Pembrey Country Park

Today I went a little further afield than normal and met my mother for a walk around Pembrey Country Park. This is a great place to visit because it has a bit of everything; forest, lakes, rivers, beach. There are various trade shows going on most weekends, and there is also the opportunity for horse riding, skiing, or even having a go on a toboggan. 

None of that for me on this occasion, but I was more than happy with a good long walk. We started off along the beach, which looks across the Lougher Estuary towards the Gower, the distinctive shape of Worm's Head easy to identify. The plan was to walk into Burry Port and stop in one of the cafes, but after a few miles we were scuppered by a river that was impossible to cross. I was all for wading across one of the shallow areas but my mother, concerned I'd either sink into quick sand or get swept away, vetoed the idea. Instead we doubled back, crossing some overgrown and scrubby fields, before emerging, a little scratched up, onto a paved road that lead back towards the park.

The day was still young so after recovering on the road for a bit we veered away back onto the beach, and went to investigate one of the old shipwrecks I'd read about. It's fairly impressive, bigger than I have expected, and a surprising amount of detail remains, including some of the planking between the decks. 

For the next stage of our expedition we headed into the forest, intending to follow one of the many trails that loop back towards the camping area. We didn't get lost per se, but it was a bit less clear cut than originally planned, and a fair few miles were racked up. We eventually stopped stopped a couple of friendly centaurs (or possibly horseback riders, I was getting a bit delirious with hunger at this point) for pointers, and they got us back onto the right path. This was definitely a relief, this is the longest walk these boots have undertaken and they were certainly starting to make their displeasure known. 

This lake was an unexpected surprise as we emerged from the trees. Lovely lily pads, lots of birds and dragon flies, a perfectly little idyll.

The last phase of the walk was a bit of a grimacing, limping stumble - my boots had gone into full revolt. I think I may need to get some insoles to stop my feet slipping, because I have pretty major blisters on the end of every single one of my toes. They are starting to look like E.T.'s finger, bulbous end, and though they don't look like they are glowing they certainly feel like it.