Mining the Diaries 96: Wales
Arosfa, Goat Street, St Davids, 12th July 2021
A grey morning; some promising breaks in the sky.
We walked down to the chapel at St Nons (it had become something of a pilgrimage) and lit candles. Swallows flitted in and out over our heads and perched twittering quietly on the rafters by empty nests.
The clouds were breaking up; the sun turned the calm sea to silver and beyond St Non’s Well a field of barley invaded by corn marigolds shimmered in the breeze. Groups of young people in tight black wetsuits made their way west along the coastal path for a strenuous day of coasteering.
We spent the afternoon at Whitesands Bay. It was busy – families had set up camps on the beach and swimmers and surfers revelled in the unusually blue sea white-lined by a procession small breaking waves. We walked to the south end and sat on the sand silently absorbed by the sea and mentally measuring a slowly rising tide. Gulls soared overhead like visiting spirits. We swam briefly, invigorated by the cold, the salt, the waves, a full sensory experience. I love the waves breaking over me. I love that sense of warmth when I’m out, dried and dressed. I love the salt and sand on my skin.
Archaeologists were excavating St Patrick’s Chapel near the car park. Little is known about its history – the earliest written record is from 1603, though it is clearly much older. It is threatened by coastal erosion and excavations since 2019 have revealed over 100 burials to date; radiocarbon dating has shown that the cemetery was in use from the 6th century to the 11th century. A volunteer was working on a skeleton buried in the sand, literally digging with a teaspoon.
Late that evening in the silent house I sat in my room looking out across the cathedral under a soft hued sky of greys, yellows and blues. Carn Llidi was capped by cloud; gulls headed silently and purposefully south. Suddenly a flock of rooks and jackdaws exploded clamourously from the trees. They settled and a last scream of swifts played chase round the cathedral.