Our day out from Haverfordwest by bus fortunately missed the rain bands that pushed through in the first part of the morning. First we were in our hotel, second we were on the bus and third we were in the St Davids Brunch House enjoying the very best meal of our whole break. This may have been open for only six months, but they certainly know what they are doing: worth heading way out west for!

Of course the main destination for our day was St Davids, and specifically the cathedral, although the Bishop’s Palace was also worth a peer from a distance.

The cathedral was lovely and welcoming, and told stories of the religious shaping of our islands. They are also trying to help shape the future, with Swift boxes and signage (and indeed we did see one), although the holy mowers out to strip the landscape of Daisies and Dandelions (noisily!) for the visiting hordes rather spoilt the message.

Inside, the ceilings were spectacular and the misericords entertaining…

… while the Welsh cake cream teas were simply delicious (I rarely photograph food, so these are the beautifully dappled surroundings!) and the secret garden a haven of quiet, light and colour.

We then took to the woods in search of bugs, and whenever we found a sunny corner sheltered from the cool breeze, there they were, all manner of flies, bugs, scorpion-flies, weevils and more…

Also fascinating was the fact that Navelwort was here growing on the woodland floor (not rocks and walls), and extending to 80cm in height, several times larger than the usual nutrient-starved examples elsewhere in full sunlight.

The local walls also of course also had a rich array of ferns, including Black Spleenwort, and lichens.

St Davids was lovely, if rather busy. Our next port of call, Solva, a small coastal village was similarly lovely to look at (although the sun had departed), and presumably similarly busy in the height of the season, to judge from the size of the car park. But not today: it was quiet and even the pub welcome was subdued. Or even absent. A typical ‘pub that doesn’t have to try’ because of its natural advantages in terms of location…

Still we had a (swift) drink and headed down the cove, among the rocks with maritime lichens and salt-spray-tolerant plants such as Thrift, English Stonecrop and Rock Sea-spurrey, with wind- and salt-sculpted scrub covering the slopes, lit up festooning Honeysuckle and spires of Foxglove.

And of course at least a few insects, including a Gelis ichneumon, with remarkably marked wings:

Then back to Haverfordwest on the last bus: every bus of the day was punctual, and with a day ticket for the T11 service between Haverfordwest and Fishguard, very good value allowing us to hop on and off at will. A great day out, with at least a hint of the westerly weather we had come prepared for!