Monday
We started off the morning with breakfast at The Early Bird in Cathays. I would highly recommend the The Cowboy’s breakfast. Then we wandered around the rest of Cathays as Robert and I overlapped for 2 years in Cardiff but we never met, so we enjoyed reliving some student memories.
After our stroll down memory lane we rented ‘NextBikes‘ which seems to be the Cardiff equivalent to Boris Bikes. We started at the Castle and followed the Cardiff Bay Trail alongside the River Taff all the way down to the Bay. We had a scrummy lunch at Coffi Co on the Mermaid Quay.
We then cycled back into the city and dropped our NextBikes by the train station. The next stop was some amazing ice cream from Palette before heading into the the Castle for the quick roam around.
We had dinner at Santiagos which is a delicious tapas bar. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but the food was incredible!
We stayed in a little AirBNB in Golate Court which had fantastic views of the Principality Stadium.
Tuesday
We headed off the the gym first thing. Rob and I are both members of The Gym in London and so we went to the Capitol Shopping Centre location. The gym was followed by breakfast at 200 Degrees Coffee.
We packed up ALL our bags and waddled the short walk to Avis car rental on Tudor Street. This was where we collected our trusty little Citron C3.
We then set off in search of Celtic Camping. En route we stopped off Pembrey & Burry Port for fish and chips. We sourced our from Joseph’s Fish and Chips and devoured them down by the lighthouse. There was also a fun looking crepe place down by the harbour called Crazie Crepes, however we were too full to try one!
The drive from Cardiff to Celtic Camping was around 2hour 30mins. Celtic camping did not disappoint; stunning sea views and a large converted barn with hot showers, loos and a kitchen.
We set up our tent and went for a short stroll along the coast before lighting our camp fire and whipping up some ‘Naked‘ noodles and finishing the evening with a hot toddy!
Wednesday
An early start of chocolate porridge followed by a run in-land through Llanrhian out to Melin Trefin Mill and back along the coast via Porthgain and The Blue Lagoon (find the route here).
Once back at Celtic Camping we picked up the car and drove back to Porthgain to have lunch at The Shed. Which according to Rob was ‘the best hake and chips he has ever had’. Many of you (and the locals) also recommend The Sloop which was established in 1743!
We then drove on to St Davids, the smallest city in the UK! Its £4 to look around the palace and free to go in the cathedral. The palace was a real favourite of our as you get to explore all the ruins and climb up the twisting stair cases…its quite the labyrinth!
On the way home we picked up the yummiest pizza’s from a campsite up the road called Costal Stay. Finished the evening with a hot toddy and s’mores!
Thursday
Another early start of chocolate porridge then we heading back to The Blue Lagoon in Abereiddy for a chilly swim! Its £4 to park at Abereiddy Beach and then its just a short my rocky walk to The Blue Lagoon. We had the whole lagoon to ourselves, so I would suggest going early as it gets busy with coasteering groups later on.
After our swim we returned to Celtic Camping for a hot shower and to pack up camp. We followed the coastal path south-west stopping at beaches along the way to enjoy the stunning view. We stopped at The Ocean Cafe in Broad Haven for cake, I opted for the chocolate orange cake and it was like a giant fully Jaffa Cake!
We had a short drive to the next bay, Little Haven, where we got lobster rolls from Lobster and Môr. Followed by a short walk around the point to Rook’s Bay.
Our road trip continued along the coast to St.Brides for another short walk along the coast and a nose around St.Bridget’s Church.
Onwards again to Martin’s Haven to park up before a walk out to the headland to look out to Skomer and Skokholm Island.
Back behind the wheel for a drive past Marloes Sands and through to Dale Hill Farm Campsite where we set up our tent for our final night of camping. Dale Hill Farm is a field over looking Milford Haven. There is also a loo and shower block but you need coins for a hot shower (I think 20p for 1min).
Short 5min drive down the hill into Dale for a drink at The Griffin followed by dinner at Coco’s Brasserie. Then we returned back to the campsite for toasted marshmallows and an early night.
Friday
Sadly we were out of the chocolate milk so we opted for a slightly rouge breakfast of brown rolls with Nutella and tinned peaches…don’t knock it til you’ve tried it. Then we packed up camp and headed out to Stack Rocks Car Park to start out run along the coast to Broad Haven South, up through the Lily Ponds, and past the army barracks at Merrion. At which point Rob headed through Warren and onto Freshwater West, I headed back down to the coast to collect the car (Find my route here).
I drove onto Freshwater West to join Rob for the end of his run along the beach! Next up was a roadside change followed by a chilly dip in the sea. We warmed up with a fish butty from Cafe Môr which was possibly one of the best things we have ever eaten…the seaweed butter and ketchup was delicious!
We drove onto Porthcawl (about a 2hour drive) with a quick stop in Swansea on the way through. Porthcawl was the seaside town I used to visit with one of your uni friends who tried (and failed) to teach me to surf!
We stayed at Olivia House B&B which is a wildly decorated and wonderfully fun stay right by the sea front. Most places were fully booked for dinner so we found space at the Salt Water Inn. Dinner was followed by a short walk long the sea wall and then to bed.
Saturday
We woke up and set off for the sunny stroll along the sea front with a coffee stop at Harbour Bar & Kitchen and a paddle at Sandy Bay. We were unaware that there is a Porthcawl ParkRun which had a stunning out and back along the coast, so we did not partake but cheered from the side lines.
We had breakfast at Cosy Corner Lounge and it was AMAZING…if you go make sure you get a potato brownie (basically a slice of dauphinoise that has been fried).
This sadly marked the end of our staycation as we headed back to Cardiff to return the car and jump the train back to London.
If you want to check out my vlog of the whole trip find it HERE.
E x
