After the wild revelry of Trehale, another great venue: The Cellar in Cardigan. And a chance to catch up with our dear friend Jess…
Worth The Wait
We’d been promised breakfast this morning since Adam was cooking for a rugby team that was staying at the Trehale Farm campsite. (They were also in attendance last night and Rose, a gynaecology nurse we’d met earlier, took delight in setting them straight on some of their youthful boasts!) Breakfast took a while, as Adam had to wait for fuel for the stove to be delivered. But it was well worth the wait.
Menacing Geese
Thus steeled, we set off back across the edge of the Preseli hills for Cardigan. The route today was really enjoyable. Generally, the hills were broad. So, the climbs – though tough at times – were rewarding rather than niggly.
Just before the longest of these, we passed some geese in an entrance way. Rob may have upset them as, by the time I passed, they were looking menacing. I moved to the far side of the road but had to accelerate as they started hissing and running towards me.
Quirky Venue
At one point, we both slowed on spotting beer benches in a courtyard. Outside, was a sign saying ‘Sheepskins’. But, on closer inspection, we discovered this was a small brewery, with an outdoor bar and a stage.
It turned out to be the Bluestone brewery (whose produce we’d sampled the night before at Trehale). They were open, so we stopped for (soft) drinks. This quirky venue has regular music events and we enquired about bookings. It seems this could be an ideal stop for a future tour.
Luxury
Our route seemed to take the most sensible way through the hills, aften along small, wooded valleys. And once we’d completed the big climb before Cardigan, we decided it would be an idea to stop for a late lunch. This was a good decision. We managed to get a really wholesome quiche and salad in a lovely café that had officially stopped serving food. The Coach House, as it’s called, is in a lovely spot next to the abbey ruins at St Dogmaels, just outside Cardigan. Thoroughly recommended.
From here it was ten minutes into town. Steve, our host at The Cellar, greeted us with characteristic charm and bonhomie. His Green Room this year afforded us a fold-up bed each, a functioning shower, tea and coffee and a fridge full of booze. Luxury! All we needed now was an audience for tonight, though early signs weren’t too promising. What is going on?
Good Spirits
As expected, the gig was sparsely populated but very well received. A chap called John took photos, which he promised to send on (he did). Despite the low numbers, we managed to get a fair few dancing by the end and all sang along when prompted. Pros ‘til the last…
It was wonderful to catch up with Jess, former landlady of the Pembroke Yeoman in Haverfordwest. I’ve written before about what an amazing community hub she’d created there, as well as supporting musicians. We were pleased to find Jess in good spirits, despite having had to let the Yeoman go. She now hopes to find work with dogs and we wish her every success with that.
A Place of Community
Like Jess, Steve provides more than just a café and music venue at The Cellar. His is a place of community, and refuge to those that might otherwise be isolated or lonely. It also provides employment for people who may be overlooked by more mainstream enterprises.
And it really is a cracking venue, with a great vibe, amazing, eclectic décor and a terrific selection of vinyl on sale.