Ministry Of Defence and the path between Lydstep and Skrinkle Haven was only opened for public access in 1983. It had been used as a gunnery school since the Second World War and before that in the Great War, it was a base for airships engaged in the search for submarines. The exclusion of the public and grazing animals allowed many wild flowers and thick gorse become established on the headland. |
 Returning once again towards the car park I could see many of the seabirds that have made their home on the cliffs. These include fulmar, razorbill and many gulls, many of them mostly herring gulls and ornithologists may also spot the chough with its bright red beak and legs. |
 But whatever their breed, they all seemed to float, glide and swoop effortlessly on the air currents around the steep cliffs. |
 Many tourists, apart from the coastal path walkers, are likely to miss this area of the coast as it is a little off the beaten track but it is worth seeking out simply for its beauty. I spotted a small group of walkers on the path on the cliff top and they put the scale of the place and the height of the cliffs into perspective. |
 Those two small boats were still manoeuvring around Lydstep Point and as I watched the smaller of the two started to head in this direction. |
 It turned out to be an inflatable and was obviously intent on getting a closer look at the cliffs. |
 At one point I thought they were going to try and pass through the rocky arch but after a look at the breaking waves they used their discretion, thought better of it and departed the way they had come. Which is exactly what I did as I returned to the car to follow the road back past the Youth Hostel and on to Manorbier. |
