Pembrokeshire

Although located in the county of Ceredigion, Ty Nant is just a 15-minute drive from Pembrokeshire. Before it hits the coast, the last three miles of the border between the two counties is formed by the Teifi River upon which sits the town of Cardigan. So if you visit the town and cross the footbridge at the foot of the castle walls, you can literally cross from one county to the next.

So if you are staying at Ty Nant, days out in Pembrokeshire are easily do-able, offering you a wealth of other beaches, coastal walks, towns, villages and places of interest to explore. There are lots of useful flyers and leaflets in our Local Attractions folder, which you will find in the house, but to give you a flavour of what's on offer, here (in no particular order) are ten of our favourite Pembrokeshire trips.

1. Newport

Turn right off the A487 as you are approaching the town (signposted to Trewyddel, Moylegrove and to the Traeth (beach) and Golf Club. Park in the layby on the bridge over the River Nevern estuary and walk along the footpath that runs along the north bank of the estuary, past the old lime kiln. If the tide is low, drop down onto the shore by the boat house (if high look for the small path a little further on, which cuts down through the brush on your left) then follow the shore around to the sand spit and the vast Newport Beach. Enjoy some refreshments either at the Beach Cafe in the car park or, even better, walk up to the Cat Rock Cafe at the golf club and enjoy the stunning view back across the beach and town while you eat and drink. Our family adore the Dirty Fries here, and the soup is usually excellent too. 

Pick up the footpath again at the back of the beach car park. It crosses part of the golf course then rejoins the path along the estuary, leading back to your car.

If you are feeling energetic, you can then walk up into town, taking the footpath on the south side of the estuary and taking one of the left turns up into town. There are some nice shops in town and we can recommend the dog-friendly cafe Bros At Fronlas. Their quiches are amazing.

Walk a little further along the coast path on the south side of the estuary and you come to the Newport Boat Club and another cafe which sells good snacks as well as fish and chips (also dog friendly). We like to walk on from here to the last small cove before the coast path begins to climb up and around the headland. There are a couple of benches where you can enjoy the views back across the estuary to the beach on the other side.

As you are travelling to and from Newport on the A487, keen-eyed passengers might spot the old Iron Age roundhouses over on the hill at Castell Henllys Iron Age Village. This is the only place in Britain where you can see roundhouses reconstructed on the very spot they would have stood 2,000 years ago.

2. Dinas Head

This offers one of our all-time favourite circular walks along the coast and is only a short drive on from Newport. We recommend parking at Pwllgwaelod Beach, which is at the end of a narrow, windy lane following a right turn off the A487. Do the walk clockwise, so that you can enjoy the views across to Fishguard as you climb slowly up to Dinas Head, before having the lovely views back to Newport ahead of you as you start to descend.

The path eventually drops down to the tiny picturesque village of Cwm-yr-Eglwys where, in the spring and summer months, you can usually buy an ice cream at a small kiosk.

Take a welcome rest on one of the benches overlooking the beach before following the final (flat) stretch of pathback to Pwllgwaelod. There is a beachside bar and restaurant at Pwllgwaelod called The Old Sailors, which does great food. 

3. Fishguard and Goodwick

Fishguard has a fascinating history and is well worth a visit. Why not start with a visit to Fishguard Fort, which was built between 1781 and 1785 and played a key role in the French invasion of 1797. There are some good views across the bay from here. Then drop down into the old Lower Harbour, whch is where we like to park, and from there you can begin following a coastal footpath which climbs up into the main town (a word of warning, this is steep) and then tracks round to the Gorsedd Stone Circle, looking back down onto the lower harbour. Keep walking along this coastal path to Saddle Point and Marine Walk, and soon you will be able to look across to Wightwick with its ferry terminal and seaside rail station, and down to Goodwick Sands.

To extend the walk, you could drop down onto Goodwick Sands (which played its own fascinating part in the attempted 1797 invasion by the French) for a walk along the sea wall. You can often see harbour porpoise here and sometimes dolphins and last year the lucky few caught a glimpse of a humpback whale, nicknamed Humpy. There is an Ocean Lab aquarium here run by Sea Trust Wales, with a cafe.

Walk back up through town, where there are some nice shops and cafes, before dropping back down to your car. 

4. Poppit Sands and St Dogmaels

We never tire of a walk along Poppit Sands. This vast stretch of beach at the tip of the Teifi Estuary is a real hit with dog walkers, and offers vast open skies and views across to Gwbert and Cardigan Island. The beach is backed by sand dunes with little pathways through, and there is an RNLI lifeboat station with a shop and the fabulous Crwst Cafe. The Maple and Pecan Danish pastries are a must for those not counting the calories.   

To get to Poppit Sands you will drive through the lovely old village of St Dogmaels. If you are here on a Tuesday morning, there is a great local produce market by the old Abbey grounds. We can also recommend the fabulous Ferry Inn, with its lovely riverside seating and great food. There is also a great beer garden out the front of the Teifi Waterside Hotel too, which is perfect on a sunny day.

5. Pembroke Castle

Pembroke Castle is well worth the 75 to 80 minute drive to reach it. The birthplace of Henry VII, Pembroke offers everything you and your family will want from a castle visit, with a dungeon tower, a Great Keep, exhibitions, castle walls and even a vast cave called Wogan Cavern. There are free guided tours and the castle runs frequent family-friendly events.

6. Porthgain to the Blue Lagoon

The tiny harbour hamlet of Porthgain is a real gem. Once a commerical hub for the export of slate, brick and granite, the village is now popular with visitors who come here to browse the art galleries and sample the local crab and other delights at the old Sloop Inn or the The Shed Bistro.

We use the hamlet as the start and finishing point for a wonderful coastal circular walk, which starts by climbing up the cliff at the end of the old brick hoppers and then hugs the cliff tops overlooking several coves and the pretty Treath Llyfin. In the late summer/early autumn this is a good path from which to safely spot baby seals and their mums. The footpath continues along the cliffs until you almost stumble upon the famous Blue Lagoon. Enjoy the knee-wobbling views before dropping down towards Abereiddy beach, and then picking up the return, slightly more inland route, which follows fields and farms tracks back past Ynys Barry Cottages and back into Porthgain.   

7. The Preseli Hills and Tafarn Sinc

When we feel like spending the day inland and up high, we often head for the Preseli Hills. Offering a wild landscape of moorland, heath and grassland, the Preseli hills offer some great walks and are packed with ancient history. There are prehistoric remains, standing stones and burial cairns dating back to the Bronze Age as well as Iron Age hill forts. There are lots of suggested walking routes online, but we like to walk up onto the tops from the village of Rosebush so we can end up with a drink at the unique Tafarn Sinc, with its sawdust strewn floors and weird and wonderful artefacts.   

8. Newgale and Solva

Newgale Beach is vast and wild and great for surfing. If you visit at low tide, walk around the rocks towards the beach below Pen-y-Cwm, as there are some amazing rock formations there and lots of rock pools and small caves to explore.

From there, drive over to Solva, a narrow picturesque harbour which you can walk along at low tide to reach the beach. The town of Solva itself is lovely and has some nice gift shops, restaurants and pubs.

9. Tenby

The popular seaside destination of Tenby is about an 80 minute drive from Ty Nant. It is often busy in the high season, but lovely for a browse around the colourful streets and harbour-side walks. There are boat trips from here to Caldey Island which is owned and run by monks, or you can do a spot of mackerel fishing by boat also. Keep an eye out for the old lifeboat station which was once featured on Grand Designs. It's a perfect photo opportunity. 

10. Stackpole Quay to Bosherston Circular Walk

You could argue that we have saved the best until last, because the circular walk starting from the National Trust car park at Stackpole Quay takes in some of Pembrokeshire's finest jewels. The first half of the walk is a breathtaking cliff-top route,  leading initially to the picture perfect Barafundle Bay.

You then walk further along the cliffs before dropping down to Broad Haven South. Both of these beaches are simply stunning and you will no doubt find it hard to tear yourself away and carry on. That's why we would recommend packing a picnic so you can sit on the perfect sand at Broad Haven South and just soak it all in. 

After leaving the beach, the route then turns inland and runs through the gorgeous Bosherston Lily Ponds.

If you are energetic, you could extend the route to circumnavigate more of the lily ponds, but our circular walk heads for Grass Bridge, where you turn right to walk along the side of the pond towards the impressive Eight Arch Bridge. Cross this bridge before walking through some beautiful green farmland back to your starting point at Stackpole Quay.