Cwm Gwaun and Dinas Island

I am miles behind on this blog, and for the purposes of this evening I am still in the middle of May in Pembrokeshire. The morning is damp to say the least, but the forecast is for it to clear.  I have little faith in weather forecasts here, it can be cold windy and rain all day in one spot and be glorious calm sunshine just a few miles away. We planned to drive a few miles away to walk part of the well wooded Cwm Gwaun valley whilst the weather wasn't great, and then move on to Dinas Island if it cleared up. I should point out that Dinas Island isn't an island by any stretch of the imagination, it is a promontory, but a rather beautiful one, and it does sort of feel like an island in some strange way.
The morning walk was actually dry but overcast, and although pretty impossible to take any photograpghs, we saw pretty well every species of bird that I'd hoped for.. and more. The mostly Oak, Birch and Hazel woodland which lines the steep slopes on the east side of the river was alive with the small birds you might expect in the far west.
The small river provided Dipper and Grey Wagtail, and the woods provided Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Wood Warbler, Whitethroat, Redstart, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long Tailed Tit,  Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Wren, Robin, Raven, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Wood Pigeon and Buzzard. I was indebted to Russ for his much better ear than I.
The short drive from Cwm Gwaun to Dinas Island took us across some surprise moorland which reminded me very much of Dartmoor in miniature, and a greater surprise to me was a male Merlin which flew along the road in front of the car for fifty yards or so before diving over a hedge. I took me quite a while to eliminate every other species it could have been, just because I didn't think they were a breeding species in this area. In the end I had to agree with Russ, everything about it was Merlin.
We parked at the tiny village of Cwm-yr-Eglwys and ate sandwiches on the lovely little beach in glorious sunshine.

Eventually we headed off to the left of this bay to climb up and circumnavigate Dinas Island. I hadn't ever been here before, and it is quite a spectacular piece of coastline with lovely views to the east and west. On the field below were a number of Whinchat too far away to photograph.

Just before this natural "doorway" there were a small number of Guillemot and Razorbill on the sea below the cliffs...

Finding myself rather overdressed for the occasion, having been transported from cool damp spring to hot dry summer in the course of a few miles, it was a welcome pause to study a few Wheatears that seemed drawn to a particular pile of rocks. I missed the best photo opportunities whilst chatting to other walkers and swapping lenses, but took some shots anyway.

Despite the lovely vistas of drunken cliffs falling into the sea towards the end of our route, I couldn't help but crave the promise of refreshment in what is apparently considered one of Britain's most romantic hostelries. I didn't need romance. I needed refreshment. 

 

At last the tiny village of Pwllgwaelod and the pub by the beach came into view and all was well with the world.

The beach was beautiful even prior to wearing beer goggles.

A pleasant pint or two of the most refreshing liquid known to mankind and I was ready to do the jaunt again. Fortunately we didn't have time.

The walk back along the "neck" which was mercifully flatish, relatively shaded, and surprisingly short. The other surprising thing was a Red Kite, in fact our only Welsh Red Kite of the long weekend (although I had seen an English one on the trip from home).

Back at basecamp it was barbecue time, and watching the sun dip down into the sea once more made the mornings drizzle seem an age ago.

The balmy quiet calmness of the weather belied the loudness of things to come as our resident Warblers struck up their nightly music and Manx Shearwaters called their wild calls once again. Lovely.