SATURDAY

The drive to Swansea from Harrogate took seven hours. Renuka & Seren took the train from London. Beach Walk House on Bathurst Street, our rented accommodation foe the weekend, was clean and comfortable.

The Sri Lankan dinner that evening with Lee & Iranga and Ramaya & Jitha at their immaculate home was fabulous. We drank pink gin and ate rice with tuna, chicken potatoes, aubergines, capsicum, pineapple and pickles.

SUNDAY

After breakfast, we walked on the sandy beach which was only a few yards from the house. A man took off his clothes at there water’s edge, put on his swimming trunks and swam in the icy-cold sea.

We drove to Mumbles Beach for Sunday lunch at Bistrot Pierre. Sunday Roast with a glass of house red satisfying. The wine list featured Riesling from Trimbach and Chenin Blanc and Grenache from Ken Forrester.

The post-lunch walk along the coast was spectacular.

Back in our rented house in Swansea, we drank Champagne Geoffroy and ate chocolate cake before a dip in the hot tub and a walk round the nearby marina and Dylan Thomas Square at dusk.

Monday

Monday was a bank holiday and the day of the Queen’s funeral. After a lavish Sri Lankan breakfast with Iranga, we drove back to Harrogate, taking the relatively quiet ‘scenic route’ through Mid-Wales.