Rough Guides - Pocket Rough Guide British Breaks Pembrokeshire (Travel Guide eBook)

The fifth largest county in Wales, Pembrokeshire offers huge variety, from rugged beaches to the genteel and welcoming towns of Tenby and St Davids via medieval fortresses. Its ideal walking country, with the Pembrokeshire Coast Path offering stunning views at every turn, and theres a chance of spotting some of the countys extensive wildlife, such as seals, puffins and maybe even porpoises. With a huge number of excellent restaurants and cafs serving up tasty local food, its not surprising that Pembrokeshire is considered one of the UKs top holiday destinations.

Tenbys North Beach

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Pembrokeshire has a long history thats left considerable evidence behind: you cant fail to spot its traces on even the shortest visit to the county. The Neolithic burial chambers and hill forts that dot the landscape bear witness to the areas earliest inhabitants, and the early Christian period is memorialised by St Davids Cathedral. The medieval years were characterised by struggles between Norman invaders and the native Welsh, resulting in the construction of increasingly elaborate castles in one of which, Pembroke, the man destined to become Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty, was born in 1457.

After seeing off the last invasion of Britain in 1797 during which a French force landed at Fishguard the countys focus shifted to industry, with coal mining becoming a particularly important activity. During the twentieth century, the dockyard at Pembroke Dock became a target for the Luftwaffe in the Second World War, and industrial development continued with the opening of oil refineries at Milford Haven and Rhoscrowther. Alongside this industrial activity, however, tourism in Pembrokeshire began to develop in the early nineteenth century, led by Sir William Paxtons drive to develop Tenby as a seaside resort. By the early twenty-first century, Pembrokeshire was attracting an estimated 7 million visitors per year.

Coasteering near St Davids

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Its easy to see why Pembrokeshire is such a popular destination: its a delightful corner of the country with a huge variety of attractions for tourists. Perhaps the most obvious is the abundance of fantastic beaches: all around the county, youll find superb expanses of golden sands, lapped by clear water and backed by stunning scenery. In many cases such as Whitesands Bay and Freshwater West their western-facing aspects make them ideal for watersports, with the waves coming in off the Atlantic resulting in perfect conditions for surfing and bodyboarding. Other beaches, like Broad Haven and Barafundle Bay, are much more sheltered and their waters are safer, making them ideal for families with young children.

Beaches aside, Pembrokeshire offers plenty of other reasons to get outdoors, primary among them the Pembrokeshire Coast Path which runs the entire length of the countys coastline from Amroth to Poppit Sands, only veering inland to avoid the firing range at Castlemartin. Walking the full path will take about two weeks and is a rewarding expedition, but its also easy to pick and choose particularly attractive sections: above all, dont miss the route around the Marloes headland or the more rugged trail at Strumble Head.

If the weather doesnt favour you, theres plenty to do other than walking beaches and coast paths: history lovers will enjoy exploring the countys castles Pembroke and Carew are particular highlights and will also get a lot out of visits to great museums such as the town museum at Narberth. For families, there are several excellent attractions that will keep children happy on non-beach days, including the Dinosaur Park, Folly Farm and, of course, Oakwood, the largest theme park in Wales.

After packing so much into your days, youre going to need something good to eat, and fortunately, Pembrokeshire excels in this area too. Naturally, given its extensive coastline, fish and seafood are plentiful and high quality make sure to try some local crab or lobster and there are abundant excellent fish and chip shops too. Pubs throughout the county offer great local food, and if you fancy splashing out, there are numerous top-notch restaurants to choose from, particularly around Narberth.

Theres such a wealth of things to do in Pembrokeshire that you could easily fill a two-week holiday and barely scratch the surface. For a fantastic trip with a great variety of attractions, its hard to think of a better destination.

Lobster roll at Caf Mr

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