Date – 17 April 2017
Walked from – Pembroke
Walked to – Herbrandston
Miles walked – 19.5
My guidebook warned me about this bit of the walk, although I didn’t notice until I was on the train on the way to Wales. ‘Things really do go downhill from here until… just under 30 miles away’.
To be honest, it’s nowhere near that bad. The urban sprawl the author describes is nothing to someone who has spent most of the past 20 years in London. And the ugly pipes, oil refineries, tankers and power stations are also evidence that the area actually has an industry providing employment to local people (well paid employment for some too, if the very nice houses in Llanstadwell and Hazelbeach are anything to go by). It’s also interesting to note that, bucking the usual British colonial trend, Milford Haven (which dominates the area) was actually settled by a group of Americans – whalers who sold their oil for London’s street lamps.
Photos: Pembroke Castle / walkway over pipes / Sandy Haven Beach