Newport Sands

Our day so far had seen us keep one step ahead of the rain and by mid afternoon, although the cloud cover had increased significantly, we reached Newport in dry conditions. The town nestles below Carningli, "The Mountain of the Angels" and looking back to the Preseli Hills we can see both the Norman church and the 13th century castle which is now a private residence.

The Afon Nyfer reaches the sea at Newport and although the estuary is now silted up, in days gone by this was the scene of a thriving port and fishing community. Newport also enjoyed a ship building industry and a good herring export trade with other ports around the Irish Sea and continental Europe.

This part of the town is known as Parrog and the buildings that now stand on The Parrog owe more to the tourist trade these days than the purpose for which they were originally built on the quay side. The importance of the port diminished during the industrial age and the coming of the railways.

The course of the Nyfer has been diverted over the years by a huge sand dune known as The Bennett. This in turn has created a large expanse of golden sand that is well-known as one of the best beaches in North Pembrokeshire. Behind The Bennett is a golf course but it would have to be a very poor shot to be bunkered in the sand dunes!

With a north west facing aspect, the sands can be exposed at times but whilst the windsurfers and boats will not be too adversely affected, the sunbathers can usually find a sheltered spot in the dunes. Ornithologists too usually find plenty of interest as the estuary boasts a good population of seabirds and wading birds.

Since the estuary silted up only small pleasure boats are seen at Newport Sands. Across the bay to the west is Dinas Head or Dinas Island as it is sometimes called. It is not really an island but the headland is joined to the rest of Pembrokeshire by a steep side valley formed by glacial activity. Dinas Head is another place favoured by ornithologists as it is one of the last breeding areas in Britain for the red kite.

As well as the herring trade, Newport also exported wool and slate and imported bricks, limestone, tiles and coal. One of the cargo warehouses has now been preserved as the home of the Newport Boat Club.

And I would guess that the owner of this vessel, "Sarah of Parrog" is a member of the Boat Club. As I took this photo, I felt the first spots of rain that we had been outrunning all day start to fall and as we left Newport the rainfall became heavier. I stopped on the clifftop above Fishguard by which time the rain was pouring down. I would have liked to have taken some more photos from there but thought better of it so we made our way back to Saundersfoot as the downpour continued unabated. In spite of the weather, it had been a good day - Amroth, Narberth, Newport - and the following day in Tenby, Skrinkle Haven and Manorbier, although starting cloudy, also turned out to be a good one.