Bike Route: Kidwelly to Tenby 40mi 3100ft of climb
Accommodation: Private double room with shared bath in home (Airbnb); host Leanne. Use of shared kitchen, bath, back garden, beaches nearby, 10-minute walk to Tenby. 4 year old boy, 10 month old puppy
Dinner: Top Joe's Tenby. Woodfired pizza. Very good.
Our host Ann cooked a delicious breakfast of Welsh rarebit (toast covered with eggs, mustard, cheese, and Worcestershire sauce), and smoked salmon with eggs, served with a full assortment of fruits, cereals, beverages, toast and spreads, coffee and tea. Wonderful.
We chatted with Peter for a bit before leaving, and found out he had grown up on the Kidwelly Farm. He played rugby for the Wales national team in 1986, then moved to an area just outside Cardiff where he farmed and raised three daughters and a son. A number of years ago, he moved back to Kidwelly and took over the family farm. His children did not want the farm, so he and Ann rented out the land and developed a holiday catering business with two guestrooms plus self-catering cottages and camping.
With that bit of family history to keep our imaginations going, we headed across the fields and up the hills and over to Tenby. Again, the biking was a little easier, with plenty of climbing but most of it ridable. About halfway, we stopped at a pub right on the trail and sat at a picnic table in the sun to eat a lunch of tomato and roasted red pepper soup, smoked haddock cakes, salad, and bread. Perfect.
Taking the time for a good lunch and rest helped keep up our energy for the rest of the day. We arrived in Tenby and headed up the hill to find the house where we would spend the night. Google Maps and Ride with GPS, and even Apple Maps, kept taking us to a house on the left side of the road near the bottom of the hill, but the instructions provided by our host said the house was near the top of the hill on the right. Finally, I messaged Leanne and told her we were having trouble. A minute later, she popped out of a house near the top of the hill on the right and called our names. It turns out the street has one name and set of numbers on the left side of the hill, and a different name and set of numbers on the right.
We had made it, Leanne was gracious and friendly, she helped us store our bikes in her shed, and showed us to our room. We headed right out to get pizza at Top Joe's Tenby, wandered through the narrow streets of the old walled city, strolled out to the harbor, and then climbed back up the hill for showers and a warm bed.
Another day done.
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| At our lunch stop, the waitress asked where we were going, and when we said Tenby, she asked if we were doing the Carten 100, a 100-mile ride from from Cardiff to Tenby. We had been seeing these signs all day along our route. We were just a few days early. |
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| We just can't believe this sunshine! It is warm in the sun on the uphills, but the breeze is still chilly and the downhills get cold. We are constantly taking off and putting on layers. |
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| Welsh ponies are native to this area. Originally used in coal mines, they are are now bred for show. |
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| It is fun to see pics from home while we are away. And fun to hear of our family's adventures. Here are Joshua, Meghan, Josh, and Konur in Kentucky, where Konur just competed in the Middle School Nationals for archery. |
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| Izzie is in heaven, rolling in the grass on her walk at the farm/kennel. |
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| Fields and fields and fields. Those might be the Snowdonia mountains in the distance--where we are going to be in a few days. |
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| The shops were all closed, but we enjoyed a quiet stroll through the narrow streets in the walled section of Tenby. |
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| The harbor area was quiet too. |
