Monday, June 01, 2009

When Reidski

has blogged more recently than I have I know just how remiss I have been attending to this place.

I do so have an excuse, and it isn't that I have sod all to talk about. On the contrary, I could sit here and write all day on the subject of why Northampton So Called 'University' is the crappiest teaching organisation in Britain (I don't want to think there is anywhere worse), but I will spare you that rant and just say that it would have been nice to have had more than two days notice that in addition to my assignment there was a little matter of an evidence grid to submit, which ran to 18 pages by the time I had finally finished the thing.

That evidence grid was all the more difficult to complete because last week whilst I was physically here in Northampton, my mind was very much still wishing I was eleswhere as I couldn't get how lovely Pembrokeshire was out of my head.

We stayed here. I cannot recommend this place highly enough, and the fact that it only cost us £99 each for a four night stay is practically day light robbery for that standard of accommodation.

I had never been to this area of Wales before and I just fell in love with the place. We were lucky with the weather, only getting soaked to the skin briefly the twice. (For the benefit of Joe in Las Vegas, that definitely counts as being lucky for any break taken in Britain in mid May.) For the rest of the time, deep blue sky and sunshine ruled, although granted the suntans we both came back with may have owed more to the wind than to the heat of the sun.



I think it is arguably quite good if the last day of any given break/holiday is the worst day as that makes it easier to return home. Our last day was I think our best. Coming home was shite! Anyway, on that particular day we went across to the St David's peninsular. Wow, wow and thrice wow! It was completely stunning, with an absolute profusion of wild flowers simply covering the cliffs all the way down to the rocks at the bottom. And as I had temporarily morphed into a twitcher whilst I was in Wales - we saw SO many different birds - if only I knew what on earth they all were that would have been good - this day was a real highlight. We took a boat trip around Ramsey Island where there were literally thousands of nesting sea birds on the cliffs, as well as flying in each and every direction around us. And they weren't nasty old sea gulls either. They were pretty! As was the island itself as hopefully this second photo will illustrate.



We saw seals too, and choughs, which are apparently some of the rarest birds to be found in Britain and who nest on Ramsey Island.

The perfect day (almost)ended with the perfect seaside food - fish and chips with mushy peas, from a fabulous chip shop in Tenby listed here at No. 5 in the best fish and chip list according to the Independent. (Just noticed Reidski and I have also visited the one at No. 9. This could become my next mission - to visit each of the ones listed.)

As to what the perfect day really did end with, I leave that to your imagination. But believe me when I say that that was pretty much perfect too.

8 comments:

Reidski said...

I pass No2 on a very regular basis when I walk through Covent Garden on way to/from work - must pop in some time.

marc said...

You must, #2 is a top Chippy. D & I stumbled in there quite by accident & did not regret it.

Beautiful pics, btw (sighs longingly, looking at the rain spattered windows at work here...)

J.J said...

Reidski, that is a definite.

Marc - it does come to something when you have been to the chip shop that Reidski walks past all the time whilst he has not .... never mind that you live in Chicago!

It's lovely and hot here btw...sorry!

jay said...

That does look lovely! Do the cottages have fenced in gardens? VERY tempting for a holiday with a dog, if so!

By the way, I don't think Northampton So-Called University can be the worst teaching organisation in Britain, I think that would be Peterborough Regional, where No. 2 went, briefly, to do Graphic Art and Design. After the first week on the course, they changed it to (wait for it) Business Studies, because 'that was what most of the students on the course seemed to be interested in'.

Whaaa ... ?

I don't blame him for dropping out, do you?

naldo said...

I sometimes get narked at cats fae doon sooth who've nivir been to Scotland. And i've nivir been to Wales. What a hypocritical tit.

I've got plenty good mates there (well 2 really), love mountains and beaches and birds and seals and the Super Furry Animals.

And that lemon curd off the Weakest Link right geez me the creeps so it's time to cut the crap and get to Wales. It sounds and looks fab.

Karen said...

I have not ventured far into Pembrokeshire as my family are from the Swansea area and therefore know the Gower (Gwyr) peninsula much better. If you go back you must go to Three Cliffs Bay as it's gorgeous and has everything a beach should have and more (unless you consider a front and shops directly on the beach a necessity).

The Independent are obviously incapable of navigating too far away from the M6 for if they made it over to west Cumbria they would delight at the "whale" and chips that you get at Crosby's in Whitehaven.

J.J said...

Jay, all the gardens were fenced in. In every respect it was a first class place to stay - except that is for the price.

And erh - I think you may just have trumped me with your colelge tale! What a shocker!

Naldo - get thee sen to Wales forthwith!

Karen - I have added the Gower peninsula to my (long) list of must visit places. And thanks for the chip shop tip!

Karen said...

If you do make it to Gower there was a really nice fish and chip shop in Killay, near Swansea. Haven't been down for about 4 years so don't know if it's still there or still nice!