A ferry? Tell that to the satnav

Published Feb 26, 2015

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London - Two US tourists became stranded on a deserted beach after setting their satnav to a remote beauty spot - because they required a ferry to get there.

The two men from Texas followed their GPS so closely that they became stuck in the sand on Tenby beach in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, half a mile away from their intended destination.

Their satnav had not told them they needed a ferry to reach Caldey Island - and the boats do not even run at this time of year, restricted only to services in the summer months.

Local residents headed for the pair’s hired Vauxhall Zafira Tourer and helped them dig it out of the sand, towing it off the beach before the tide came in.

Welsh Water sub-contractor Les Langford, who lives in nearby Penally, said on Facebook: ‘They stopped at Penally railway station trying to find the road to Caldey. It was on their satnav showing a road from Penally to Caldey. I sent them back to the harbour in Tenby to get to Caldey, but I did not mean by car.

‘It might be an island, but try telling a satnav that. (We) have had quite a few in Penally trying to cross. Maybe (we) should open a toll and charge for the crossing - it will only be one-way though.’

Caldey has had residents since the Stone Age, and various orders of monks have lived there since Celtic times. It is now owned by monks of the Cistercian Order.

Pete Prosser, who runs a tourist attraction in the area, said: ‘The satnav took them to the closest beach to Caldey Island. But the only way to get there is by boat. The couple were surprised they couldn’t drive there and were highly embarrassed. Passers-by helped them dig their car out of the sand - then someone arrived with a 4x4 to tow them back to the road.’

The ferry service operates from Easter to October - and the boats are owned by local residents, many of whom are lifeboat volunteers.

A post on the Tenby Island Facebook page said: ‘We really must thank these two fellas - for entertainment value alone. These two visiting Americans apparently set Caldey into the satnav of their hired car.

‘Three separate attempts to tow out, much digging and three hours later they managed to get back to the safety of the slipway courtesy of a local 4x4.’

Daily Mail

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