There seemed to be about 5 or 6 groups with one really dominant male who not only came right over to me to check me and my gear out, he also seemed to be the ‘law maker’ for the whole menagerie, chasing off the family cat when he got too close and also running off to split up two other cockerels who were having a dispute in another part of the garden.
I finally got packed up and under way just after 10 and the first job in hand was to find some fuel, having studied the map in the preceding days, I knew it was going to be a mixture of good roads, then large sections where I would be travelling up and down estuaries very similar to my time in Devon and Cornwall, I was just hoping for better roads.The second photo of the day was taken on the front at Porthcawl as you can see how grey things were and they didn’t seem much better after I left the town and headed towards Port Talbot, made marginally worse by taking a number of dead ends down around the old disused Margam Docks.
Before I got there I was hit by the even greyer site of the massive Corus Steel works at Port Talbot. Although I the distance it’s size was still imposing.
But before I reached it I was still to take a few wrong turnings one in particular was very frustrating near Margam docks, the map, said it was okay, the road signs said it was okay, however when I got to the end, there was an unmanned level crossing with gates, that was chained and padlocked, and the side gate that was open for pedestrians and push bikes was just too narrow to get through, although I could 30 yards away the road carried on around this small industrial site on the edge of the docks. Never mind I retraced the two miles I had come down this back road and track. Before getting on to the A48 to take me into Port Talbot. I tried to stay as close to the coast as possible, however it is very difficult in places due to the bulk of it being closed off due to the steelworks.I hate to say it and I am sorry if I offend anyone but Port Talbot, is a very grey place mainly due to the dust and grime from the works, but also the number of boarded up shops and other buildings particularly the cinema. The once ornate art deco façade is now crumbling and dirty. The other thing I started to notice was the amount of speed restrictions, large sections of 20mph and speed humps on main roads, not just the back street.
Before my time in South and West Wales was over I was going to get used to the fact that they must have more speed humps and speed cameras per head of population than any other part of the UK.
On into Swansea and the weather wasn’t getting any better, in fact if anything it got worse as I started to feel the first spots of rain, thankfully that is all that it was at this stage. Riding along the foreshore you can see how overcast it was in the distance, I was just hoping that the further West I got the better the weather would be, it was forecast for rain, but they were a bit sketchy on how much we would get.
After the rather dreary industrial dominated landscape I had been riding through for the last hour or so, it was nice to reach The Mumbles, I had never been there before and had heard a lot about it and had likened it to Penarth, however this time it was where the wealthy business men of Swansea came to live. And I wasn’t wrong, a very nice sea side town with lost of yachts and boats in evidence. When I got there, they were setting up for the Annual Navy Days celebration. I stopped for a brief moment to get some photos and have a drink, when one of the guys that was setting up for the event came over for a chat, the bizarre thing is he only lives a few miles away from me on the other side of Basingstoke and had driven down that morning. 
You can just make out the first spots of drizzle on the camera lens in the above photo so I didn’t wait around. It was at this point I also clocked up castle 17, Oystermouth Castle. The castle was founded by William de Londres of Ogmore Castle soon after 1106. In 1116 the Welsh of Deheubarth overran the Gower peninsula and forced William to flee his castle which was put to the torch. The castle was rebuilt soon afterwards, but was probably destroyed again in 1137 when Gower was once more overrun by the princes of Deheubarth. The Londres or London family finally died out in 1215 when Gower was again overrun by the Welsh. In 1220 the Welsh were expelled from the peninsula and the government of King Henry III returned the barony of Gower to John de Braose who rebuilt both Swansea Castle and Oystermouth. After the Middle Ages, the castle gradually fell into ruin. A survey of Gower made in 1650 describes Oystermouth Castle as [a]n old decayed castle of no use, but of a very pleasant situation. It was portrayed in art in the 18th century as a picturesque ruin, and was restored by George Grant Francis in the 1840s while the castle was owned by the then Duke of Beaufort.
In 1927 the Duke of Beaufort gave the castle to Swansea Corporation; today, the castle is maintained under the responsibility of the City and County of Swansea council.
Leaving The Mumbles it was further on around The Gower Peninsular and after hugging the coast as much as possible I cam upon Castle 18 at Oxwich Castle. Although it may occupy the site of an earlier fortification, this is a castle in name only as it is a grand Tudor manor house built in courtyard style. A product of the peaceful 16th century, Oxwich was built by Sir Rice Mansel to provide sumptuous accommodation. He gave it a mock military gateway complete with family coat of arms. Sir Rice's work was confined to the southern block and was completed between the 1520s and 30s. On Mansel's death his son, Sir Edward Mansel succeeded to the property and between 1560-80 created the much grander style multi-storied range which contained an impressive hall and elegant long gallery - a fashionable Elizabethan architecture feature. The six-storey south-east tower which still survives probably accommodated the family and servants. After the Mansels moved out in the 1630s the castle fell into disrepair and the south range was used as a farmhouse.
It was then down to Port Eynon and a Mug of Tea and a Pasty for my lunch, given the weather it was almost empty, with just a few Walkers passing through, I can imagine it being crammed full on a nice day.
From the last photo it looked as if there was some blue sky coming up the channel, unfortunately this was something of a false dawn. Going back North before turning off toward Burry Green, Oldwalls and Llanrhidian brought me past yet another castle and what was to be rather a few during the afternoon. Castle 19, Weobley Castle is a fortified manor house, where domestic comfort took priority over defensive capabilities. It overlooks the Llanrhidian marsh and the Llwchwr estuary. The castle consists of four ranges around a small courtyard, with the main rooms at first-floor level. The south range is largely ruined and the buildings on the south-east where probably never even completed. The castle was built by the de la Bere family during the 1300's, with David de la Bere the probable founder early in the century. It was attacked and damaged by the forces of Owain Glyndŵr in 1403.
It wasn’t very long before castle 20 came up at Loughor on the run up to Pontarddulais. Loughor Castle is located in the town of Loughor Only a small ruin now remains on top of a mound overlooking the Loughor Bridge. Rumour has it, there's a secret tunnel running under it where buried treasure remains.
The next section ran quite well until I got to Pembrey, close to the racetrack and the site of the old airfield (number 16) RAF Pembrey was a Royal Air Force station, home to 233 Operational Conversion Unit which flew de Havilland Vampires and Hawker Hunters until its closure in 1957. Site of one of only five Dome Trainer Buildings (for training AA gunners) in the UK. During World War II, RAF Pembrey was the base for many of World War II’s flying aces including Wing Commander Guy Gibson of Dambusters fame. In 1942 a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 landed there in error after a dog fight over the Bristol Channel. It was captured by the air traffic controller using the only weapon at hand, a very pistol.
It is now split into a number of facilities. The Welsh Motor Sports Centre occupies most of the area. The RAF still uses its former station to support the nearby bombing range, known as Pembrey Sands Air Weapons Range. Pembrey Airport remains a working airfield but the short runway retained for this purpose restricts its capacity to small aircraft. However, a scheduled service to London by a nine-seater Britten-Norman Islander aircraft has been proposed.
It must have been about 4pm by now as just as I was leaving Ferryside the school bus arrived from Carmarthen so it was time to get a move on. When I got to Carmarthen I stopped briefly to replenish supplies and grab a snack but I wanted to get close to Tenby before having to stop for the day so I got going again despite the rain that had briefly abated starting again with a vengeance.
Llansteffan Castle (21) sits on a much older Neolithic promontory fort, proving Llansteffan has been inhabited, and perhaps of strategic importance, since the New Stone Age. The hill's summit can only be reached from one side, and the hill where the castle/fort stands commands the entrance to the River Towy (unlike today, the hill would have been stripped of trees to your make foot soldiers vulnerable to archers). The original earthworks can still be seen and were used as part of the modern castle's defence system--the castle proper rests within the earthwork rings.
The current castle was built by the Normans after 1100 as part of their invasion of Wales. The castle was captured by Rhys ap Gruffydd in 1146 against the forces of Maurice FitzGerald and his brother William FitzGerald, Lord of Llanstephan and Lord of Emlyn respectively and effectively the leaders of the Norman settlers of the region. The castle was later retaken by the Normans. Llywelyn the Great recaptured the castle for the Welsh in 1215. The castle was taken and captured by the forces of Owain Glyndwr and held until 1403 when it was taken back by Englishman Sir John Pennes, who was shortly himself captured but back in charge of the castle by 1408. It is rumoured that a secret passage leads from the castle to the nearby Plas Mansion.
As I headed back up to St Clears and yet another castle the weather was starting to get really unpleasant, it wasn’t that it was raining really hard, it was just this constant and very penetrating drizzle you get near the coast that is usually accompanied by a heavy sea mist.
St Clears castle (22) is not much more than a mound these days. The Norman St Clears Castle was constructed in the twelfth century and the town, which was a Marcher Borough, grew around it. Below the castle there was a port on the river Tâf, which could take ships of up to 500 tons according to a plaque at the site. The castle held out against Owain Glyndŵr.
It was then on to the A4066 for the run down to Pendine part of the trip I was really looking forward to when planning this ride, I wanted to check out but before that castle (23) came up. Laugharne Castle was built by the Normans after 1100 as part of their invasion of Wales.
Laugharne is perhaps best known for its associations with Dylan Thomas, but for the past 20 years, the picturesque castle, sited on the Taf estuary, has been the subject of painstaking archaeological investigation and gradual restoration. There was probably a Norman castle here by the early 12th century, though the upstanding remains can be traced back no further than the work of the de Brian family in the late 13th century. From the de Brians and their descendants, in 1488 the lordship and castle passed to the earls of Northumberland. In 1584, Elizabeth I granted Laugharne to Sir John Parrott, said to have been the illegitimate son of Henry VIII.
The castle stands on a low cliff by the side of the Coran stream, overlooking the estuary of the river Taf. Laugharne may be the castle mentioned in about 1116 as the castle of Robert Courtemain, but the first definite reference to the Norman castle is in 1189 when, after the death of King Henry II, it was seized by the Lord Rhys, prince of Deheubarth. It attracted further hostility from the Welsh in 1215 when it was destroyed by Llywelyn the Great and later, in 1257, when it was again taken and burnt. During the Civil War, Laugharne was captured by Royalists in 1644, but was quickly re-taken by besieging Roundheads. The castle was partially destroyed soon afterwards and gradually fell into decay. It was left as a romantic ruin during the 18th century and at the turn of the 19th century the outer ward was laid with formal gardens. The gazebo overlooking the estuary was used in the 1930s and 40s by the author Richard Hughes, who leased Castle House during this period.
There are certain times when it is great to look at the map and my roadbook to remember my travels and there are times that are less memorable, mainly because I am trying to block them out.
I arrived in Pendine in less than perfect conditions and any plans I had for looking at or riding on the famous Pendine Sands, like the famous Parry Thomas and his Babs was shortlived. John Godfrey Parry-Thomas was the son of a vicar and born in Wrexham in April 1884. John was fascinated with engineering and studied the subject at college in London. After numerous jobs he became the chief Engineer at Leyland Motors. Leyland Motors investigated the possibility of building a massive luxury car. The imposing motorcar, the Leyland Eight, was dubbed the 'Lion of Olympia' when shown at the 1920 Motor show in London. The cars were expensive and only eight were built. John Parry-Thomas tested each Leyland Eight to 100 mph before delivery.
Despite the considerable reservations of the Leyland directors, Parry-Thomas raced one of the Leylands at Brooklands, a 2.5 mile banked oval circuit. Racing became important to him, and he resigned from Leyland and went to live in a cottage in the grounds of Brooklands circuit. The racing world at this time had many famous characters including Count Zborowski who later died at Monza in 1924. Parry-Thomas was able to buy a potential record breaking car, the Higham Special from Zorowski's estate. It was fitted with a 27,059 cc Liberty aero engine, Benz gearbox and featured a chain final drive.Thomas Parry christened the car 'Babs' and after carrying out considerable amount of work took it to Pendine for a crack at the land speed record. This was in October 1925 but the weather precluded any chance of a record breaking run. To cap it all Henry Seagrave posted a speed of 152.33 mph. In April 1926 Babs was transported back to Pendine at Shell-Mex's expense for another attempt. After a couple of warm-up runs Parry-Thomas achieved a speed of 169.30. A day later he pushed the record over the 170 mph mark. Campbell was among those who sportingly congratulated Parry-Thomas and, in the nature of the challenge; he prepared his own car for another attempt on the record. In January 1927 he achieved a top speed of 174.883 mph.
As the competition for the record increased Parry-Thomas wanted another crack at it; he knew Henry Seagrave was to attempt a run for 200 mph, in Florida. He arrived back in Pendine, unwell with 'Flu', in March 1927 and with the assistance of Shell and Dunlop staff began to prepare the car for a run on the beach. After the usual start and warm up procedures had been followed he set off up the beach on a timed run. The car skidded, turned over and over and then slewed round to face the sea. The scene for those first to arrive was not pretty, Parry-Thomas was still in the car, partially decapitated and burned. The car was on fire and in order to retrieve the body from the blazing wreck two of Parry-Thomas's crew had the unpleasant task of breaking the legs of the corpse before the fire prevented them reaching it. The coroner's verdict was accidental death and Parry-Thomas was buried in Surrey. The car was buried in a big hole on the beach and that could have been the end of the story.
Forty years later, Owen Wyn-Owen, an engineering lecturer form Bangor Technical College was keen on the idea of digging up Babs from the sand with a view to a complete restoration. This was easier said than done simply because some of the locals didn't want the car resurrected while others did. The army who had arrived during world war two weren't too keen on the idea as the point where Babs was buried was now surrounded by buildings. However, perseverance paid off and in 1969 the car was excavated and so began 15 years of painstaking restoration work to make Babs run again.
Unfortunately I was greeted by the following scenes and it makes me wonder how anyone could ever race a car on these sands, or even the more recent use by the Top Gear TV programme to test certain performance cars. 
It was then on to Amroth, whilst at the same time looking at potential places to stay, the Guest Houses I went past all had signs saying No Vacancies, I was also concerned that those that did have vacancies were so far away from anywhere else I would have to get a taxi at least to go and get something to eat, so I pushed on. The following photo gives you some idea of how bad the weather was. 
Suffice it to say I didn’t hang around and I was quickly into Saundersfoot before coming back out on to a very busy A478 into Tenby, having looked at the Trip meter I thought it would be a good move to fill up, tonight, which would give me a long run in the morning. So I pulled over in New Hedges to refuel and I was very, very tempted to pull over into the Lodge that was advertising rooms, 50 yards away, but decided against it and went on for a further mile or so until I came across Well Park Campsite.
A very well run campsite that has good facilities including a Clubhouse and bar, pretty good showers to say the least, which were ideal to warm me up again. I was able to negotiate a decent rate for the night and get my tent pitched fairly quickly despite the continuing drizzle. I also used this as an opportunity to use my Basha, which is a military issue waterproof sheet, measuring 8ft by 7ft that can be used as both a bivouac and also a stretcher in emergencies. I erected that between the bike and the tent entrance to give me an area to cook in without getting soaked. It worked particularly well after I had sorted out some teething problems, the water was initially draining into the entrance of the tent rather than away from it duhh!.
Once I got all this sorted it was off to the showers to warm up as much as anything. Then back to cook, at just after 7.00pm, thankfully the rain/drizzle had subsided by this point and I could sit under my Basha to cook and watch all the caravans arrive for the South Wales Caravan Club meet together with other young couples turning up to camp along the hedgerow I was situated by, unfortunately one couple had pitched a huge 6 berth tent for the pair of them in the prime position but I think I had a close second.
After a quick wash up and walk around the site, it was soon time to settle down to watch another DVD, I had spent some time during the day re-charging the battery on my laptop from the bike, it wasn’t perfect but enough to watch over an hour of the next movie and my MP3 player.
Take care and as Mick says ‘You don’t stop riding when you get old; you stop when you hope for better weather the next day!’
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