Thursday 16 April 2009

Dead Man's Gulch to Mwnt

Last Wednesday we went along the cliff path again , but this time we went equiped with picnic and binoculars and headed for Mwnt which is about as far again as Pen Peles. Tara cat decided she was going to accompany us for the first part of the trek and I was beginning to worry that she was going to follow us the whole way, but she turned back before we actually got to the cliff path.
It was abeautiful day and the swallows were swooping over us, the first we have seen this year. Soaring over Dead Man's Gulch were what I first thought to be two Buzzards but when I looked through the binoculars I discovered one was the Peregrine being mobbed by the Buzzard. We stood and watched for ages, but Finn got bored, walks are for walking (or running) not standing still!
Further along the path Finn was sniffing in the grass when he suddenly leapt backwards and hid behind me. A 'stick ' he was about to pick up was an Adder! Luckily it didn't bite him, but we had certainly interrupted it's sunbathing and it slithered off before I could get a picture of it. Finn did not want to go past the spot where it had been resting and every stick at the side of the path that we went past after that was given a very wide berth!
Just before we reached Pen Peles I noticed something black in the water, at first it looked like a piece of wood but it wasn't behaving right. It turned ou to be the dorsal fin of a Porpoise, there were two of them circling in the water below us. I think they were Porpoise aqnd not Dolphins as they weren't very big and they weren't breaking the surface as Dolphins love to do




Past Pen Peles the path seemed to get a bit wilder and there were a couple of hairy places were the path was quite close to the edge, but we arrived at Mwnt safe and sound after a walk of about 3 hours. The signpost at the beginning says 41/2 miles but I think this is a bit optimistic to say the least! There were lots of people there which meant Finn had to stay on the lead on the beach which was a bit of a disappointment, but he had an icecream at the kiosk to make up for it.

First sight of Mwnt, The white building is a tiny church and in the distance directly behind is Cardigan Island.

Looking down onto Mwnt beach. Dogs are not allowed from May until September.




We came home by the road as the walking was easier and it only took 2 hours to get back despite stopping to talk to a few people along the way including a neighbour who pulled up in his car, had a bit of a chat and then said he'd offer me a lift but the hound would make the car in a mess!
Later that night I was getting worried about Tara as there was no sign of her, but she arrived home at 10 o'clock. I wonder what adventures she had.