A king, a cathedral and a writer

Who is this grand personage? Which city does he stand over?

After a long day of travel from Wales to Winchester which involved a cancelled train, a shared taxi with a fellow walker we'd met several times on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and a young woman also stranded by the cancelled train, the taxi getting a flat tyre, waiting by a busy road for a replacement taxi, getting on a later train unsure if our tickets were still valid, we eventually arrived in Winchester a few hours later than planned but before dinner. We had three days to rest and explore before starting our next walk.

Here are a few photos from Winchester.

Not much remains of the 13th century medieval castle. Stairs down to the passages beneath the castle.

The Great Hall, where banquets were held and the king sat in judgement over legal disputes.

Medieval coffins unearthed at a former nunnery nearby.

The City Mill on the River Itchen, a very pretty chalk stream, shallow with clear water filtered by the chalk geology.

Beautiful parks along the river and near the cathedral.

A piece of the Roman city wall from 300AD.

View of the bridge over the river from inside the City Mill.

Alms houses, built by the church for the poor.

Winchester Cathedral. The longest medieval church in Europe.

We did a guided tour. Very interesting.

The crypt under the cathedral has never been used for burials as it floods regularly due to the high water table beneath Winchester. This statue is a modern art work.

There are ten of these mortuary boxes, full of bones from early burials.

William Walker, saved the cathedral with his bare hands. He was a diver who spent five years between 1906 and 1911, under water in complete darkness beneath the cathedral removing rubble and concreting 114,900 concrete blocks and 900,000 bricks to shore up the foundations. He literally saved the cathedral from collapsing.

Famous literary figure, Jane Austen died in Winchester and is buried inside the cathedral.

A bronze statue of Jane, near the cathedral.

It was easy to fill in two days wandering the centre of Winchester. A charming city.

The imposing man is Alfred the Great, the king who united the various kingdoms in the 9th century to form England. Winchester was his city. 

Done!

Our final day on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path began with a walk down the narrow road from our b&b to the path.

Then several hours of cliff top walking, chatting with a couple we'd met several times along the way, also doing their final day, sweating up steep climbs, marvelling at the extreme forces that folded these rocks. 

After lunch we turned around the final headland toward Poppit Sands.

Some road walking took us inland to St Dogmaels, the official end of the 300 kms.

The Ferry Inn is well located, near the end marker. 

It is like a tardis because it looks small from the road but inside there is room after room and several decks with water views. A great place for a celebatory drink and a well earned meal.

Walking and not walking

Day 16

I walked alone. The hot, humid weather is playing havoc with S's breathing.

My walk began in fog which hung around until lunch time.

There might be a dramatic view of wild cliffs, but I didn't see it.

Eventually, a line of islands appeared with a flashing light on one. The Strumble Head lighthouse.

My view as I ate my lunch.

The fog disappeared after lunch. It was hot in the sun as I toiled up hill after hill. I found a tiny bit of shade beside a monument commemorating the 1797 invasion.

Mid-afternoon, I entered Goodwick passing houses and walked a metal-caged walkway above where vehicles line up to board the ferry to Ireland. Maybe it would be cooler in Ireland?

The Ocean Lab cafe raises money for marine conservation. I bought an icecream and watched locals swimming at the beach.

A large mosaic to commemorate that invasion.

One last walk around a headland took me into Fishguard where we stayed for four nights.

HEAT DAY

Thursday, 25 July. A day of unprecedented heat. 35 degrees forecast for Fishguard which is in one of the tiny corners on the map below that are still white, outside the warning areas.we decided to rest. We did go out, to see the invasion tapestry and to a cafe. But no air-con anywhere except the supermarket. By 11am, it was too hot. We retreated to our cottage with no air-con or fans. Would we boil or bake?

Am I really in Wales? Wearing a skirt?

Fortunately, the downstairs living room stayed a reasonable temperature and we found things to watch on tv. It took a little longer in the evening for our upstairs bedrooms to cool down enough to sleep. There was an almighty thunderstorm at midnight.

DAY 17

A lovely day of walking and varied scenery. Lower hills. Still warm. We took a bus to Newport to walk back to Fishguard. Sheryl left me after lunch and took a bus back while I contined alone.

The old harbour at Newport.

Medium height cliffs. Easy walking. 

Cwn-yr-Eglwys (valley of the Church) Once big enough to hold 300 people, most of the church has been lost to the weather due to severe storm damage and erosion. Only one end of the building remains on the edge of the beach.

Pwllgwelod beach where ate lunch and parted company.

The track did become a bit more challenging but clouds helped keep the temperature manageable. In December, 2025, the coast claimed the 24 metre long guard boat, the Resolute. She is firmly stuck on the rocks.

I arrived in Fishguard at low tide.

DAY 18

Another solo walk. Sheryl bussed to meet me at new accomodation.

A group of local women headed into the sea to swim as I sweated ny way up the first steep climb.

Clear skies, dramatic cliffs and a stiff wind to help me stay warm, but not too hot.

Tomorrow is the final day of walking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Will Sheryl be able to do it?