“Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!”

All my life I have loved the sea. My mother says that when first taken to the beach as a toddler, I broke free of her hand and ran straight into the sea- I just didn’t stop- and it nearly gave her a heart-attack!

No matter how fine or foul the weather, no matter how sad or bad I feel, a walk on by the sea will cheer me. The beaches I love best are small coves with a mixture of sand and pebbles, where I can beach-comb and am most likely to be tempted to swim.

 I have always wanted to live close to a little cove and get to know all its moods and seasons, to watch the ebb and flow of the tide and learn how it changes with the seasons and weather.

Every day during my week at Banc Cottage I have spent time by the shore. In a few short days, I have already learned the best time of day for the beaches of Cwm-y-Eglwys and Pwllgwaelod and these became two of my very favourite places, which I returned to again and again. It was here that I finally took to the water and have felt the joy of long slow swims across the bay.

Every beach has such a different character and of course the state of the tide and the time of day makes such a difference. The little beach at Mwnt seemed almost crowded when the waves crept up the sand and everyone kept moving further and further upwards as the tide came in.

There is a tiny little beach close to Banc Cottage which I often walked down to at the end of the day but one evening I discovered it was better to climb up the cliff path and watch the sunset from a better vantage point. The coast faces west, so every clear day I had the chance to watch the sea and sky change colour as the sun sunk into the ocean. Some were pastel and gentle, others red and dramatic- all were beautiful and such a gift to me.

Late one afternoon I found myself near Penbryn. I was a few minutes too late for the cafe but not too late to enjoy the beautiful golden light on the beach. The tide was coming in and it was a bit choppy but I took off my shoes and trousers and splashed around the headland to see the little cove on the other side. I kept a weather eye on the waves and soon decided that I had better return to the main beach.

 The sunshine was catching the tops of the waves as they broke and the sands were golden in the evening light. I changed into my costume and had the most exhilarating time jumping the waves and feeling that brilliant shock as the larger ones broke over me.

At that moment I was brimful of energy and happiness. I felt completely free and absolutely me!

Joy!

Saturday was a long day. After tidying and packing, I left Pool Cottage and set off down the west coast to the tiny village of Moylegrove, not far south of Cardigan. I needed some supplies, so stopped at a local store and also grabbed food for lunch. Remembering my rule of ‘picnic when you are able’, I turned off the road onto a small track. There was nowhere to park and so I kept driving and ended up at the sea!

I enjoyed my cheese, oatcakes and a perfectly ripe pear and then went for a potter along the shore. The tide was out and I have never before seen such a collection of beautifully coloured seaweeds.

Needless to say, I spent far too long and ended up arriving later than planned at Banc Cottage. It is a dear little place, and I soon unpacked and settled in for the night.

I awoke to a sunny morning and a feeling of such happiness, for today I was going to see Emily and Jordan, who were down for a holiday weekend with Jordan’s parents, celebrating a family birthday

What joy it was to see them! They wanted to show me the beach they love so well, so we all walked down there, except Julian, who nobly agreed to come and pick us up later and drive us all back up the steep hill.

Tresaith beach is most charming.  It has that beautiful curve, there is sand, there are rock-pools, and it has the most amazing waterfall!

It was such a happy time, Emily and I beachcombing, Jordan and his Mum chatting. As Rhian said afterwards, it was such a treat to spend time with our children.

It was a perfect start to my week where I have spent every possible moment by- or in-the sea.

Moving onward

There are so many experiences and days that I’m not recording here. I have snuck off to see the sea- although I’d planned to keep the beach days for the latter part of my holiday.

This is the lighthouse at Penmon Point on Anglesey

 I gazed at quilts and ridden on the cliff-side train at Aberystwyth.

And I have fallen in love with the mellow countryside with its woods of mossy trees, glowing green meadows, lakes, and rivers. The tiny winding lanes with grass growing in the middle have always led me to beautiful places.

The mountains and their dramatic passes are still there to be explored but there is a gentle feel to this part of Wales. I have felt at home in Pool Cottage and met kind and interesting people in my week here.

A Perfect Panorama

 A Perfect Panorama

I always smile and say ‘hello’ to the people I meet when out walking and this often leads to a cheerful conversation and on many occasions this month, some useful local information.

 (I have – for example, been shown how to get through the turn-style of a public loo without paying if you are caught short and penniless...)

On my walk through the old oak wood, I fell into conversation with a friendly and most interesting woman. Before we parted she asked if I would like to meet up and she would show me how to find the path that leads to the panorama above Barmouth.

 A few days later we were pleased to see the misty morning clear to sunshine. I would never have found the tiny turning myself and I was relieved to find that the path wasn’t too steep or rough- even my creaky body coped! As we walked up through a wood, we caught glimpses of the river below.

The bird’s eye view estuary was wonderful. I could have sat and watched the patterns made by the channels of the river for hours. The light and the tide was constantly changing, it was an entrancing sight.

When we reached the summit of the rocky outcrop, you could turn in all directions and see a beautiful view -I suppose that’s why it’s called a panorama... 

I felt as if I was living within a vast painting by John Martin and expected to see gatherings of Heavenly host on the slopes beneath me.

It was a truly glorious sight.

Afterwards, when we had climbed back down from the celestial heights, we went onto the beach at Barmouth, where I treated us both to fish and chips as a small thank you to Ros. It was a perfect end to  our little jaunt.

Serendipity

 Sometimes you can come across something beautiful and it is such a surprise and so unexpected, that it stays with you and lights up your imagination.

I had found some wonderful places due to my Welsh Heritage card, given to me by my friends Martin and Madeleine but on this particular Wednesday afternoon, I wasn’t following any plan or searching for a special monument.

The church caught my eye merely because it was so overgrown. It was a very ordinary building, grey and slate coloured but something made me turn round- I thought I might enjoy exploring the old graveyard.

I read the notice-board which said that St Mark’s Church in Brithdir was still consecrated but no longer used for services. However, there was a colony or protected Lesser Horseshoe bats living in its belfry and it was looked after by that wonderful organisation ‘Friends of Friendless Churches’.

I mooched about the graveyard for a while, which was full of huge rhododendrons and overgrown dark slate headstones. To be honest, it was all rather dank and depressing and I nearly didn’t bother trying the church door, as so many are still closed due to Covid.

The heavy door did open and I stepped inside. It took me a few moments to understand what I was seeing. The weak sunlight lit up a scene that glowed with rich colours. I felt I had been transported to a different country- it was the opposite of the simple rather dour interior I had been expecting.

It turns out that St Marks is one of the finest Arts and Crafts churches in Wales and was designed and made by Henry Wilson from 1895-1898. I will put a link at the end of this post in case anyone wishes to learn more.

Colour was the first thing I noticed- towards the altar, the walls are warm red ochre and the ceiling is a beautiful strong blue, the rest is rich warm cream. I looked around and the gleam of metal caught my eye. Both the pulpit and the altar are made of beaten copper- breathtaking and vibrant.

I walked slowly down the aisle, looking to left and right, making for the choir stalls and there I saw a tortoise, carved in the dark wood! So I searched everywhere and found a mouse, squirrel, dolphin and rabbit- although nothing quite equalled the surprise of seeing a tortoise.

I do not know how long I stayed in St Mark’s. Everywhere I turned brought me new discoveries. The clear glass in the windows let in a beautiful light and I sat and gazed at the details on the altar.

I even found a bat! He was lying on the floor under a pew, still and seemingly dead. Then he blinked. I pondered a while, not sure what to do but in the end decided he was safer outside and that he might have become trapped within the church. I gently scooped him up with the visitor’s book and placed him outside on a gravestone in a dark corner where he was hidden from sight by overhanging ferns. He squeaked and spread his wings briefly but still looked rather poorly, so I went to find a leaf, collected some rain drops on it, put it near to his head and then left him in peace.

Entering the church again was such a pleasure. I sat for a while and looked again at all the treasures, nothing disturbed the peace and I felt at home and very happy.

Finally I said goodbye and closed the door carefully. On checking the little bat, I found him perched on the leaf, where had obviously been drinking and he looked much better, so I felt I had done the right thing.

A man I know well taught me how to rely on serendipity when out exploring, he said that sometimes you have to follow your instincts and trust that something good will happen.

Thanks to serendipity I have had the most memorable and beautiful experience.

https://friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/church/st-marks-brithdir-gwynedd/

St Mark's Church

Brithdir

Dolgellau
Gwynedd
LL40 2RN

OS Reference

SH 764 184