St Non and Caerfai Bay
More explorations today of the coast just below St Davids, and some of the natural wonders that greeted us as we reached St Nons Bay before moving just a little to Caerfai Bay
St Nons Bay with the profusion of yellow gorse.
Common gorse can be seen in all kinds of habitats, from heaths and coastal grasslands to towns and gardens. It generally flowers from January to June (although it may flower sporadically throughout the year), while its close relatives - Western gorse and Dwarf gorse - flower from July to November. It provides shelter and food for many insects and birds, such as Dartford warblers, Stonechats and Yellowhammers.
A mass of Lackey moth caterpillars.
The webs of Lackey caterpillars are a common site amongst many low growing deciduous trees such as blackthorn, hawthorn and apple. Over a hundred caterpillars may be seen in a single web and if undisturbed may be seen sitting on the outside during the day.
Even when recently emerged the caterpillars are distinctively marked having a range of blue, orange and pale stripes and long brown hairs. The caterpillars grow rapidly reaching a length of 55mm by June.
Blister Beetle
Shrine at St Non's Chapel. St Non being the mother of St David I believe.
Held by tradition to mark the birthplace of St David, the ruin cannot be accurately dated but is unusual in that it is aligned north-south rather than the usual east-west. Near to the ruined chapel is a retreat, a modern chapel (below) and a holy well. Wales has a long and very rich religious history. Nearly 200 years before Constantine, Saint Lucius, a legendary 2nd-century King of the Britons (or Silures) is traditionally credited with introducing Christianity into Britain in the tenure of Pope Eleutherius (c. 180), although this is disputed. Christianity certainly arrived in Wales sometime in the Roman occupation, but it was initially suppressed.
Chapel of Our Lady and St Non
Now this has an interesting history! A modern chapel (51.8723°N 5.2667°W) was built near the ruin in 1934 by Cecil Morgan-Griffiths, a solicitor from Carmarthen, using stone from ruined local chapels. He had built a house (now used as a retreat) overlooking the sea, and the nearest Catholic church was over sixteen miles away, so he decided to build one on the historic site. The new chapel is the most westerly in Wales and is also one of the smallest, as it is only 25 feet long by 12 feet wide. It has stained glass windows representing St Non, St David, St Bride, St Brynach and St Winifred. The stoup at the door is all that remains of the Chapel of the Fathoms, and the altar uses a white stone from the altar of St Patrick's Chapel. Cecil Morgan-Griffiths died the year after the new chapel was completed.
A holy well close to the chapel (51.8724°N 5.2683°W) was thought to have healing properties, and to this day visitors throw coins into the well for luck. Records of a survey of St. David's by Browne Willis in 1717 state that "there is a fine Well beside it [St. Non's Chapel], cover'd with a Stone-Roof, and enclos'd within a Wall, with Benches to sit upon round the Well. Some old simple People go still to visit this Saint at some particular Times, especially upon St. Nun's Day (March 2nd) which they kept holy, and offer Pins, Pebbles, Etc at this well", and reports from 1811 state that "the fame this consecrated spring has obtained is incredible and it is still resorted to for many complaints". It was thought to be particularly effective for eye problems and was restored in 1951 by the Catholic Church, which also erected a shrine using stones from nearby ruins. The vaulting over the well replaced ruins of medieval stonework in the 18th century. Water from the well was used by Pope Benedict during his visit to Britain.
A small rocky cove at high tide, sandwiched between towering cliffs 1 mile south of St Davids.
The rocks around Caerfai are multicoloured with a mixture of grey, green and vivid pink.
We were lucky as the tide was just retreating .....
........ leaving some lovely patterns in the sand. A lovely spot to finish our time in Pembrokeshire, surely one of my all time favourite destinations.
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