Page 288 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

resort town occupying Tue-Sat Jan-Mar) and the and a community of
the headland. Tenby’s National Trust’s restored Cistercian monks.
historic core is still Tudor Merchant’s House
partly enclosed by Nor- (NT; %01834-842279; www. 4 p289
man walls, although all nationaltrust.org.uk; Quay The Drive » From Tenby it’s
that’s left of its castle is Hill; adult/child £5/2.50; a short and sweet 10-mile hop
a meagre collection of h11am-5pm Wed-Mon Easter- to Pembroke. From the town
ruins gazing over the sea. Jul, Sep & Oct, daily Aug, Sat centre, head west on Greenhill
The beach is the big & Sun Nov-Easter). If you’ve Rd, head under the railway
attraction here, but if got the time, take a boat bridge and turn right at the
roundabout. Follow Hayward
the weather’s not co- trip out to Caldey Island Lane (the B4318) through a
operating, pop into Ten- (%01834-844453; www. patchwork of fields until you
by Museum & Art Gallery caldey-island.co.uk; adult/child reach the Sageston roundabout.
(%01834-842809; www. £12/6; hMon-Sat May-Sep, Turn left onto the A477 and then
tenbymuseum.org.uk; Castle Mon-Thu Apr & Oct), home to veer left on the A4075.
Hill; adult/child £4.95/free; seals, seabirds, beaches
h10am-5pm daily Apr-Dec,

DETOUR:
WEST OF PEMBROKE
Start: 8 Pembroke
The remote peninsula that forms the bottom lip of the long, deep-sea harbour of
Milford Haven has some of the Pembrokeshire Coast’s most dramatic geological
features and blissful little beaches. The National Trust–managed Stackpole Estate
(NT; %01646-661359; www.nationaltrust.org.uk; hdawn-dusk) covers 8 miles of coastline
GREAT BRITAIN 21 WEST WALES: SWANSEA TO ST DAvIDS
south and west of Pembroke. It includes the golden sands of Barafundle Bay and
Broad Haven South, and a network of walking tracks around the Bosherston Lily
Ponds.
Continue past Bosherston to the coast and a short steep path leads to the
photogenic shell of St Govan’s Chapel, wedged into a slot in the cliffs just above the
pounding waves. There’s a natural rock arch here, one of many along this stretch of
coast. Sadly, the coast to the west of here is part of a military firing range. When the
red flags are flying there’s no public access to some of the Pembrokeshire Coast’s
most arresting natural sights – the Elegug Stack Rocks and the gigantic arch
known as the Green Bridge of Wales.
After sidestepping the firing range, the road continues on to Freshwater West –
a moody, wave-battered stretch of coast that has provided a brooding backdrop
for movies such as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Ridley Scott’s
Robin Hood. It’s widely held to be Wales’ best surf beach, but also one of the most
dangerous for swimmers.
From Pembroke it’s 4 miles to the Stackpole Estate and 8 miles to Freshwater
West. If it’s beach weather, you could easily make a day of it. Take the B4319 heading
south from Pembroke; Stackpole, Bosherston and the Ellegug Stack Rocks are
reached from narrow country lanes branching off it. The B4319 continues past
Freshwater West and terminates at the B4320, where you can turn right to head
back to Pembroke.

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