On a rainy early spring day in Wales, my Mum and I took the train to Llantwit Major and would follow a stretch of the Wales Coastal Path to Monknash. This line gives walkers unique access to the most southerly edge of Wales. This Jurassic Coast, typified by beds of rocks layered on top of each other, is of interest to geologists but can also be unforgiving. In the summer it is hot, but a week of rain had made the paths boggy, sucking boots and our energy.
Most days you can see over the Bristol Chanel to England, but the drifting mist made for a distinctly eerie feeling. We got to Tresilian Bay, where slippery stone steps lead down from the cliff to a brilliant white house set back from a pebble beach. We were both sure we could hear a low grumbling noise. What monster could be hidden in the caves? This thought occupied our minds as we carried on westwards. A little further we spotted a horizontal line in the water. A boat? Yes, it seemed discernible as a vessel, perhaps on its way from Avonmouth Docks.
A walk should always be rewarded. After two hours of squelching and slipping, we climbed the cliff to sample a glass of Bass beer at the Plough and Harrow, a very old public house. Two pounds were then well spent as a bus propelled us through the soggy lanes back to a lunch at the Old Swan Inn in Llantwit.