St. David’s

The 12th century Cathedral of St. David, almost as big as the whole city!

A little stop in a cute little city. As Mark observed, with a population under 2,000 St. David’s is the smallest city in the UK. So why is it classified as a city if it’s so small? Back in the 6th century a local boy made good – later St. David, patron saint of Wales – became bishop of the diocese and moved his residence to his home town, then known as Meneva (or some Welsh variation of that spelling). As the English state developed, any seat of a bishop was automatically a city, so St. David’s, as the town became known, was a city. In the Victorian era the British government stripped St. David’s of the municipal designation but in the 1980s Queen Elizabeth gave it back to them and even came here to present some documentation herself.

With all that said, it’s really a small place with not a lot going on. The current Cathedral, originally built in the 12th century, has been renovated a number of times but retains its impressive medieval feel. Our hotel was lovely, a remote offshoot of a more central hotel, maybe a 15-minute walk from town but definitely out in the country.

The entrance to our little retreat outside of St. David’s

What to do in a tiny city for two days? A little walking around, including a nice three-and-a-half-mile hike Mark figured out around a little peninsula outside of town. The starting point for the hike was a surprisingly nice beach on what’s known as St. George’s Channel between Wales and Ireland. By the time we finished the hike the weather had turned really nice – we haven’t seen sunshine like that in weeks – and the beach was pretty crowded. Imagine living in Wales and on a Sunday in August the weather turns sunny with temperatures in the mid-60s: believe me, everyone wanted to be outside.

By the end of our hike the weather had turned surprisingly nice and the water looked pretty nice. Sadly, it had never occurred to me to bring a swimsuit or towel.

For me, I would have considered going back to the hotel for my swimsuit but near the end of the hike I slammed a toe into a rock and didn’t want to do anything for a while. No damage, just painful for a day or two. So instead I sat on a lawn chair in our private back yard and read. Not a bad substitute at all!

And of course meals. One good lunch at a nice tapas place that sadly was closed the next day. Then on our second evening we had reservations at the one nice restaurant in town besides the hotel associated with our little place. We get there at the appointed hour and … it’s closed. There’s a little handwritten sign on the door that due to “unforeseen circumstances” they need to close for a couple days. On a Sunday night when other things close that could be a problem but right next to it was a nice-looking Indian place so, fine, we’ll go there. Perhaps the worst Indian food we’ve ever had, certainly the worst in a long time. Sad!

Oh well, on to Cardiff, our last stop in Wales.