Journeying | Pilgrimage Holidays | Christian Walking Holidays | Christian Short Breaks

Cost

£750 for single occupancy, discounted to £650 for a shared room when booked with a friend or partner. Please note on the booking form the name of the person you will be sharing with.

Description

The ancient walled town of Tenby, situated on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path with its picturesque harbour and quaint streets, provides the perfect base for our journey along the Pembrokeshire coast. And out to sea, the Island of Caldey lies tantalisingly just a mile away. Home to a monastic community for more than 1500 years we’ll spend a whole day on the island.

St Davids the smallest city in the UK (barely more than a village in reality!) provides another high point on our pilgrim journey. Here in the 6th century, St David founded a monastery. In time this isolated foundation became a major centre of Celtic Christianity and today the lovely Cathedral of St David begun during the 12th century, inhabits perhaps the most rural ecclesiastical setting in Britain.

Walks and Excursions

The Pembrokeshire coastal path offers a great variety of scenery (rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, wooded estuaries) with many walk possibilities. We plan three such walks:

Tenby to the coastal village of Manorbier, complete with castle and Norman Church. A walk of 8 miles. Steep gradients and rough underfoot with magnificent views all the way.

Tenby to Saundersfoot, 5 miles. Again, a coastal walk, steep in places and rough underfoot with magnificent views.

St Davids to Porthclais. An afternoon walk of some three miles, including coast path and small country roads. Occasionally rough underfoot with moderate gradients.
At Porthclais the River Alun meets the sea. In the Mabinogion, a medieval collection of ancient Welsh legends, the giant boar Twrch Trwyth came ashore, pursued by King Arthur and his knights. Along the way we visit the ruins of St Non's Chapel. It was on this spot in about the year 500, as a violent storm raged all around that St Non - miraculously shielded from the wind and rain - gave birth to David, later to become St David, patron saint of Wales. What a place to stand and touch the spiritual!

This particular walk, St Davids – Porthclais is part of our day visit to St Davids. After driving by minibus from Tenby our visit begins with a personalised tour of the Cathedral. Built on the site of St David's early monastic community, Pope Calixtus II decreed in 1123, that "Two pilgrimages to St Davids is equal to one to Rome, and three pilgrimages to one to Jerusalem". After lunch we’ll begin our walk to Porthclais. Back in Tenby by early evening, we eat alfresco fish and chips in harbour.

From Tenby harbour we travel out to Caldey Island by motorboat, where we will be able to explore the little village, early Churches, join the monks at their mid-day service and walk to the outlying places of interest in the footsteps of pilgrims stretching back to who knows when... We have the whole day on the island.

A Prayer Walk is a lovely way to be with God, just you and God… A time to ask what God wants of you, and for you to offer yourself to God. One evening we join a Prayer Walk from St Julian's, the Fisherman's Chapel in Tenby harbour.

There will be time too during the week to browse the many small shops in Tenby, wander the narrow streets and if you wish go for a swim or simply sit on the beach!

Accommodation

We have seven nights in our own house, situated in a quiet area, just two minutes' walk from Tenby's ancient town walls. We will be catering for ourselves with the leaders cooking the evening meal and everyone helping with breakfast and making packed lunches. Rooms are single, twin and double.

Getting there

Please arrive at our accommodation sometime after 4 pm on the 17th. Our evening meal will be at 6.30 pm. The railway station is a short distance from our house. Long-stay car parking is available.

Contact

With David Gleed and Gill Page.
For more information, please contact David: davidgleed2@gmail.com +44 (0)7896 285839 or Gill: gill91@btopenworld.com +44 (0)7866 936323.