St David's to Aberystwyth

After leaving St David's we followed the coast north.  Our first brief stop was at Fishguard, where we saw a small lighthouse.  They have been few and far between so far.

It had a nice little harbour.  It was high tide and the water was lapping into the car park.  I wouldn't like to be there in bad weather.

Our next stop was the town of Cardigan.  There was a castle in the middle of town, but we didn't visit.

The main street was really nice and we enjoyed exploring.

There were a few antique shops and we found a little treasure that is wrapped safely until we get home.

Our lunch stop was at Aberaeron.  This seaside town was different as it wasn't crammed into a narrow valley, but more open.  There were rows of colourful, well kept cottages.

We found a lovely little cafe up a side street for lunch.  

How do you like our table?  It is a Singer sewing machine.

I had to try the "Cawl Caws Bara" for lunch.  I had no idea what it was, so had to ask.  "Cawl" (pronounce Cowell, as in Simon Cowell) is Welsh broth, "Caws" (pronounce like cows, but with an S sound at the end) is cheese, and "Bara", (pronounce Barra) is bread.  It was broth with lamb and lots of root veges.  Rather tasty.

We kept on our way to Aberystwyth.  Try pronouncing that one!   It takes a bit of practice.  We were able to get accommodation on the esplanade, our room being on the ground floor overlooking the sea.  We were rather happy with that.  Ours is the window next to the "Atlantic" sign.

There are the ruins of the castle to explore.

Ancient university buildings.

We had a quick look in St Michaels Church as well.

I think the water front would look better at high tide. 

The old pier is rather lovely.

There is a Victorian Cliff Railway, so of course we had to go for a ride.  

It used to be powered by water, but has been converted to electricity. 

There is a wonderful view from the top of the hill.

Once we returned to sea level we required afternoon tea. Welsh Cakes were the obvious choice.

We found a pub for dinner and tried Blue Moon beer.  It is Belgiun and served with a slice of orange.  Something different, but rather nice.

After dinner we were wandering back to our hotel when we heard a band playing.  The Aberystwyth Silver Band play every Tuesday and Thursday evening.  They really were good, playing a variety of tunes, even getting the audience singing and dancing along.  It was a nice way to end the day.