Foot and Mouth and Pembrokeshire Coastal Path
All other news has been overshadowed this weekend by the Foot and Mouth outbreak in Surrey.
When I first heard the news, I had said to Brynle that it was probably connected with the nearby Foot and Mouth institute and that does indeed appear to be the case.
Our own animal welfare department in the Assembly is by now very used to dealing with crises and our own Chief Vet is superb in getting key messages across to the media ( the London based one seems fine too ).
This weekend I met up with David Melding and Lee Waters for what, I hope, is becoming an annual event — a walk along a stretch of the Pembrokeshire Coastal path. In fact the athletic pair had already completed a cycle ride when I arrived after visiting the Aberystwyth Farmers Market and the Cardigan Food Fair. We were staying just outside of Porthgain - an extremely attractive village near to St David’s, though not attractive in a traditional chocolate box way. It was obviously an industrial centre for the manufacture of bricks in the early part of the last century and seemed in some ways evocative of Daphne du Maurier’s industrial archaeology in Cornwall.
We were staying just outside of the village which was conveniently situated for the restaurant - the Shed - and the pub, the Sloop Inn. We enjoyed two excellent evening meals, my own preference for the Inn. Lee and I were content to leave the choice of wines to David’s superior knowledge, just as well probably as he didn’t seem to be in consultative mode! Less wise to allow him to be pathfinder back to our accommodation at the end of the evening. In the dark I couldn’t see his face when I recalled that I had a torch in my luggage but I could sense a look of exasperation…
We enjoyed a coastal walk from Porthgain towards Strumble Head finishing at a woollen mill just north of Abermaw.
It was good to see people around enjoying the countryside. The last thing Wales needs is for a message to get out that the countryside has shut down because of foot and mouth although, of course, sensible precautions need to be followed.
Lee Waters has clearly thrown himself with gusto into his role as Head of Sustrans in Wales — committed to encouraging people onto their bikes. (Not in the Norman Tebbitt sense, Lee will shudder at the thought.) Despite the new posting Lee continues to cast an astute and amused eye over the political scenario.
Hearty breakfasts were provided at the Sloop Inn — not as good as the dinner the previous night, although they had then been docked some serious points by our own Gordon Ramsay for providing a fish knife with filleted fish. Apparently had their been a list of eight deadly sins this would have made it in as number 8 and in the view of some commentators should be in the top five.
A good weekend of food, walking and especially fellowship.
