Monday, October 14

Today is Tenby day! After sleeping in (or “having a lie-in,” as they say here) and a leisurely breakfast of soft-boiled eggs and luscious toast, we hopped in our trusty car (we really should give it a name) and headed out across this small Welsh peninsula. 

We have been so fortunate with the weather this week! Sunshine almost every day, rain mostly at night, and steady temps in the 50s and 60s. (I will say that a lot of prayer has gone up regarding the matter of weather, so we are grateful to our good God for his kindness.)

We arrived in Tenby around noon (it’s a 40-minute drive from Talbenny) and were impressed by the ancient city wall that still divides the old town from the new.  

The city walls of Tenby are to the right in this picture.

The large circular tower was the main gate to the city.

Entering through the old gateway, we were treated to streets filled with shops, bakeries, thrift stores (our favorite), antique shops, and cafes. Our first stop was a bakery (of course), where we found sourdough granary bread, fresh-baked Welsh cakes sprinkled with sugar, almond croissants, and pumpkin spice cake. Yum! This was going to be a heavy carb day.

Next we browsed the oldest town marketplace in Tenby (only a few shops in there were open). We did find organic figs and (finally) dark roast coffee, which was freshly ground for us. 

We discovered another bakery that sold hot Cornish pasties, so we ordered one each and walked to the view of the Tenby harbor to eat our lunch. We were joined by a very picky seagull who would accept only bread with cheese or meat on it.

View of the harbor from our lunch bench.

Note the green hill in the background—we walked there after lunch.

After lunch we strolled down streets and alleyways, always searching for the harbor and the green hill that stood behind it. In Victorian times, Tenby was a popular holiday destination, and fashionable gentlemen and their ladies would stroll around the promenade of the harbor. We also found our way there.

Resting after a steep climb uphill.

The view from the top of the hill takes in all of the waterfront and 

colorful houses of Tenby,

A small island just off the beach, known as St. Margaret’s Island.

Early in Welsh history, a small Christian community was located in this area.

It was time to leave, but we made one last purchase: scones with cream and jam, on sale half-price at a bakery just by the city walls. One must think of dessert, you know.

Back at home, we enjoyed chicken vegetable soup, delicious granary sourdough bread, a variety of cheeses, and…lots of butter. Later, around the fire, we sampled the cream scones and pronounced them very good indeed. Another lovely day in Wales.