Preseli Coast Clifftop walk - Dinas Island (Pembrokeshire)

A circular walk along a section of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Pen Dinas, National Trust owned, is now joined to the mainland but 12,000 years ago was separated by a river estuary. Even now the connection is a valley with marshland. The first part of the walk from Cwm-yr-Eglwys up to the highest point of Dinas Island, passes the massive sea-stack known as Needle Rock and Pwllglas.

Cwm-yr-Eglwys is valley of the church in Welsh and named after an ancient church largely destroyed by a storm in October 1859. Dedicated to St. Brynach and thought to have been founded in the 6th Century, today's remnants are the bell-cote & west wall. The same storm wrecked 114 ships along the coast of Wales.

Needle Rock is sheltered from prevailing south-west winds but nonetheless we had a strong wind and gusts as we hiked along the cliff-side path. The stack is a nesting site for many birds in season but it was occupied by a lone shag and a handful of herring gulls, as we passed by.

The rocky outcrop known as Pwllglas had gracefully curving rock layers, evidence of vast tectonic forces that have folded the Earth's crust.

At 463ft above sea level is Dinas Head. A lone Raven was sighted, though large numbers nest on the cliffs in March. Gannets were seen flying around but they will dive for fish off the headland. A ruin of a coastguard look out station was just off the crest of the head.

We continued following the path round the island until we reached 'civilisation' at Pwllgwaelod. Here was the toilet stop and a disused 19th Century lime-kiln. Before the coming of the railways, limestone was unloaded for coasters (ships) and burnt in the kilns to make quicklime to be spread on the acid soil of local farms. The nearby Sailor's Safety Inn always displayed a light after dark to help guide vessels across Fishguard Bay; it was built in 1593.

The final disabled access path behind the pub to Cum-yr-Eglwys passed a marshy area reputedly home of sedge warbles, grass-hopper warblers and reed buntings as well as an assortment of butterflies.