Prince Charles visits the Welsh coastline
His royal hikeness! Prince Charles takes a coastal walk in Wales to mark the 70th anniversary of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
- Prince Charles visited St Govan’s Chapel in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
- Marked 70th anniversary of the park and 10th anniversary of Wales Coast Path
- Today marks the last day of the Prince of Wales’ three-day trip to Wales
Prince Charles’ trip to Wales came to a picturesque close today as he visited the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
The Prince of Wales, 73, hiked to St Govan’s Chapel in the park to mark its 70th anniversary this morning.
The heir-to-the-throne is currently wrapping up a three-day trip to Wales, where he and the Duchess of Cornwall, 74, celebrated the local culture.
Today, Charles will also mark the 10th anniversary of Wales Coast Path, which runs through eleven national nature reserves.
He will also celebrate the 200th anniversary of HM Coastguard.
The Prince of Wales, 73, hiked to St Govan’s Chapel in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park to mark its 70th anniversary this morning
The Prince of Wales took in the natural beauty of the chapel during his visit and listened to the legends surrounding its creation
For his time outdoors, the heir-to-the-throne donned a dapper grey suit with a beige tie and a light pink pocket square.
He was led along the path by one of the authority officers looking after the park, who treated him to a tour of the derelict chapel.
St Govan’s Chapel is a small cell positioned on top of a cliff at St Govan’s, near Bosherston.
The small chapel was built in the 13th century, however, it is believed its oldest parts date back to the 6th century.
The heir-to-the throne, who was wearing a dapper grey suit, seemed eager to hear the story of St Govan
Legend has it that a saint named Govan was being pursued by bloodthirsty pirates along the coast when the cliff open up to let him hide, on what would become the chapel’s site.
The saint continued to hide in the cleft and survived on fish and water from a sacred spring nearby.
He also had a magic bell that would ring when the pirates returned to the area, to warn locals.
Prince Charles climbed down the steps leading to a cliff top below the chapel in order to admire the beautiful coastal views
It is believed the church dates back to the 6th century where Saint Govan used a cleft to escape pirates, and a magic bell to warn locals of the criminals’ return
The royal walked from the chapel to the cliff, guided by one of the authority officers looking after the park
The pirates tried to still the bell, but were blown away by a storm which sunk their ship.
Angels returned the bell to St Govan and encased it in stone so it could never be stolen again.
Another legend states that if you count the steps coming up to the chapel, and then once again coming down, you will never end up with the same number.
Mind the steps! Legend has it that visitors never get the same number twice when they count the steps leading to the chapel
An avid listener! Charles listened attentively to the tour the officer gave him around the chapel this morning
The chapel is located only a few miles from Wales’ Coastal Path, which was opened in 2012.
The path, which spreads over 870 miles, is divided into eight sections and was the first path of its kind to map out the coast of an entire country.
Charles is expected to meet Natural Resources Wales and officers from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency later today.
He will also chat to the people involved in the history and management of the Castlemartin Estate when he visits it later today.
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