Tenby day 2 and boat trip to Caldy Island

What a fantastic place Tenby is - I guess I was lucky with the weather. Perhaps in rain and strong winds it might seem less appealing! 
Early morning as the tide was coming in, I had a peaceful, gorgeous stroll along North beach, even more colourful than the others. The clouds were spectacular.
Empty streets, beautiful flowers growing in crevices in the stone walls, houses of every colour, peaceful harbour, calm seas and stunning skies - what more could you ask? 
That great grey cloud hung over the harbour for hours, never releasing its seemingly heavy load! 
I took a catamaran cruise to Caldy Island and St Margaret's. I thought it would be super smooth sailing, but as we left the shelter of the harbour, the water became increasingly choppy. Luckily, it's only ten minutes to the island and it's calmer bays. 
Caldy Island is generally uninhabited. I had wondered about getting a boat there and walking, but am thrilled I decided on the nature tour. We saw much more wildlife from the sea. First up, Atlantic grey fur seals, lazing around after a busy feeding time. They are much bigger and lighter coloured than ours.
The colours everywhere were spectacular, with the blue skies and white puffy clouds contrasting with the almost red cliffs and turquoise waters. 
The biggest thrill for me was to see puffins,(my favourite birds), swimming and also flying up into their burrows in these cliffs they share with thousands of guillemots and razorbills. Two years ago the puffin colony was wiped out by a huge rat infestation, but this year about 18 pairs are back, the start of a new dynasty! 
Our trip back to land was much smoother. It was great to see those fabulous houses from the sea too. The colours are just unbelievably beautiful.
Back on shore I had a couple of hours before taking the train home to Llantwit so I went up on the hill above North beach to once again savour the breathtaking views over the vast expanse of golden sands.
This could be on some tropical island ( apart from temperatures). So magnificent! 
As I admired this fantastic view, I started chatting to an elderly lady, Eileen, who I had guessed might be in her early eighties. Wrong! She was 100! I was amazed. I wish I had taken a photo. Despite having a hip replacement three years ago, she insists on walking up at least one hill per day to stay fit. She was brilliant. She even knew lots about NZ as she'd visited her son there some years ago. We chatted for ages. She was inspirational to say the least! 
Three hours on the train to get home, and still sensational scenery to enjoy for quite a bit of the journey. 
What an enjoyable two days I had had at Tenby. Really recommend it to all travellers. 

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