Looking for something out of the ordinary?

Tired of the same old package tours?

Fancy something completely different (possibly unique?) for your next holiday?

Want to get away in the UK, but don't want to stay in any of the usual holiday accommodations?

How about this...

The Cwm

This former RNLB (Royal National Lifeboat) boathouse, know as The Cwm, may be the answer to those questions asked above. Fancy holidaying in a disused boathouse? The master bedroom (window above the old boathouse doors) looks directly over the slipway and has an uninterrupted view of the sea...

Situated close to Newport, Pembrokeshire and right on the mouth of the Nevern Estuary The Cwm (Valley in English) is a small inlet with pebbles and sand making up a pleasant secluded beach. The Cwm is west of The Parrog and on the opposite side of the River to Traeth Mawr (Newport Sands).

The old lifeboat station at The Cwm had a very short life whilst in use and was abandoned in 1895 only eleven years after its construction. It is now a private residence and is available during some of the year as a holiday let.

I wonder if they include a boat of some kind in the rental price?

The grass really is always greener it seems

Yesterday I walked here...

Newport Beach

...and today I didn't. :(

We'd parked at Parrog and walked some of the coastal path, thoroughly enjoyed it too.

By contrast, this morning we walked in Canaston Wood before driving back to Monmouthshire and this afternoon we walked in the fields surrounding our home. Also enjoyable, but not a patch on the coastal scenery.

Home from home no more

My short  break in west Wales is at an end and it's time to pack up and go home. Being a lover of the British coastline I shall miss scenes like this:

Pembrokeshire Coastline near Newport

I'll also miss watching these guys grubbing around the cottage for bugs and worms:

Funny how quickly you get used to things... I am looking forward to getting back on my bike though and riding around the Monmouthshire countryside, so going home definitely has some benefits.

Living in the lap of luxury - the Bishop's Palace at Lamphey

The Bishop's Palace at Lamphey has been described as "the retreat of choice for those medieval bishops seeking solace from the everyday stresses of Church and State." If seeking solace meant living in the lap of luxury in sublime surroundings then Lamphey would have been an excellent choice as we can still see from the remains of this once sumptuous establishment, which is huge by any standards.

Lamphey Bishop's Palace

The palace, established in the 13^th century and primarily used by the bishops of St Davids, included fishponds, fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, a deer park and sweeping parklands providing both food and recreation for those troubled souls. It is easy to imagine why this accommodation had become a favourite residence of the Bishops by the early 14^th century.

Lamphey Bishop's Palace

We should remember the medieval bishops of St Davids were worldly men who enjoyed the privileges of wealth, power and status and Lamphey did not disappoint. What we see today is mainly the work of the dynamic Henry de Gower, the bishop of St Davids from 1328 to 1347. Thanks to his vision, elegant Lamphey became the ‘away from it all’ palace for high-ranking members of the clergy keen to play at being country gentlemen.

Lamphey Bishop's Palace

Bishop Gower’s great hall, 82 feet (25m) long, is a particularly fine architectural achievement and its sheer grandeur would have impressed even the most privileged of bishops. Equally well-preserved and detailed in their architecture are the western hall and inner gatehouse.

Sadly for the bishops of St Davids Lamphey’s gilded existence came to an abrupt end during the reign of King Henry VIII when many Church estates fell into the hands of the Crown during the dissolution of monasteries act in 1536. Still it must have been a great life while it lasted!

Poppies, fitting for the day. A tribute to those who fell at the Somme

I saw these while out walking around Newport, Pembrokeshire today and since today is the centenary of the first day's fighting of the battle of the Somme I simply had to grab an image or two.

Poppies

I have to say I was quite choked up this morning watching the Somme ceremonies on the TV and the lump in my throat reappeared as soon as I saw these. As an ex-serviceman I have an affinity with those who lost their lives fighting for their country. Let's not forget the Somme claimed 420,000 British casualties, 200,000 French and 500,000 German. The British lost 19,240 killed on the first day alone. Hard to imagine isn't it?

So here is my simple tribute to the fallen of all nationalities from that horrific period in time.

For those who Fell at the Somme

God rest you all, you are not forgotten.

St Davids Cathedral

Built on the site of a 6^th century monastery the present cathedral at St David's, which is Britain's smallest city, is fittingly small when compared to some of its more prestigious counterparts. The cathedral measures just 90 metres in length and 35 metres in height with the widest point, the Nave, being just 22.5 metres in width. Because of its physical location photographing the whole site poses certain problems so I decided to make a photo-collage of the construction.

St Davids or St David's Cathedral

St Davids or St David's (both are correct) has been a site of pilgrimage and worship since a community was first founded in 589. The community and subsequent buildings were attacked many times over the years, especially by raiding Vikings. The oldest part of the present cathedral dates from the 12^th century.

Not my favourite cathedral by any means, but one worth a visit whenever I'm in the area.

Riding the wind on the waves

Couldn't resist grabbing a couple of images of this guy enjoying the strong winds while kiteboarding on Newgale beach. He was obviously quite expert at it, which was as well considering the strength of the wind.

Kiteboarder at Newgale

If you look closely you'll see a whole load of little spots on the photograph caused by wind-blown salt spray. A nightmare really because salt water and digital cameras really don't mix! I had to do quite a bit of cleaning after this beach walk. In fact I spent a couple of minutes wiping spray off my neutral density filter after taking the above shot, which did me a small favour in a way because the sun peaked out briefly allow me to get this next one.

Kiteboarder at Newgale with shadow

What a difference that brief moment of sunshine makes to the photograph... I can't help wondering whether the kiteboarder even noticed the change in lighting conditions, the wind remained the same and his surfing fun just continued. I've never tried riding one of those things myself, but it looks like a lot of fun!