Our Trip: Llawhaden, Narberth and Beyond

After the difficulties of the last 18 months, my family and I couldn’t wait to get away together and have a good old fashioned British summer holiday. We had ummed and aahed about where to spend a week and came to the conclusion that West Wales had been high on all our lists for some time and so we went for Pembrokeshire.

Where We Stayed

As a family, we love the quietness of the countryside choosing to spend the majority of our holidays tucked away in a small village. From there we like to go off to do day trips into the local towns and cities. This holiday was no different and we decided on the beautiful village of Llawhaden.

With six adults and a toddler, we needed a big property and The Old Carthouse fit the bill perfectly. Pulling up outside a beautiful stone building with original arches turned into gloriously large windows and a huge garden blooming with flowers out the back, we were all struck by the quiet. Exactly what we were looking for!

Llawhaden Castle

We started off with a quiet day. A lie-in (for those without a 2-year-old!), lunch made at home and then a short walk to Llawhaden Castle. Completely free to look around and open from 10am-4pm every day, Llawhaden Castle is a perfect afternoon out with the family. With lots of stony passageways, dark underground rooms and winding staircases up to the top of the battlements to explore, it kept us busy for quite some time.

Benches and big stretches of grass also make it the perfect place to sit and have a picnic with the family.

Saundersfoot

Saundersfoot was just 20 minutes drive from Llawhaden and we couldn’t wait to visit.

This quaint little seaside town is packed full of the most wonderful shops, cafes and restaurants as well as a stunning beach and harbour.

We spent the morning perusing handcrafted ceramics, beautiful antiques and buying childhood sweets from Chobbles before making our way down to the harbour for a dressed crab lunch from the Seaside Deli (it tastes even better eaten sat on the benches on the harbour overlooking the sea.)

Narberth

One of the reasons we had booked The Old Carthouse was its close proximity to Narberth.

With plenty of restaurants, pubs, gift shops and supermarkets it was the perfect place to have so close. On our third day, we decided to have a proper explore around all the lovely shops where you can find anything from books to antiques, to clothes, to art. We also had a snoop at some of the menus for meals out later in the week and soon decided The Peppercorn and Top Joes were a must-visit.

Tenby

We were lucky that the sunniest day of the week happened to be the one we’d decided to visit Tenby, so we saw it in all its summer sunshine glory.

We started off with a walk along the Esplanade to see the spectacular beach and sea views, before heading through the impressive stone walls and into the old town. Following sign’s, we took a beautiful route around the coast and down to the Harbour where we were greeted with the magnificent sight of those famous pastel houses curling up the harbour wall.

Wanting to try some good old Welsh fare, my husband bought a lobster roll and a small pot of cockles, mussels and prawns from Simply Seafood whilst I opted for a Welsh Rarebit toasty from the Stowaway Café. Eaten on a bench overlooking the harbour, with the sun shining and the sound of the sea lapping down below it has to be one of my favourite travel experiences yet.

After lunch, we popped into the town and did a spot of shopping in all the lovely shops. My favourite being The Welsh Otter, full of the most beautiful interiors and home furnishings made by welsh artisans.

Caldey Island

Our last day in Pembrokeshire was spent on the beautiful Caldey Island and I honestly couldn’t think of a better way to end the trip. Catching one of the first morning boats from Tenby Harbour we arrived early and decided to start with a coastal walk stopping on one of the many benches to eat a picnic lunch with a spectacular view. We then went inland to explore some of the beautiful churches, the chocolate factory, the perfume shop and finished it all off with a piece of cake outside the café.

A perfect end to a perfect holiday.

This Blog was brought to you by Guest Writer Rachel Bearn

Main Llawhaden River Bridge Photo. Courtesy of Chris Merridith