Ilkeston Cam On Holiday 2001 - South West Wales - Part
04
Monday (later) - Mistaken Identity
All the photos on this page were taken in July 2001
It was certainly a case of mistaken identity when,
departing from St David's, we headed off down a narrow gated
lane in search of the chapel built at the foot of the cliff that
I had seen previously in a television programme. The lane ended
after about a mile at a small car park and a footpath led towards
some distant ruins on the cliff top, visible in the centre of
the picture below. Reference to my guide map showed this to be
St Non's Chapel and a further read of my guide forced me to realise
that the chapel I was looking for could actually be found some
miles away at St Govan's Head. We were in the wrong place altogether
and St Govan would have to wait for another day but it would
be a shame to be this close and not explore what St Non had to
offer.
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I followed the footpath to the ruins which I now
know mark the place that is reputed to be the site of St David's
birth. The sign at the site records this fact in both English
and Welsh languages.
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David was born during a great storm in about 520 AD and the chapel
is dedicated to his mother, St Non.
Close by, there is a holy well also bearing the name of St Non.
Water from the well was once believed to have miraculous healing
powers for eye diseases. I wondered how many visitors to St David's
travel many miles to see the cathedral but fail to journey that
extra mile to see his actual birthplace.
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Adjacent to the well is a shrine to St Non and a little way away
along the coastal path is another chapel. This was built in 1934
and architecturally is based on similar early buildings.
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The simplicity of this chapel both internally and externally
is a stark contrast to the magnificence of St David's Cathedral
just a few minutes up the road. St Non's and St David's - both
have much to appreciate.
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And so, as we retraced our route along the narrow
lane to St David's and then on to Saundersfoot, we had another
very enjoyable day to reflect upon. I would have loved to have
been able to capture an image of the fleet winged birds darting
along the cliff top at St Non's as another reminder of our visit,
but they were far too swift. I did manage to capture this colourful
display of flowers however, in the narrow streets of Tenby on
our way back.
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