Last night was very windy and Priscilla was buffed around meaning that I had a disturbed nights sleep. I had a cup of tea with Mary and Maurice before saying goodbye and driving to Carmarthen.
Today was mainly road walking and this started along the A road out of Carmarthen. I was soon on the B roads but unfortunately they didn’t have any footpaths at the side of them. I came to a flooded part of the road and was standing contemplating how I was going to get across it when a farmer in his truck pulled up and offered me a lift. Geraint was amazed at what I was doing. He let me out with a surprised look on his face.
The weather forecast was for winds of about 30 mile an hour with strong gusts up to 50 miles an hour and they have been pretty much in my face most of the day.
I made the decision to walk mainly on the road again today to avoid the worst of the weather on the coastal paths and of course avoiding the muddy and swampy paths.
It was a long walk to Ferryside and I was really glad to find a café that was open. It was a Community café and Ashleigh was lovely and gave me a donation and posted on Facebook. It was a little haven between the stormy winds.
As I came out of Ferryside, I looked across the yesterday and could see Llansteffan where I was yesterday lunchtime.
Walking into the wind was taking its toll on my legs and the last mile before arriving into Kidwelly my legs became stiff and I had pain in my hip flexors and one Achilles tendon was sore. I was generally a bit fatigued and was looking forward to a rest. As I walked into Kidwelly, I could see the castle and the church dominating the skyline with the river running between them. Snowdrops are appearing everywhere now. They make me think of Angela as we always used to go and visit the fields of snowdrops in Mugdock country Park.
Then here were Jeff Steve, Peter and Diana from the Ramblers waiting for me in the car park. They whisked me off for a cup of tea and a sit down in a café.
They joined me for the rest of the day where we followed the footpath into Burry Port. The terrain was reasonably flat and a little muddy in places. However the rain came and stayed with us for the rest of the day. We arrived at the beach and the full force of the wind hit us in the face.
It was a long walk along the beach and we seemed to be racing the tide even though it wasn’t high tide until 5 pm. I saw the remnants of a shipwreck and several Portuguese men of war jellyfish that had been washed up on the shore.
Apparently there are 13 identifiable shipwrecks on this stretch of beach. Also the RAF land bombers on this beach on occasion. Jeff told me that often there are thousands of jellyfish washed up on this beach too.
Eventually, we had to retreat into the sundunes to avoid being cut off by the tide. It was a welcome relief as the dunes and then the trees sheltered us from the wind. Apparently this whole area was a munitions factory and dump during the war. The women who work there were called canaries because the chemicals turn their skin yellow.
We arrived at Jeff and Diana‘s house just as it was turning dark where we stripped off our wet outer layers and had a cup of tea. Then it was a bit of a relay to go and collect Diana‘s car and then Priscilla and return back.
Diana and Jeff made a fabulous meal which we ate while we chatted. Then it was off to bed for a not so early night.
Best bits: lunch in Ferryside and walking with fellow Ramblers
Worst bits: the weather
Distance: 22.9 miles
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