Monday, April 27, 2015

To the sea...



...or to be more precise, to the beautiful Pembrokshire Coast National Park.




The three day drive from France was surprisingly uneventful - given that we had two kids and a dog in the car!  (Thank you Mark for the loan of the portable DVD player!).  Our first pit stop was a charming 'gypsy' caravan (Roulotte) in St Quentin, in the Picardie region.
 I must admit I'd never given the north of France a second though as a holiday destination but it is definitely a spot I'll like to return to in the future for a longer stay.  The region is steeped in history as it was the stage of many WW1 battles, and there are countless monuments and epitaph's attesting to the bravery of the soldiers, the resistance movement and the citizens who lived and died during this horrendous war.

The water in sunny west Wales was as cold as ever, but the boys still had a wee dip!  Even Ringo got his paws wet.

We enjoyed seven days of glorious sunshine barring the morning we decided to do a 'paying' activity, when it rained,...sods law, but the boys managed to get their fill of fun all the same.



Whilst Richard and Ringo took themselves on early morning coastal runs, the boys were treated to breakfast in front of the TV (watching cartoons in Welsh!!), with the rest of our days spend with my dad aka Papy Tatoo, walking on the beach, the coastal path and visiting places of historical local interest...

...St Byrnach's Church, or what remains of it, after the rest was washed into the sea in 1859 in a dreadful storm which was also responsible for the loss of 113 ships along the coast of Wales...


 ...and the UK's smallest city - St David's...

 St Davids city centre!
which owes its status as a city to the fact that it has a cathedral!


Papy Tatoo
We were lucky in more than one way with the good weather, it enabled us to eat out doors as dogs are not welcome in very many restaurants in the UK!





We've only been back a few days but I'm already looking forward to our next visit.  Richard is even talking about buying a holiday home over there (he must have more cash stashed under the mattress than I know about!!).


Some pictures of our last visit can be found here
 

10 comments:

  1. Your images are so brilliantly beautiful and cheerful. It reads like a wonderful holiday.
    Helen

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  2. So nice to see the photos of your vacation. It looks like you had a lovely time. And how wonderful that the weather was good for you, gotta love that!

    Your photos are just stunning. And a holiday home...nice :)

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  3. So pleased the weather was good for you, its a little erratic at the moment with the temperatures dropping. Looks like a great holiday.

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  4. You are braver than me driving all that way! Your photos are stunning, you did pick the best week weather wise. I don't know what Pembroke is like now but we haver had frosts for the last couple of nights and there is snow in the hills again!

    Let us know if you find that stash........

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  5. Looks like you had a wonderful time and gorgeous weather! So beautiful!

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  6. Wow! That is beautiful. The weather looks wonderful for a fun and relaxing trip too. It makes my state here in the US boring, ha ha!

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  7. It looks like you had a wonderful holiday! Your pictures bring back such good memories. My cousin and a friend and I hiked along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path for five memorable days back in September of 2013. Such an amazing place!

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  8. Oh my! What a lovely time you look to have had...and all that sunshine! And the history!

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  9. Wow! What lovely photos and such a beautiful spot. Fun that you all mixed it up with scenery, history and fun stuff for the kids- looks amazing.

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  10. Such a wonderful vacation in a picturesque place. Gorgeous photos.
    Meredith

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