Escape to Pembrokeshire this autumn
Pembrokeshire’s unspoilt landscapes, towns and villages will enthral those who take a holiday in this far corner of South West Wales during the autumn and winter.
The experience is quite different without the crowds but still inspiring and relaxing with awesome scenery and outdoor activities; a surprising number of attractions also remain open and visitors can stay in the best places at much reduced prices.
Once autumn arrives, the long sandy beaches and small private coves become the domain of walkers, often with their dogs now that the beach restrictions have been relaxed. With 186 miles of coastline, mostly within the National Park, there’s more than enough space for everyone. It’s possible to stroll for a morning without seeing another person.
Breezier days stir up the surf attracting hardy watersports enthusiasts, while coast path ramblers can enjoy a brisk walk or go pup spotting on isolated beaches before returning to the fireside in their smart hotel or cosy cottage.
Inland the peaceful river estuaries and wooded valleys stand out against the more rugged Preseli Hills, while quiet lanes and tracks await the cyclist and horse rider.
Castles, Ancient Sites and Attractions Stay Open
An impressive array of man-made attractions from ancient castles and historic sites to museums and galleries welcome visitors all year round. These include Pembroke Castle and St Davids Cathedral, acclaimed as one of Wales’ greatest monuments a mile or so from the sea, it qualifies St Davids as the smallest city in Britain.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is opening both the Castell Henllys reconstructed Iron Age Fort and Carew Castle this autumn as well as the superb new Oriel Y Parc landscape gallery in St Davids. Other places welcoming visitors all year round include the bishops’ palaces at St Davids and Lamphey and Tenby Museum and Art Gallery.
Many attractions are free of charge such as the 30 metre long Last Invasion Tapestry in Fishguard’s Old Town Hall, which depicts what happened when Britain was last invaded in 1797, and the ancient sites of St Dogmael’s Abbey and St Govan’s Chapel. The Pentre Ifan burial chamber high up in the Preseli Hills is well worth a visit at sunrise or sunset, when its huge stones are dramatically profiled against the sky.
Families with younger children will enjoy Folly Farm Adventure Park, near Kilgetty which is open every weekend throughout the autumn and winter. Kids can touch and feed the friendly animals at the attraction which also offers family entertainment and has several wet-weather options including the largest undercover vintage fun fair in Europe. Manor House Wildlife Park at St Florence (as featured in Wild Welsh Zoo on BBC1) is also now open until November and will then be opening weekends only through December.
Also open all year is Heatherton Sports Park, near Tenby which has a new tree-tops trail and offers a range of activities from pitch and putt, archery and baseball to bumper boats and laser clay shooting. Others family attractions include the superb Blue Lagoon indoor water park, near Narberth; Pottery Shed Café and Silent World Aquarium (closed January), both in Tenby; as well as various karting, paintball and ten pin bowling centres. Older children will have great fun at the Cenarth adventure centre or playing the new Battlefield Live combat game at Llanteg.
Newly opened this year is the Flying Boat Centre in the historic dockyard at Pembroke, which was the base for the world’s largest flying-boat station in WWII. Displays include the story of RAF Sunderland T9044, which sank at its moorings during a gale in November 1940 and still lies 65ft down on the sea bed.
Arts, Crafts and Local Produce
Pembrokeshire’s distinctive landscapes have been an inspiration to generations of artistic people including children’s writer Beatrix Potter, painters Augustus John and Graham Sutherland and Wales greatest poet, Dylan Thomas. Today the county has a thriving community of arts and crafts people working in wood, metal, textiles, ceramics and on canvas with styles ranging from traditional art to abstract sculpture. Many of their workshops and galleries are open in the autumn.
Pembrokeshire also has an abundance of outstandingly fresh and varied local produce. Look out for the Pembrokeshire Produce Mark that indicates it’s been made or grown within the county, or in the case of eateries, that the menu features dishes made with local produce.
The impressive range includes farmhouse cheeses; organic Welsh lamb; traditional Welsh scones and lava bread. And with such a long coastline and inland waterways, locally caught fish is also a speciality ranging from trout and crab to scallops and seabass.
A delightful selection of wines, liqueurs and non-alcoholic drinks are produced at the Cwm Deri Vineyard at Martletwy, which can be sampled and bought in the shop and then enjoyed in the restaurant. Or for a pint of real ale, visit the Gwaun Valley micro-brewery at Kilkiffeth Farm near Fishguard, where you can see the brewers at work, smell the malted barley and hops and enjoy a free tasting before making your purchase to take home.
Boxing Day and New Year’s Day Swims
Pembrokeshire is also home to numerous autumn events with a variety of arts and food festivals, Halloween extravaganzas, spooky ghost tours, firework spectaculars and Christmas markets. Always attracting a good crowd of hardy participants and spectators are the Tenby Boxing Day, and Saundersfoot and Whitesands Beach New Year’s Day swims in the chilly waters off Pembrokeshire’s coast.
On Location in Pembrokeshire
Several films scheduled for the big screen have recently been shot on location around Pembrokeshire’s unique landscapes and will be appearing around the world in 2010-11. Titles include Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe; the final Harry Potter film, The Deathly Hallows; Round Ireland with a Fridge and Barafundle Bay.
Several scenes from the epic Robin Hood (released spring 2010) were filmed at Freshwater West beach. A cast and crew of over 800, plus 130 horses and boats were involved in a dramatic battle scene filmed mainly on the southern end of the beach, while another scene centred on the seaweed hut near the main car park.
Also filmed at Freshwater West were scenes from the final Harry Potter film, The Deathly Hallows. A giant cottage made out of shells was built on the sands with stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson taking part in the filming of the ‘shell cottage’ scenes. Split into two parts, the final film of the Harry Potter series begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave Hogwarts behind and set out to find and destroy the Horcruxes, the secret to Voldemort's power and immortality. Made by Warner Bros Pictures, the first part is due to be released on 19th November 2010 and the second in July 2011.
Round Ireland with a Fridge is based on the hilarious book of the same name by author, actor and comedian Tony Hawks, who also stars in the feature film. Several scenes were shot at Manorbier beach in the south of Pembrokeshire and others in the Preseli Hills. Release date awaited.
Barafundle Bay is a touching and life affirming comedy about four young men, friends since childhood, re-forging the bond that they once enjoyed as they take their last trip together along the coast of South West Wales. It tells the hilarious and moving story of a young man with terminal cancer who asks his three best friends to take him on one last riotous, ill-advised, camping trip to his favorite beach. It was filmed, unsurprisingly, around Barafundle beach and Stackpole Quay. Release date awaited.
With so much to see and do, Pembrokeshire is the ideal choice for an autumn or winter break.
Log on to visitpembrokeshire.com or activitypembrokeshire.com for more information.
