Day 91: Port Eynon to Swansea

It was one of those days when the alarm goes off and you hit the snooze button and that happens three times before you finally drag your lethargic body out of bed. I got myself ready and drove to Port Eynon. I was the only vehicle in the car park, I managed to offload my rubbish in a bin and go to the loo! Success.

The sun had just risen and was a massive red ball in the sky over the sea. However, it was freezing cold and icy, even the sand had ice on it. I soo warmed up as I got walking and the sun became quite warm. It’s so nice to actually see the sun in a cloudless sky.

I set off along the coastal path through the sand dunes but was soon diverted due to erosion. So I had a little bit more road walking. That suited me today to cut off a bit of the headland as today was going to be a very long day and I needed to be in Swansea before 5 pm to catch the one and only bus back to Port Eynon.

I shed a few tears this morning as I sat in the driver seat of Priscilla which has one of Angela ‘s blouses on it. I could hear her voice as I was walking along and icy boardwalk on the dunes telling me to be careful and not do anything stupid. As if! After yesterday’s experience with the mud, I decided to put my winter boots and gaiters on today.

There was only a very gentle breeze and the sea is as flat as a pancake. although I passed a house called Windy Ridge and so I guess they experienced the full force of the wind or have a bad case of flatulance!

It wasn’t long before I was eating into the homemade Welch cakes that Jeff and Diana had kindly sent me away with. Delicious.

I arrived in Oxwich just before 9:30 am which meant I had 18 more miles to go. I decided to walk along the beach rather than the sand dunes. It was very pleasant with the sun shining and the waves gently lapping against the shore.

There is a real trend for portable saunas and there were a couple down on the beach.

I was entertained by taking photos of my shadow walking along the beach. However, I was sad that it was only one shadow and not two.

I wrote in the sand and that made me cry. These emotions are visceral and rip at the core of my heart.

I had to stop for a tea break and a bite to eat and remove some clothing removing my jacket and just instead of walking in my long sleeve shirt and T-shirt. Yes, it was actually that warm.

This particular stretch was like a motorway loads of people out and about walking dogs and the car park was full. It was a strange mix of people. At one point I found myself going faster than a horse and rider!

Then the path became more rugged and dropped down into a Three Cliffs Bay with a river flowing through it. When I came to the stepping stones, I decided to film myself and I made a right poor job of it. I was waving at the camera and a couple were laughing at me. Penny offered to take the video for me and she did a much better job.

When I explained what I was doing, they said that their neighbour had walked the coast previously for Alzheimer’s but she had done Britain and Northern Ireland. Respect. I said that I was in a rush to get to Swansea as there was only one bus to Port Eynon today. Gavin said that if I missed the bus, he would come and pick me up and he gave me his number. What a kind man.

Back on the cliffs the views were helped by the sunshine. It was one cove and beautiful beach after another. I stopped of at Caswell Bay which looked spectacular in the sunlight with the tide out. The cafe was heaving.

I got my first sight of the Devon coast and the more industrial areas around Port Talbot. There were loads of people paddle boarding in the sea.

The path here is concrete and wide with railings around the edge. People were taking push chairs on it, and I guess it would also be suitable for wheelchairs.

Whatever the weather I always try and say hello to people that I pass while I’m walking. the on the walk. Today however there have been lots of people who clearly did not want to even engage in a hello instead of turning their heads away as I approached. How sad must it be if you can’t even say hello to someone and smile.

Langland Bay appears to be the home of the beach hut! All standing to attention in uniform being painted in the same colour scheme.

Because I’m on a tight schedule today, I decided to cut off the next section at Mumbles Head and walk along the road. It was much more densely populated here and some of the houses are enormous with electric gates and matching his and hers Range Rovers on the driveways.

It’s gone from narrow roads due to the size of the road in the hedgerows to narrow roads due to double parked cars!

Mumbles and Swansea are a cacophony of sounds. Such a contrast to the coastal paths and rural areas I’ve been used to for a while. It’s an assault on the senses. Cars, buses, bikes, runners, cyclists, skateboarders, roller bladers and even all buzzing past each other and me on the walkway.

It was a long drag from the Mumbles into Swansea and I was tired. Finally I arrived at the bus station over an hour early. I took the opportunity to sit down and relax on a sofa with a cuppa in Costa while I waited for the 118 bus.

The other passengers waiting included a lady who reminded me of Maggie Smith Lady in the van! and a man who did a loud running commentary on how the bus was usually late and the cost of the ticket!