stevelyon

Glorious Pembrokeshire – why go abroad? I could not believe the beauty of the place but I think this was down to the month we visited and sheer luck with the weather.
We visited at the beginning of June when the flowers were in full bloom. Everywhere we looked on the coastal path, it was carpeted with an enormous variety of wild flowers: pink, gold, blue. The sea was a deep blue and every so often it was peppered with seals. Red kites soared above us and the musical song of the chaffinch was a constant soundtrack.
The coastal path is quite an easy walk in that it is almost impossible to get lost (it is so well signposted) and I wouldn’t call it strenuous if you are moderately fit. The sights along the way are delightful with secluded bays and occasional harbours, many with good pubs: Abercastle, Dinas and Solva are the harbours with good pubs. Newport is a lovely town to visit but if you intend to eat there arrive before 2pm as they don’t seem to serve after this time.
We stayed with a group of 12 walking friends – a real medley of people of all ages and we had seven nights in an old rambling place overlooking the harbour at Fishguard. Fishguard is pretty but doesn’t pamper to its visitors “You get what you are given” attitude – so you wont get much variety in dining experiences and most are shut by 9pm. There is an old ramshackle of a pub called (yet again) The Ship (every port in Wales seems to have a pub called the Ship) – great service and beer (but I don’t recall food being served there). It’s in the old part of Fishguard.
Fishguard’s claim to fame is that it was the last place in Britain to be invaded. In the Town Hall there is a tapestry depicting the invasion of Fishguard. The locals are more than happy to describe the history of the invasion.
One of our walks which took us to Solva started at St Davids – this is a small City with a wonderful cathedral and very much caters for tourists. Solva has some nice pubs and there is a very nice Café selling coffee, sandwiches and cakes at the Boatclub.
A week wasn't long enough and we didn’t have time to explore everywhere we wanted but we did get to Aberaeron on the way back which is a delightful spot.
Thanks to tahl, BritichCaicos and ESW for information prior and after trip.

annhig

Nice report, Steve. I have a friend who lives near Tenby and DS went to uni in Lampeter so we've explored the area a bit and always liked what we saw, Aberaeron in particular.

The Brecon Beacons are lovely too - there's a lot to see in quite a small area.

Unboundly

Sounds like a really great experience - the perfect laid-back, no frills getaway!! Goes to show that selecting the right time for a trip is just as important as selecting a destination!

I'll make a note of those pubs&cafes recommendations for my future travels!

bilboburgler

That chaffinch, he follows me round the garden in Yorkshire, I fly to Denmark and he follows me on a bike, when will he shut up

ESW

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip and the flowers along the coastal path are wonderful. It is like walking through someones rock garden. The section around St Davids and also the stretch between Porthgain and Abereiddy is our favourite.

ElendilPickle

Thanks for posting, Stevelyon. We spent a day in St. Davids last year, and both Mr. Pickle and I would like to go back and do some walking.

Lee Ann

stevelyon

Thanks everyone. We didn't do the Porthgain to Abereiddy stretch - I think I read somewhere that there is a good fish restaurant at Porthgain. I love the chaffinch song, for me it always heralds spring.