Pwllheli to Aberystwyth

Aberystwth from the sea
[Kyle] On the morning we left Pwllheli, Summer had been over for a couple of days. A steady rain was falling and, unlike our arrival, we had the whole place to ourselves as we left. Out of the harbor, our first leg was an uncomfortable beat to weather in winds that were double the forecast in order to get around a nasty shoal that effectively divides Cardigan bay in half. I keep swearing I’m not bashing to windward ever again and it keeps becoming necessary.

The weather gradually cleared as the day went on and we arrived in Aberystwyth under partly cloudy skies. Aberystwyth (pronounced, well this is weird: A-ber-yst-wyth {Maryanne - pronounced Abba-wrist-with}) is very pretty from the sea. It’s sturdy stone buildings fill in the valley at the bottom of the hills. A stone promenade encompasses the horseshoe shaped beach which is dominated at it’s center by a mound atop which sits the ruins of the castle.

We rode a following sea into the narrow harbor entrance and mad a quick turn to port into calm water. The harbor is small, but very full. Floating docks fill the center while the walls are lined with boats tied two and three abreast. We were looking for an empty spot to tie up when the harbor master called us on the radio and offered us a spot just ahead. By the time we tied up, he had come down to give us a warm welcome and a pack containing all of the relevant door codes, etc.

It was getting fairly late in the day and we were tired, but we had a brief walk around while it was still sunny, including the requisite climb to the top of the nearest hill. Along the way, I noticed that I had not been met with the stare by anyone. Perhaps the Welsh Stare should really be called the Pwllheli Stare or the Llŷn Stare, but I can’t pronounce either of those so, sorry nice Welsh people, the jerks and your voiceless lateral frictive ruined it for you.. {If anyone reading this is offended, then you don't know Kyle; he loves you all really}