Having finished our walk around Bosherston and the Stackpole estate we found ourselves with a good couple of hours daylight left to enjoy. I’d already checked the following days forecast so knew that it was heading for a washout and as a result wanted to make the most of whatever time we had left. The obvious choice, being just down the road, was St Govan’s chapel and in the face of a rapidly strengthening wind that was where we headed next. Despite somewhat blustery conditions the light was pretty much perfect and with a crowd already at the chapel we instead walked the mile or so down to the old lookout. As with earlier in the day there were Choughs aplenty with at least one pair giving great views as they fed on the closely cropped grass, though always at a distance too great for my camera. Wheatears on the other hand were conspicuous by their absence though Skylarks were again both numerous and vocal. Birding complete it was time for the chapel and apart from another couple, we had the place to ourselves. That meant ample opportunity to take in this tranquil setting, sheltered from the wind, as well as trying out a few new settings on the camera. I wanted to see how it coped with areas of deep shadow and bright sunlight and I hope the results speak for themselves.
For those new to St Govan’s the chapel is believed to date back to the thirteenth century though it is possible that some elements may be even older, possibly sixth century when Saint Govan himself moved into a cave on the same site. One legend I wasn’t aware of until researching this post is that if you count the number of steps on your way down to and then back up from the chapel, they differ! Now I’ve not tested this theory out for myself but consider me intrigued.
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