The Parable of a Bridge Too Near

The Minister for Holidays and Pies (that's just one person in our household), the swamp hound (Rosie the Spaniel) and I were walking along a stretch of the Wales Coast Path between Llanbedr and Harlech in March 2025 (yet to be written up as a coastal walk), when we came across this Parable in a Picture.

A Bridge Too Near at Llanddanwg - Wales Coast Path

The path-makers had put rather a lot of effort into making a bridge over what must have been a ditch or stretch of boggy ground. It is right on the estuary at Llanddanwg so is definitely liable to wetness. Trouble is, instead of being A Bridge Too Far, this one is A Bridge Too Near in that to get to it from the side we approached, under high tide conditions, you would have to wade through knee-high water. Alternatively, coming from the other direction, to get off it and back onto dry land, you would have to wade through the same expanse of knee high water. I realise that expanse is too big a word, but that is also the point, you don't get wetter post-initial-submersion do you? How do we know it was knee high I hear you think ..... well, the sacrificial swamp hound was dispatched to check it out and she was paddling happily to stay afloat.

I couldn't help thinking that the picture is an allegory in life for putting a bit more effort in, going (literally) just that little extra distance to make something truly worthwhile - something you can appreciate and be appreciated for - rather than putting nearly all the effort required into something that meets a minimum standard then to find that it falls short of hopes, expectations and (in this case) dry land.

This is perhaps harsh on the path-makers - they do a great job keeping access for the moaning-minions such as me. I should really volunteer to help build or fund a bridge extension but I haven't. We can always blame the global icecaps, melting warming and/or President Fartypants I suppose.

We overcame the unexpected obstacle using ingenuity and trespass, and were treated to a lovely end to the day. I love the west coast of Wales, the sun goes down over the sea, just as its meant to do and as one day, we will too.

Into the West. Sunset over Harlech Beach