Pembrokeshire Coastal Path - Bosherston to Freshwater West

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Tuesday 18 July 2023. Day 4 of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path.

Alltrails app: 3 hours 12 minutes
7.47 miles. 348 feet elevation gain

Started walking about 0945. Got to freshwater west about 1250.

Garmin forerunner 25: 3 hours 14 minutes walking. 7.51 miles. 270 feet elevation gain.

Our shuttle taxi driver for our pickups and drop offs has been great. He picked up the four of us at just past 0900. Deb elected to not go out in the rain and enjoy this lovely B&B,

Yes, it is raining steadily. Forecast was for about 0.2 inches to fall at 0.01 to 0.03 inches per hour most of the day.

Our call about the Castlemartin firing range indicated closed but was mostly unintelligible to us. So we searched for and found a website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/castlemartin-firing-notice--2/castlemartin-firing-notice-july-2023
This website clearly showed the route with navigation on my alltrails app was closed.

We followed the alternate Pembrokeshire Coastal Path (PCP) national trail markers as best we could tell from the dots on the alltrails navigation map. Through grass along farm tracks and across fields with herds of cattle we tromped on in the rain. Not much up and down so we moved at a much faster pace. No sign of the slightest shelter the entire way.

The noise from the firing on the range was constant bursts as we approached the boundary and walked the trail marked for Castlemartin perimeter.

We touched the route shown on alltrails path to follow when the range is open only once but then had to divert again away from the range and PCP through another field. Here following the path was more difficult with irregular footing, furrowed and pock marked holes everywhere we stepped. Fortunately other walkers passed by showing correct route.

When we hit road A4319 we again saw the the PCP navigation. It was a paved road heading down to freshwater west beach car park. It also became clear that we would arrive about 1300 not 1600 as prearranged with Michael our driver. I was able to text him with a request for an earlier pickup and he confirmed.

So Day 4 completed we have walked about 34 miles of the projected 37.7.

Back at the B&B it was a relaxing afternoon out of the rain. While preparing for the walk tomorrow I found the alltrails map route from Bosherston to Angle that was exactly what we tried to follow today.
We can follow it from Freshwater West to Angle along the coast tomorrow.

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Comments

[John Paul Sullivan]

terrific photos!