D179: STRUMBLE HEAD to FISHGUARD
Monday 15th September 2025
Today miles: 7.8 Total miles: 2930.1
After a really decent sleep I left the Celtic Camping hostel and a few minutes later I was climbing on board the bus and chatting to Michelle the driver. Of course the first thing she talked about was the seal pup at Abereiddy. She confirmed that the pup was still happily lying on the beach and is safe, despite the 60mph winds that had been hitting Wales over the previous twelve hours. Several more passengers boarded the bus and everybody was chatty. John, the man I had first met approaching Celtic Camping on Saturday afternoon boarded the bus at Llanrhian. He’s cut his section walk of the Wales coast path short due to the poor weather and he’s now heading back home. Althought the wind was still blowing the forecast was for a dry morning. I did momentarily consider avoiding the coastline and instead walking along the road into Fishguard if I thought the wind might be dangerous. It seemed to have died down a little and I didn’t feel particularly unsafe. Soon after jumping off the bus I walked by the birdwatchers shelter and continued along the path. It was too early for any bird watching and the building was currently empty. The rugged and rocky terrain continued from the previous day and I needed to concentrate on each and every step. There were lots of small bays and it was great to see and hear lots more secure seal pups. The first three miles were easy going but then I started to feel a little tired and my legs felt a little bit heavy. Possibly a result of seven straight days of walking with over 1500ft of ascent each day. There’s another stone monolith at Porthsychan one of several that I’ve noticed along the path over the last few days, not sure what the significance of these stone monuments is. Despite my weariness I continued on at a decent pace and eventually reached Carragwastad Point. This random isolated location in Pembrokeshire is famous for being the site of ‘The last invasion of mainland Britain’ History recorded that 1200 revolutionary French soldiers landed on the beach in 1797 but were rounded up within two days near Fishguard. No other foreign force has set foot on British soil since that date.
As I turned the corner around Fishguard Bay I could see the piers jutting out into the ocean protecting Goodwick and Fishguard from the worst of the waves. There was a gentle descent into Goodwick and I passed by a long line of vehicles waiting to board the Stena Line ferry to Ireland. There’s a fish and chip shop on the route (recommended by the bus driver) and I couldn’t resist the temptation to grab a proper hot meal. I sat for a while enjoying my food and watched the ferry as it moved off. It’s only a further two mile walk to Fishguard along the coastal path.
The route climbs gently onto the headland overlooking Goodwick before descending once again towards Fishguard. The route enters Fishguard close to the harbour and this was where I left the route and began to head towards my accommodation. I’m booked into a caravan for the next four nights at Fishguard Holiday Park and I intend taking a rest day tomorrow. There’s a large Co-Op store nearby and I grabbed two bags of food and several drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) to survive the next four days.
Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path 