Blwyddyn Newydd yn Sir Benfro: Rhan Pedwar

Storm Eleanor and common-sense kept us off the Coastal Footpath again so we headed inland and explored the by-ways.


Sadly the medieval church of St Dogfael at Sealyham was shut and looked as if it is shut on a permanent basis. There were few signs of life, especially in the graveyard. The listing statement for the church says "Graded II* as a medieval double nave parish church with surviving late medieval arcades". It would have been nice to see the basis for this statement first hand.

Our lunch stop - Tafarn Sinc in Rosebush - and we can recommend their cawl with a hunk of bread. Proper job. Originally called the materials used in its construction - corrugated zinc galvanised iron, recycled from the disused slate quarry nearby. By all accounts, it is a thriving hub for the Welsh language and we got a taste of this as we listened to some young children switching to and from Welsh and English as they played. How I wish I learnt Welsh when I had the opportunity.

Someone really ought to tell them that the station was closed to passengers in 1937. I tried but got no response. Perhaps I should have repeated myself in Welsh.

And so to St Brynach's church at Pontfaen in the Gwaun Valley (Cwm Gwaun). It is thought that the church was founded by St Brynach around 540 AD. It was extensively conserved in late Victorian times - or, perhaps, 'saved' is a better description as, by all accounts, it was in a pretty ruinous state. St Brynach himself seems to have been a 'bit of a lad' in his early years but had settled down by the time he came to Pontfaen. He was originally Irish but we won't hold that against him.
One odd fact about this part of the Gwaun Valley is that it still recognises the Julian Calendar and celebrates New Year on 12th January. So we were truly stepping back in time when we visited the church.

In the church was this memorial plaque to honour two 'brave boys', killed in WW1. The least I could do was to look them up and pass on their details. It's when you come across memorials in such out of the way places that you realise the impact the conflict had on even the most isolated communities.
James Jones, Private, 204719, Royal Welsh Fusiliers. James was the son of Thomas and Mary Jones, of Penverdir Isaf, Pontfaen. He was a Postman prior to the war, and enlisted into the Welsh Regiment at Carmarthen on 8 April 1916. James landed in France on 20 August 1917, and was posted to the 17th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, which was attached to 115 Brigade, 38th (Welsh) Division. The battalion had been moved to positions near Armentieres when James joined them, after having taken part in heavy fighting at Ypres. James was struck by shell fragments in his thigh while in the trenches on 3 March 1918. He died of his wounds at 34th Casualty Clearing Station later that day, and is buried at Merville Communal Cemetery Extension, France.
Walter Jones, Private, 33961, Welsh Regiment. Walter was born at Nevern, but had moved to Pontfaen before the war, and enlisted at Fishguard into the 13th Battalion, Welsh Regiment. The battalion was attached to 114 Brigade, 38th (Welsh) Division, and had been in France since December 1915, and had fought in Flanders, at Mametz Wood on the Somme, and at Pilckem Ridge during the Battle of Passchendaele. In April 1915 the division had been moved to positions north of Albert on the Somme, and remained there until the launching of the great offensive of August 1918. Walter was wounded at Aveluy Wood just before the opening of the Battle of Albert. He died of wounds on 23 August 1918 and is buried at Varennes Military Cemetery, France.

St Brynach's is obviously well cared for and, if I may say so, is small but perfectly formed. It has a very light interior and each window displays some fine Victorian stained glass. There was even a heater on, which gave a cosy feel.

Looking east towards the altar. To the left is a squint containing some old vestments. Preserving these is probably the reason why there was a heater.

This is something I hadn't seen before in a parish church - a repository for ashes in urns. In this case, they were the remains of  Rev D.J Evans and his family.

We got our daily fix of sea-watching at Porthgain. It was a few hours before high tide so the waves weren't as big as we would have liked but it's still enervating to watch.

Porthgain was once a very busy industrial port which exported slate, bricks and road stone through its harbour. The remains of the brick and road stone industry, on the right, stand as a reminder of how busy this little harbour must have been. Nowadays it's a very popular tourist spot, with a reasonably good pub 'The Sloop' and a high-end fish restaurant 'The Shed'.