May Bank Holiday number 2, 2017. My husband and I had the pleasure of staying in his parents’ touring caravan. Having recently been abroad for the first time ever, I was desperate to see new things, new places, something other than small area of Cardiff I have seen day in day out for 24 ½ years. Having been a bit disorganised and not booked anywhere to stay, Sam’s dad said he’d found a new campsite that he and Sam’s mum were going to try and if we wanted him to book the bank holiday weekend for us there. So Sam asked where the campsite was. His Dad’s reply: A place called Llety, near Tresaith. ‘Ha!’ was my response! This was far from what I wanted. Tresaith is where I spent every holiday until my late teens and continue to visit for less frequent holidays. I know Tresaith. Now don’t get me wrong, it is my favourite place in the world, but it’s not the ‘somewhere new’ I was looking for. We agreed this was where we would go for this holiday, however the campsite was fully booked. Phew! And so a campsite in St. David’s, Pembrokeshire was booked. Sam’s hometown.

I was beyond excited to 1) go away just Sam and I, 2) stay in a caravan and 3) explore a new part of the coastline that I absolutely love. Day 1 started at 3 o’clock in the morning. ‘Beth’ my husband woke me. ‘You need to shut the roof’. ‘Huh?’ I reply in a dazed state. ‘It’s thunder and lightening’ my husband informs me. At which I get up and fail to close the roof. Sam comes to the rescue. The minute the roof is closed the rain lashes down. To me, the sound of rain on a caravan roof is one of the best sounds in the world so I didn’t complain. The rain continued until late morning – the perfect weather for cosying up with a cup of tea and a book. My outfit however did not resemble the weather – denim shorts and a summery floaty vest top – but it was the last May Bank Holiday weekend, it had been sunny and we were at the coast, this caused for shorts to be worn. I loved it! Later that day, we headed into St. David’s and had lunch in a café Sam used to work in before then looking around the cathedral. I had a fab time looking around; I loved looking at and reading about the history of the place. It made my heart giddy and the combination of that and wearing my denim shorts and hooded jacket reminded me of the things I love and things that make me, me. Later in the evening, the sun came out and we went for a walk at Whitesands beach.

Day 2 took us to Solva, Pembrokeshire. We went for a walk along the cliff path. I love cliff path walks and the best bit about going at this time of year are the foxgloves. They are beautiful. Reaching the top of the cliff was a breath-taking sight. It’s these views that cause my heart to smile and make me feel most at home. The vast expanse of the sea makes me feel free. How can you not love this view?

My favourite part of day 2 though was going to Whitesands in the evening. We decided to go for a walk before going for tea so headed to the beach just as it started raining. I got out of the car, ran to the sea and dipped in my toes. I danced around and embraced the quiet, rainy beach; I was in my element. While some people may find a rainy, quiet beach depressing and dull, I found it wonderful! We followed this walk with fish and chips and beer in the caravan listening to the rain tapping on the roof. Perfect.

Day 3, our final day, Sam took me to a little harbour called Porthclais. Again, we walked along the cliff and looked down at the gorgeous blue water while people were enjoying themselves canoeing, jumping and fishing. It was a wonderful way to spend a wonderful weekend of re-discovering old loves, and of feeling at home.