The walk begins at the chapel of St Justinian. He was a holy man who came from Brittany and established a religious community on Ramsey Island in the 6th century. A faithful companion of St David, he lived a very disciplined but simple life, and he expected his followers to do the same. According to local tradition, he was murdered on his island by his servants, but he apparently rose to his feet and walked across the sound, carrying his decapitated head under his arm. He was buried on the spot where his ruined chapel now stands. Originally, it was a Celtic foundation, but it was rebuilt in about 1510 by Bishop Vaughan.
St David's Lifeboat Station was originally established in 1869 on the edge of the coast above Porthstinian. The existing building was constructed in 1911 at a cost of £3,000. Since that time, its crews have participated in numerous rescues along this very dangerous stretch of coastline. During the high season, the lifeboat station is open to the public. The scenery on this headland is particularly spectacular, and across the water can be seen Ramsey Island. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow and dangerous tidal race which runs at up to 10 knots at times. Sunken rocks make navigation extremely dangerous.
Ramsey Island (Tyfanog's Island) is two miles long, one mile wide, and extends over 600 acres. It has two heather-clad hills of igneous rock called Carn Llundain (135 metres) and Carn Ysgubor (100 metres), and they both have Bronze Age cairns on their summits. A survey undertaken on the island in 1326 recorded that it could support 10 horses, 100 cattle, and 300 sheep and produced 500 rabbits a year. It was farmed until 1968, but now it is a bird reserve, popular with choughs and as a nesting ground for large colonies of kittiwakes, guillemots, and razorbills.
On the northern extremity of the walk, there is a fine view over Whitesands Bay to be enjoyed. In summer the beach is crowded with holidaymakers staying on the nearby Rhosson Campsite, but out of season it is a quiet and evocative place. Next, heading inland and nearing Rhosson Farm, the rocky hill of Clegyr Boia can be seen. The earthwork crowning it was once occupied by an Irish chieftain, Boia, who caused problems for St David when he tried to establish his Christian community. Eventually, the troublesome Irishman was destroyed, either by a bolt of lightning, as legend had it, or at the hands of an Irish pirate.
Rhosson Farm is an old farmhouse with an unusually large round Flemish chimney that has become a local landmark. It was here that the local Pembrokeshire historian Richard Fenton was born. In the early part of the 19th century, he published his Historical Tour Through Pembrokeshire.
If you follow this walk in the summer, you will be delighted by a wide variety of wildflowers, which may include thrift, pennywort, sea campion, violets, white daisies, and clusters of beautiful yellow primroses. The hedges are ablaze with golden gorse, and the sea pinks rustle like paper in the breeze. May and June are the best months to see the flowers in full bloom.
Atlantic grey seals may be seen fishing in Ramsey Sound, and between September and November, they come ashore to breed.
Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.
