We Must Be Mad: Day 69: Pembroke to West Angle

Our day started off in Pembroke as our route took us west of the castle along Bridgend Terrace to Monkton. On the right we turned up the beautifully named Awkward Hill. At the bottom of Awkward Hill was Monkton Old Hall, built in the 14th century, though it seems that the vaulted cellars are much earlier than that. The Hall was used as a medieval guesthouse for Monkton Priory and is thought to be one of the oldest domestic buildings in Wales.

Pembroke

Monkton Hall

At the top of Awkward Hill was the Priory Church of St Nicholas & St John, the oldest church in Pembroke. The church formed part of an 11th-century Benedictine priory but was built on a much earlier Christian site. The priory was suppressed by Henry VIII, but the church survived to serve the people of Pembroke. Oliver Cromwell set up his cannon in the churchyard during the 1648 Siege of Pembroke. We were fortunate enough to be offered a tour up the old bell tower with it’s very steep and narrow steps although were unable to get to the very top of the tower to see the view from here.

Priory Church of St Nicholas & St John

The path then took us past the estuary shore and Quoits Mill, which was a water mill belonging to the priory.

Large tap at location of old Quoits Mill

Old farm buildings

Further along, the path took us through a number of fields past the dominating Pembroke Power Station. We stopped to check out St Mary’s Church near Pwllcrochan only to find it locked. However, there was a lovely area to the rear of the church near a wetland with picnic tables where we decided to eat our lunch.

Esso Oil Refinery on other side of Milford Haven

Pembroke Power Station which runs on gas

Ivy covered building along our route

St Mary’s Church near Pwllcrochan

From here the path took us past the vast Popton Oil Refinery with its miles of jetties and pipelines heading out into the estuary. The path around the refinery took us through some lovely wooded slopes past Bulwell Bay which included a ruined farmhouse and old lime kiln.

Popton Oil Refinery

Popton Oil Refinery jetties and pipelines

Ship unloading at Popton Oil Refinery jetty

Ruined farmhouse, Bulwell Bay

Emerging from the woodland

We then continued down the road to the low shore of Angle Bay before branching off to follow a rough track along the shore that took us into Angle village. From the village we continued around the shore until we reached Old Point House Inn where we stopped for some liquid refreshment. Fishermen have beaten a path to the Old Point House Inn for over 500 years. Part built with ship's timbers the inn lies so close to the sea that they can be cut off at Spring tide.

Path along Angle Bay

A fortified tower house attached to a farm building, Angle

Estuary at Angle

Old Point House Inn

Beyond the pub, the clifftop path resumed, climbing steadily above the vegetated coast until we reached the headland off which Thorn Island stands. It was renowned as a magnet for wrecks and the site for another fort – this one converted into a hotel in 1947, though recent plans to re-open it with a cable car to the mainland have been shelved.