Late August saw our little family of four heading to West Wales....via Cardiff & Swansea to Newgale, Pembrokeshire.
It's very quiet, the beach is very very long, the accommodation is either camping or caravans & there is a surf shop & a pub and that's it!
We've been to this part of Wales a couple of times before, the last time being when my children were almost 1 & 5, so life has changed a little since then....but it all felt very familiar & comfortable.And besides, I am never not happy in Wales, I might have lived in London for most of my life but my heart is 100% Welsh....I always feel so peaceful there, as though I'm where I am meant to be.
The last time that I was in Wales was a month previously for my father's funeral, so going back meant a huge amount to me. It felt emotional but in a good way.
Hiraeth is a Welsh word that has no English translation but means basically a longing for a place or a time or a home or even a state of mind, somewhere maybe you cannot go back to but that your heart or your soul longs for, consciously or subconsciously. It's a beautiful word, such a moving sentiment....and it sums up Wales for me perfectly.Everyone always says that it rains all the time in Wales & even though I'm sure that's not true (my childhood was non-stop sunny days!), I had packed for monsoon weather.We haven't spent holidays in Britain for some years & the luxury of having a car with a lot of space - as opposed to a suitcase of just 20kg - meant that I packed anything & everything.
But the sun shone, the skies were unbelievably blue, the scenery was incredible, the beaches were vast & largely unoccupied....we all fell in love with Pembrokeshire, it is so beautiful.
A lot of the colourful houses & hotels that you see in these photos are taken in Tenby, a place I'd heard lots about but never been....when my parents were young, they'd go with a group of friends & holiday in Tenby for long weekends, I can see why as it's absolutely gorgeous.
The cathedral is St. David's Cathedral, the smallest city in Britain & home also to some of the best ice cream I have ever had in my life.
We ate well, walked on the beach, the children hired wetsuits so that they could swim in the sea for hours (the water isn't that warm!), we read, explored. marvelled at the amazing sunsets & generally had a fabulous time.
I had so many great photos that it was hard not to share as many of them as possible, I want everyone to love Wales as much as I do!
