Today’s walk starts a very short drive from Woodstock CL. The starting point is the car park by the Co-op in Kilgetty and from here we turn left, passing the sports ground, and at the roundabout turn right to walk up the hill.
As the main road sweeps to the right we encounter a dragon looking over a wall at us and we turn left passing the church.
We follow the lane for a while and then take a footpath on the left and within a short distance we are at a crossing of paths where we turn right along a disused railway line. This is part of the railway that opened in 1834 to serve the many mines in the area; from here it led down to the harbour at Saundersfoot. The route is known as the Miners Trail.
It is reported that back in 1581 there were so many workings in Begelly that coachmen refused to cross the area in a horse drawn carriage or cart because of the risk of subsidence. We are walking along an old railway line so I am pretty confident that the ground below us is firm!
This could not be easier to follow; we stay on the disused railway line until we reach Thomas Chapel, also the site of old mine workings. Reaching a lane we cross to follow a fenced footpath, we are now on the Landsker Borderland Trail.
Crossing a lane the footpath carries on into some woodland, but recent rain has made it boggy so we take a right turn and walk up the hill and at a junction turn left to pass Tomlashill Farm. About a quarter of a mile later we rejoin the Landsker Borderland Trail by turning right up a farm track.
There are sheep in the field and we are struggling to identify the breed, we then spot the farmer leaning against a gate. He is a farmer who welcomes visitors to his land and we stop and chat, he provides us with advise on the route to take and tells us the sheep are Dorset Downs.
Carrying on following the footpath waymarkers (and the farmers directions) we cross a couple of fields to meet the A 478. Here we turn left, thankfully there is a wide verge and it provides sanctuary from the traffic speeding past. The other positive is that within a hundred yards or so we turn right along a minor road.
We frequently walk along minor roads and this one is stunning, the hedgerows abound with wild flowers and there are lots of insects buzzing about.
The added bonus is there is very little traffic and those cars that do come along are considerate and give us plenty of space. After crossing a railway bridge we turn left to follow the Landsker Trail down a farm track.
We soon arrive at Trewern where a Jack Russell greets us from the other side of the gate. The landowner pops out and picks up his dog and gives us helpful advice about the path back to Kilgetty.
We go through another gate and then briefly downhill to join a track and turn right towards Kilgetty. It appears this track is part of the old mine working in this area, slag heaps face us across the valley.
Just as we enter the top edge of Kilgetty Woods we take a footpath on the right into a field. I immediately spot very recent evidence of bears and as we walk uphill along the edge of the field I spot them lurking in the corner. Fortunately they are very young bears and are more wary of us than we are of them. I would not fancy being amongst them in a couple of months time, but now they present no threat.
After going through a gate we enter a caravan park, I am not sure if this is for tourers or more permanent residents. We go up the driveway and pick up a footpath on the left. This leads us besides fields and into Kilgetty Wood. There are a network of paths here and we follow a route back into Kilgetty. The woods are peaceful, but in the past this was a major industrial area. From 1792 until the 1870’s there were a number of mines around here.
We enter Kilgetty and follow the roads back to our starting point, our walk has covered close to six miles and once again provided an insight into the industrial past of this area.
16th May 2017
[To follow our walk you will need Ordnance Survey Outdoor Explorer Map OL 37 – South Pembrokeshire]
© Two Dogs and an Awning (2017)