Labs on the Road

Not a cloud in the sky as we set off to Fishguard the next morning. Rain was forecast for late afternoon, but we were hopeful that we could fit in everything we wanted to see .

The views from the Presili Hills are stunning and I wanted to stop to take photos, but there is only one car park and it was full. Hikers and walkers getting ready for a Sunday out. We were soon in Lower Town Fishguard. Loved the “muddy pups and wet boots welcome” sign outside one of the pubs on the way to the carpark.

It was breakfast time for ducks on the river. The tide was going out and they were eating while paddling like crazy. Thai was fascinated. She had never seen a duck close up and would have been in the river to retrieve if given half a chance.

The Herring statue by John Clea stands at the start of the quay. It pays tribute to the town’s thriving herring industry up to the mid-19th century.

Not a breath of wind, perfect for reflections in the water:

We walked down the quay past the yacht club, lobster pots and tourists trying to catch crabs.

View of the outer harbour and the Stena ferry waiting to take people to Ireland:

I could have spent all day in Fishguard, but we wanted to see St. Davids. First stop was St. Non’s Chapel. The ruins are on the clifftop just outside St. David’s.

We had lunch in yet another dog-friendly pub in St. David’s. It would be very difficult to find a pub or café that didn’t welcome dogs. Water bowls were available around the town and water for the dogs was the first thing brought to our table wherever we stopped.

We then went down to the Bishop’s Palace (in ruins) next to the cathedral. St. David’s is the smallest city in the UK with around 1,600 people living there. Seemed to be about as many tourists on a sunny Sunday at the end of the summer. Hikers doing the coastal way and much happier than the ones we saw trudging through the rain the day before. The city seems to have attracted loads of artists from the art galleries and craft shops down the main street.

St David’s cathedral and Bishops’s Palace (click on the arrows to see all the photos)

We then made our way back towards the cottage and stopped at Parrog. The highlight of the whole trip for Goa and Thai… They were back on a beach. Not their beach, but a pretty good beach. Goa preferred it as there were no Atlantic waves and she could wade in the water left at low tide-

Dog fun (click on arrows again)

We ordered a cup of tea and cannoli from the pasta van just outside the yacht club (members only). Just as we were paying, it started to pour and we rushed to the car to drink our tea. Another holiday in the UK with a picnic in the car. It was the best cup of tea I have ever had. Clipper’s and I am now trying to find where I can buy it in Spain.

Back to the cottage with two very tired dogs. It had been a very, very good dog day:

On Monday we drove back to Worcestershire. We had planned to stop off at the Brecon Beacons, but rain was forecast again and so it was straight back to Stourport.

A wonderful weekend and I would move to Pembrokeshire tomorrow.