It was a long, winding journey west through the Preseli Mountains towards the rust-red horizon. Arriving after dark, we could barely see the sea, but what a view there was when we looked up: the filigree of the Milky Way was clearly visible, and our astronomer friend pointed out Sirius, red supergiant Betelgeuse, and the Pleiades (Seven Sisters). Through our bird-spotting scope we even saw the great stellar nursery of the Orion Nebula. For two young people in our group, this was the first time they’d seen the stars like this, in a Dark Skies area with hardly any light pollution.
Thus began a fantastic spring half term holiday at YHA Poppit Sands, on the border between Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro) and Cardigan (Ceredigion). We’ve hostelled with other people before but this time we hired the whole hostel on an Exclusive Hire basis and invited friends to share the experience. There were 21 of us, including ten children aged between 6 and 16.
The most wonderful thing about YHA Poppit Sands is its coastal location. Most of the bedrooms have sea views, as does the open-plan kitchen and lounge area. I spent peaceful early mornings in the garden listening to the dawn chorus and watching the daffodils light up in the first rays of the sun.
Poppit Sands beach, huge even at high tide, is either a ten-minute walk down the narrow road, or a similar distance along the permissive path that begins shortly after you turn right out of the hostel. Passable at low tide only, this latter route involves scrambling over rocks: some jagged, others scoured smooth by a waterfall. Here an adult friend had his first ever experience of rock pooling, with a shrimping net bought from the RNLI shop.
The kids enjoyed the beach in all the ways kids do. Our daughter began digging to Australia on Day One. When her friends arrived they joined in; by the end of the week their heads were barely visible. Some of them braved the sea (in wetsuits); others preferred football or frisbee, or just running around. One young person took pictures on the theme of water for his A-level Photography course. Meanwhile I discovered that two of my friends love kite flying as much as I do.
At intervals we popped into the excellent beach cafe, Crwst, for cheese toasties and home-made doughnuts with fillings such as rhubarb and custard and passion fruit meringue. The steep walk up the hill burnt off the calories.
Back at the hostel the children played big Jenga and Connect 4, and concocted a solution for giant bubbles by mixing together 12 cups of water, 1 cup of washing up liquid, 1 cup of cornflour, and 2 tablespoons of baking powder. If it got too noisy our son, who is autistic, retreated to the quiet of our room, but overall he seemed to enjoy the social experience.
We shared some meals in the well-equipped kitchen, but could also cook according to dietary preferences and at different times. On Valentine’s Day we visited the Tuesday Producers’ Market by the Abbey in nearby St Dogmael’s, and bought delicious local halloumi, new-season purple sprouting broccoli, and cherry-pistachio fudge. I also purchased some beautiful hand-dyed woollen socks, and alpaca gloves.
One afternoon we all walked along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path to the west of the hostel, where there are spectacular cliffs and precipitous drops down to beaches where the resting seals resemble grains of rice. We had to keep a close eye on the children along some sections of this path.
On another day two of the teenagers went to the skateboard park in the town of Cardigan (Aberteifi), while some of us visited the Teifi Marshes, a short walk along the river. There was a boardwalk through the wetlands, past stunted trees wrapped in thick spongy mosses and crusty lichens, swaying stands of golden reed, and catkins wriggling in the wind. From the hides we saw a white egret, lapwings, curlews, and teal. A noticeboard helped us to decode the birdsong of the ‘Reed Orchestra’. In Welsh, a Chiffchaff is a Siff-Saff; it’s also the name of a type of harp. There are otters here too.
In New Quay, 20 miles up the coast, we were lucky enough to arrive just as some bottlenose dolphins appeared in the bay, leaping out of the water several times before heading out to sea. Dylan Thomas and his family lived here during World War Two and it may have been his main inspiration for the fictional town in Under Milk Wood. It is very picturesque, with row upon row of brightly-painted houses with decorative doors and windows. In the harbour old noticeboards detail the tolls and duties that once had to be paid to the Harbour Master for importing everything from a bushel of clover and grass seeds (one pence) to a billiard table (five shillings) to a large organ (a pound).
There is a 24/7 emergency phone in the hostel, but we didn’t encounter any problems at all during our stay. The information we received beforehand was clear and comprehensive, and a door code enabled everyone to come and go as they pleased. The hostel was well-equipped; all we had to bring was towels, food, and things to play with. Good teamwork meant it only took an hour or two to do the clean up on the last morning. Everyone said they’d had a great time and would love to do this again.
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