Wales Coast Path Run – Freshwater West to Rhoscrowther
Coast Path Vital Stats
Freshwater West to Rhoscrowther
- Distance: 10.24 miles
- Elevation Gain Today: 361m
- Highest Elevation: 58m
- Time: 2:12:40
- Av. Pace: 12:57 mins/mile
- Calories: 1019
Totals to Date
- Total Distance: 924.47 miles
- Total Time: 173:40:54/li>
- Total Elevation Gain: 27420
- Total Calories: 87196
- Distance to go: 170 miles
After a relatively relaxing day in Pembrokeshire yesterday it was once again back onto the Coast Path for me on Sunday morning. The plan today was to run around the Angle Peninsula. This would be a distance of around 10 miles with a sensible rendezvous with Anna at West Angle to see how I was getting on. So, after a relaxed breakfast at our Air BnB cottage it was off to Freshwater West once again.
Freshwater West to West Angle
We parked in the same car park as I finished my run at on Friday. I made sure that I parked at the other end of it today so that my runs would overlap a little. I always do such things as I don’t want any gaps in the trace I’m producing as I make my way around Wales. There’s always an overlap rather than a gap. Sometimes the overlap is significant, today it was just a few metres.
With my rucksack loaded up with a drink, a waterproof and some other supplies I said goodbye to Anna and set off across the car park and into the dunes. Anna headed off on the car to West Angle where I’d meet her later. The Coast Path took me down through the dunes and then onto a narrow trail that took me out onto the cliffs where I had some nice views back over the bay of Freshwater West and on to the headlands beyond.
It was good running for a while. There was a nice easy trail to follow, a few gates here and there and a gentle climb. This gentle climb didn’t last long though as it soon became a steep climb. This was followed by a never-ending series of steep rocky descents and equally steep cimbs as the path hugged the coastline and pliunged into every gulley and ravine that it could. I was fluctuating between sea-level and the clifftops over and over again. Progress was slow, there was just as much walking and scrabbling as there was running and the day was heating up.
There were a few stretches of longer grassy sections across the tops of the cliffs but just as I thought it was levelling off there would be another deep gulley to plunge into. It was a lovely day for it though with nice temperatures and a cooling wind. I could sea the buoys marking the entrance to Milford Haven and at one point saw the lifeboat heading out to the point on the opposite side of the estuary. There were some interesting remains of pillboxes and lookout posts dotted along the clifftops and some islands that looked perfect for exploring by kayak. There was some nice geology in the cliffs too.
Eventually I rounded the point where I could see Thorne Island across the Bay and started heading down into West Angle Bay. There were loads of people swimming in the sea. I passed the Wavecrest cafe and found Anna sat in the car park.
It had taken a little longer to do this stretch than I had anticipated. After a quick chat and the finalising of some plans I decided to head on around to Angle and from there all the way to Rhoscrowther. Anna would wait where she was ready to collect me in Angle if I felt that was far enough once I got there. If not she’d meet me at Rhoscrowther.
West Angle to Angle
The next section was much easier. Gone were the steep gulleys. They were replaced by easy going clifftop trails with just a steady climb. I ran past Thorne Island with it’s fort and boat lift and past a field of sunflowers gone to seed.
There was even some shade once I’d rounded the corner and started running along the southern shores of Milford Haven. Here there were expansive views across the estuary and out to the massive jetties of the oil refinery.
The most notable thing along this stretch were the butterflies, there were thousands of them all flittering away as I ran past. I also caught sight of the RNLI station but didn’t get too much of a view of it as I ran along the path above it. From heere I dropped down through some fields with views across the bay to Valero Oil Refinery.
I then ran towards the village and little harbour of Angle. I passed the Old Point House and it’s quirky seaweed focussed cafe and then ran along the sides of the inlet where boats were moored.
The Coast Path took me through the village and then out along the other side of the inlet, past a manor house and into some nice wooded paths alongside the waters edge. There were some people swimming in the waters here too and it certainly looked inviting. The shade was the only cooling I had here but that was certainly welcomed.
Angle to Rhoscrowther
As I left Angle behind I was clearly heading all the way to Rhoscrowther. I felt good even if the overall pace had been relatively slow. The section between West Angle and Angle had improved that somewhat and it looked like relatively easy going terrain ahead of me as I made my way along with wide sweep of Angle Bay. There weren’t many miles to go and I felt fine so finishing just down the road from the cottage seemed like a sensible plan.
There wasn’t much to report from this section, just a pleasant run along the waters edge in the sunshine. Anna walked a couple of hundred yards in my direction so I soon met here not far from the car. She said it had taken her almost as long to drive from Angle as it had for me to run it. I guess my route was a little more direct which is unusal as the Coast path is usually more circuitous.
That was it for the day, another 10 miles closer to completing a circumnavigation of Wales and all felt good. I had a rest day planned for tomorrow and then another short run on Tuesday morning before heading home. Hopefully I’d make it to Pembroke on this trip.
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[…] my run along the Coast Path from Freshwater West to Rhoscrowther we still had an afternoon to play with. So, after a shower at the cottage it was back into Angle to […]
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Sounds alln8n all a good week end. I’d enjoy Picton Castle but I’ll leave the coast path to you x