CARDIFF & THE SOUTH OF WALES - England 2012 and the Best of Wales - page 710

with antiques and most have four-poster beds and sea or garden views. The restau-
rant is a romantic affair, candles twinkling beneath the chandelier.
Penally, Dyfed SA70 7PY. www.penally-abbey.com. & 01834/843033. Fax [phone] units.
£189-£225 double; £270 suite. Rates include breakfast and dinner. AE, MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant;
small indoor pool. In room: TV, hair dryer.

THE WILD SOUTHWEST
St. Davids: 95 miles NW of Cardiff, 60 miles W of Swansea
After Pembroke you find yourself in what is usually referred to as West Wales, the
southern tip of the long west coast. This is the Pembrokeshire that has become the
trendy holiday spot for Brits who race down the M4 from London, although the
motorway ends just after Swansea and the rest of the journey can take as long again.
Here you'll find Britain's smallest city, St. Davids, with its tiny, elegant cathedral.
There's also the majestic sweep of St. Bride's Bay with its beaches, cliffs, and awe-
some sunsets. After St. David's, the coast wiggles northward past Fishguard (where
the ferry boats arrive from Ireland) and gets ever more rugged until it reaches Poppit
Sands at the mouth of the River Teifi, just across from Cardigan. All this is walkable
on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, which is part of the Pembrokeshire Coast
National Park. The region is dotted with smart holiday homes and cottages as well
as hotels and guesthouses; it's a place full of visitors but also good for those who want
to get away from it all. From the westernmost tip there really is nothing between you
and the U.S., but the weather can be delightfully balmy: You're not far north of Corn-
wall down in England.
Essentials
GETTING THERE Trains can get you as far as Haverfordwest (the region's hub),
and Milford Haven, with occasional trains to Fishguard Harbour. The line runs along
the south coast, via Swansea and Cardiff, with a line coming down from Birmingham
and the Midlands. There's a Cardiff-Haverfordwest train (Arriva Trains Wales; about
£20) every couple of hours and the shortest journey time is around 2 hours 20 min-
utes. By road, the A40 heads to Haverfordwest, with smaller roads radiating out.
VISITOR INFORMATION The National Park Visitor Centre (Oriel y Parc)
in High Street, St. Davids, ( & 01437/720392; www.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk), is
a modern gallery and exhibition space devoted to the area. It is open daily Easter to
October 9:30am to 5:30pm, November to Easter, 10am to 4:30pm.
GETTING AROUND See Laugharne to Pembroke “Essentials” for bus details
(p. 706).
Exploring the Area
ST. BRIDE'S BAY This great curve of coast, 30 miles from Wooltack Point, is
southwest of Haverfordwest, stretching to St. Davids. Here you'll find attractive little
seaside towns with hills rising up behind them, and beaches bookended by cliffs.
There's picturesque Little Haven and busy Broad Haven with its wide beach,
seafront shops, cafes, and pubs. The beach at Druidston is sandy and unspoiled, but
parking is limited to the sides of the coast road, so arrive early. The only access is
along two paths to the cliff-tops and then a steep climb down (there's an excellent
hotel here, the Druidston: see “Where to Stay,” below).

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