Standing on this divine stretch of the Pembrokeshire Coastal path, surrounded by heather and gorse, I can see swallows hovering in the sea breeze and hear seagulls announcing their presence. If I close my eyes I am 5 years old again. Or 6. Or 7. My mother is here, my hand is in hers, and we are laying out our tartan rug for our picnic lunch. For this is what we did all those years ago and the memories of it are now coursing through my veins.
When the weather is fine, as it is today, there is, in my opinion, no finer place to bring your family on holiday. Indeed, with a three-boy-strong rabble such as ours in tow, this is the perfect spot for adventure.
It is the end of day 1, but already we have crammed our activities in like greedy kids on Xmas morning. As if we are worried that someone will take away the surf (or more probably the sunshine) tomorrow, we filled our agenda with fun!
There was kiting on the beach at Newgale. Our giant blue bird nipped and pecked at the sand and then recovered it's flight path to the delight of our 4 year old. We have donned wetsuits and plunged in to the breakers at Whitesands Bay. An amusing moment caught on camera as my ample hubby squeezed into an unforgiving neoprene body-stocking! Our beach trip was rounded off with a game of beach cricket.....such a childhood favourite!
We lunched in the warmth of the Welsh sunshine with our feet dangling over the edge of Solva harbour. Crab lines purchased, ice cream bucket borrowed from the cafe, the boys set off to dangle their orange nylon lines into the dark water and awaited expectantly their mammoth haul of pinchers. Like shooting fish in a barrel to be honest, but how their faces lit up as the small (and oddly green) little fellas clung on precariously on the short journeys from water to bucket. Solva is, it seems, crabby heaven! How I used to squeal when my brother would tip the bucket and let them go all those years ago!
So, day 1 is under our belt. Our decision to forsake Southern European climes for the beauty of Wales vindicated. Roll on days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.......
Capture your own childhood/family memories in chronological order on a timeline, free at www.saveeverystep.com.