A journey through many havens: St Bride's, Mill, Little, Broad, Druidston and Nolton, not to mention the lesser known Madoc's and Davy William's Haven.
The sun was blisteringly hot when the Puffin Shuttle bus left me at St Bride's Haven, having woven its way from Newgale, where I parked the car, through all the villages I planned to walk to. Even though it was only 10 am, the thought of heatstroke did cross my mind as I turned my back on St Bride's Castle and set out northwards. Just to be safe, I unzipped the bottoms of my hiking trousers and faced the world in shorts. Out in the bay six tankers were calmly waiting in the heat haze - presumably the other two I'd seen the day before yesterday had nipped off round St Ann's Head into Milford Haven. Memo to self: must check if the price of oil rose yesterday.
Just before Mill Haven this sculpture lies to one side of the path - one of a series of five by Alain Ayers entitled 'the Eyes of the Sea'.
For the first 2 hours of my walk I saw no-one. As I crossed the wooden bridge at Mill Haven, a small flock of Canada geese floated on the quiet sea. All were pointing in one direction, but when I looked again they'd all turned as one to float the other way. All was surreally quiet except for the odd small fishing boat moving from one location to the next.
Sounds of water ski-ers warned me that I was about to re-enter civilization; then I met three sets of walkers - always a sure sign that a car park is not far away.
At the harbour in Little Haven there were lots of people were doing different things in the water. And many others were having a pint outside the pub on the quay.
It would have been possible to explore the cave at Settlands point at the north tip of Little Haven at low tide, and then carry on across another sandy beach towards Broad Haven. This would have saved me the walk up a 1-in-5 hill and the equally steep descent to Broad Haven on the other side but, right at the start, I promised myself to take no short cuts, so perhaps it was as well the tide was up.
Tourism was booming at Broad Haven - good for Pembrokeshire's economy - but it's not really my thing. I have to confess, though, to wolfing down a Mr Whippy (with flake), before climbing up to the cliff top once again. Here I stopped to talk with a lady from the Midlands and the discussion turned to Photoshop - as you do when the small talk is about the weather, the crowds and so on. She had created a series of photos of her grandson as a pixie by adding dragonfly wings. By the time I moved on, I'd convinced her that she should write a story with her grandson as pixie-hero. Yep, really.
At Haroldston Chins there were two other cyclists canoodling on the bench but, as the path there is tarmacced and close to the road, I kept quiet. Close by is a plaque dedicated to the memory of Paul Blick, one of the founders of the path. I owe him a lot of sweat and enjoyment.
Many of the cliffs on this journey were covered in vegetation: grass, bracken, and so on, but in other places there were signs of landslips. The beaches at both Druidston and Nolton Havens were busy as I passed by.
Between the two are the arches at Madoc's Haven - they look like caves in my picture, but the clarity of the water gives away the view at low tide.
Ricket's Head, a vast crumbling rock marks the southern extremity of Newgale Sands.
Just before Newgale Beach, which is two miles of sand backed by a pebble bank, there is a hollow with a brick chimney and spoil heaps of coal - the relics of Trefrane colliery, and a reminder of the mining industry which thrived a hundred years ago in this area. There are seams of coal in many of the cliffs I passed today.
At Newgale there's yet another limekiln - every port locally seems to have had one.
Total walked: 101 miles of 186
At the harbour in Little Haven there were lots of people were doing different things in the water. And many others were having a pint outside the pub on the quay. 
It would have been possible to explore the cave at Settlands point at the north tip of Little Haven at low tide, and then carry on across another sandy beach towards Broad Haven. This would have saved me the walk up a 1-in-5 hill and the equally steep descent to Broad Haven on the other side but, right at the start, I promised myself to take no short cuts, so perhaps it was as well the tide was up.
Tourism was booming at Broad Haven - good for Pembrokeshire's economy - but it's not really my thing. I have to confess, though, to wolfing down a Mr Whippy (with flake), before climbing up to the cliff top once again. Here I stopped to talk with a lady from the Midlands and the discussion turned to Photoshop - as you do when the small talk is about the weather, the crowds and so on. She had created a series of photos of her grandson as a pixie by adding dragonfly wings. By the time I moved on, I'd convinced her that she should write a story with her grandson as pixie-hero. Yep, really.
About 1/2 mile further on, there were two cyclists inching their way down the narrow stony track and I did an uncharacteristic thing: I told them that they shouldn't really be there. I can only assume I was having a guilt-ridden (no pun, of course) moment.
At Haroldston Chins there were two other cyclists canoodling on the bench but, as the path there is tarmacced and close to the road, I kept quiet. Close by is a plaque dedicated to the memory of Paul Blick, one of the founders of the path. I owe him a lot of sweat and enjoyment.
Many of the cliffs on this journey were covered in vegetation: grass, bracken, and so on, but in other places there were signs of landslips. The beaches at both Druidston and Nolton Havens were busy as I passed by.
Between the two are the arches at Madoc's Haven - they look like caves in my picture, but the clarity of the water gives away the view at low tide. 
Ricket's Head, a vast crumbling rock marks the southern extremity of Newgale Sands.
Just before Newgale Beach, which is two miles of sand backed by a pebble bank, there is a hollow with a brick chimney and spoil heaps of coal - the relics of Trefrane colliery, and a reminder of the mining industry which thrived a hundred years ago in this area. There are seams of coal in many of the cliffs I passed today.
At Newgale there's yet another limekiln - every port locally seems to have had one.
Total walked: 101 miles of 186
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