Day 41
Llangenith to Hillend: 4 miles
Wish of the day: That it would stop raining
Reason: I've been staying in a tent with no busses available and nothing nearby to take even temporary shelter in. But it's still beautiful. Just wet.
Why is this taking so long, you might ask?
OK, if you actually read the distances I put down every day, you may be surprised when you see days that I only go 4 miles. Like today.
Or maybe you aren't surprised because you've always thought I was lazy and/or an extremely slow walker.
Well, slow walker I may be, but that's not the reason for the last few weeks of dilly dallying. After I decided to walk around Wales, I found out my high school friend Mary Ellen was thinking of visiting the UK. And I'd said I'd love to see her if she had time, but it would have to be while walking.
And surprisingly, she accepted.
But then the question was where to meet, and thus where to book a place to stay when I had no idea where I'd be because I don't know how fast I walk. So I came up with the idea of booking a place somewhere I knew was supposed to be beautiful - Rhossili in the Gower - that I might have even the slightest chance of making it to on the dates they'd be here. I figured if I got there early I could hang out in the beautiful Gower peninsula, and if I was running late it would be close enough that we could drive back to wherever I'd left off but stay in Rhossili.
As it turns out, my legs and brain seem psycologically attuned to whatever deadline I give them. Meaning in this case, my mind seemed to default to going slower, and taking more shorter walks in order reach Rhossili exactly the day she'd get there.
Also, the rain
So as I found myself sitting zipped up in a tent to protect against the ongoing downpour I got to experience at the gorgeous Hillend campsite, my mind decided that 4 miles was totally enough for the day, I didn't need to go all the way to Rhossili because Mary Ellen wasn't getting to Rhossili until tomorrow so I could walk Hillend to Rhossili in the morning, and today just do a circular loop from the campsite, to Llangenith, back to the path, over the dunes, along the north end of Rhossili Bay and back to the campsite.
What was amazing was that the downpour that had been deafening me in my tiny tent for hours actually let up for the coast walk. I left the tent, got poured on until I reached Llangenith. I had a drink at the absolutely charmingly set Kings Head pub, and when I came outside it wasn't raining anymore - and that held up literally until I caught sight of the campsite again and the skies opened.
Despite the grey, the walk was lovely. You could tell it would be nicer in the sun (and having seen a brief glimpse on a sunny day when I first arrived it that's true) - but nonetheless it had interesting scenery.
Initially I passed sweeping views of the remaining beaches of the west side of the island, and then the view became the small island of Burry Holms. First inhabited 9000 years ago when it was a hill up to 12 miles inland where Mesolithic hunters had a camp, it later saw an Iron Age fort, a medieval monastery, and is now an 'islet' only reachable at low tide.
Once you reach the island, you can see the whole sweep of Rhossili Bay - from Burry Holms in the north to the Worms Head (the island just off of Rhossili) in the north. The full view of the bay was stunning. As I walked along the beach by myself, I ran into another shipwreck - this time of the boat the 'Helvetia'. However, I had to cut my visit short, as it started to mist as I got closer to the campsite.
By the time I was back at my tent, it was full on pouring. I zipped myself in only to emerge when I thought I'd brave the rain for hunger. Unfortunately I just ended up wet and hungry - as the cafe at the top of the campsite closed early that day. So I had to settle for the small shop that was open another 5 minutes - and so I had a lovely dinner of Indian food and baked beans from cans (don't ask me about why that pairing) in my tiny tent with the rain pounding down all around me.
It wasn't my finest hour - but still not my worst!
