finally, we began our Wales Walk! it was supposed to be 11 or 12 miles, around the peninsula in Dale, and then up the coast a bit to the little town of Marloes, where we’d spend the night on Wednesday.
our two suitcases had to be downstairs and ready to go by 9:00, but i hadn’t slept so well and didn’t get up til about 8:15, so there was a whole lot of rushing about.
the Allenbrook B&B was such a quirky, beautiful place, and it’s too bad we didn’t get to spend a little more time there. there was so much to see in every room that it was impossible to take it all in.
those funny little egg-shaped salt and pepper shakers are just like ones we have at home. i can’t remember exactly where Elizabeth, the owner, said she got them, but she definitely acquired some of her things from the US.
outside, this peacock wanted to see what was going on.
i bet he was hungry!
isn’t that a great painting with a peacock there on the back wall? this was the most fancy place we stayed in on our whole trip. because of its age, and i’m sure the huge expense of keeping things up, the plumbing was sort of an issue, but it didn’t matter so much.
look at that collection of dogs on the top shelf! plus so much more. Dad really would have loved this place.
we finally made it out the door, at a quarter to ten. last night i’d been so worried about the cold weather, but it was already warm and sunny and a perfect start to the day.
the walk was finally about to start!
because this was our first day, and because there were just so many things i hadn’t seen, i felt the need to take an overabundance of photos. for example, the chickens and peacock hanging out in the yard.
the view of the house – this isn’t even the whole thing, it’s so sprawling. did i mention there was croquet set up? which we didn’t take the time to play. stop and smell the roses, stop and play a round of croquet; how many times do you have the opportunity?
i loved this little stream with a wall on the back part of the property. now i realize that those orange flowers there on the left are crocosmia, which i found in many places all over wales and ireland.
such a lovely place, Allenbrook
the end of the driveway.
we closed the gate to take this one.
up on the road on the outskirts of town – yes, this is an actual road, and a car passed us at one point.
the town below us. it’s funny that the sign says 3o kilmometers an hour – that’s about 18 MPH. i can’t imagine doing anything other than creeping down this road in a car, but the car that passed us was moving right along.
this photo makes me want to go right back to Dale.
by 10:00 we’d arrived at the first gate, the beginning of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path for us.
the entrance to the path, off the road
and we walked, and walked, and stopped every five minutes or so to take a picture, or rest, or both.
next will be the path itself…
ok then,
mrs. walking hughes.