A coastal gem fur all
IT’S hard to beat striding along a vast sandy beach with your four-legged friend frolicking in the waves.
Add to that the fact you’ve got this stunning setting almost to yourself and it’s a recipe for a doggone amazing trip.
Our family’s week exploring the staggering Pembrokeshire beaches was certainly pawfect for our cockapoo Bertie.
And the rest of the family loved visiting somewhere so dogfriendly, too.
For while dogs may be “man’s best friend”, they are not welcomed with open arms everywhere you go.
But Pembrokeshire – in south-west Wales – is pretty close to doggy heaven, as far as I can tell.
All of its beaches welcome Fido and friends, although there are understandable restrictions on some of the ones popular with bathers – including Newgale, Broad Haven and Tenby South – from the start of May to the end of September.
Your furry friend doesn’t need to be in the dog-house when you eat out, either. Many pubs and restaurants are more than happy to allow wellbehaved dogs inside.
One place which doesn’t is The Shed Bistro, below, at Porthgain. But it’s a small price to pay for the best fish and chips I’ve had in my life. Dog-friendly accommodation can also prove a challenge in some places, but not here. The tourist board website has more than 250 options, which include hotels plus caravan parks and self-catering holiday homes. We stayed at Trefrane Lodge, a cottage whose thick walls and cosy interior were the ideal shelter from spring gales. With its hilltop spot and views to Newgale beach, one of the area’s best strips of sand, it was the perfect base from which to explore. Not far away is St Davids, the UK’s smallest city, packed with lovely shops and an impressive cathedral.
It’s just over half an hour to Blue Lagoon, an indoor water park at the
Bluestone holiday resort. With its swimming pool complete with wave machine and various slides, it made for a great afternoon.
Pembroke Castle also comes highly recommended with its maze of tunnels, towers and battlements, surrounded by a serene mill pond.
The cottage was also handy for one of the other highlights of our stay – horse riding on the beach with Nolton Stables, run by the same farming family as Trefrane Lodge.
Myself, daughter Isla, 12, and son Sam, nine, were all beginners. But we were in safe hands, with our expert guides taking us to Druidstone beach for a truly unforgettable experience trotting through the lapping waves.
With so much going for Pembrokeshire you would expect it to be heaving with visitors in summer, rather than pleasingly lacking in crowds.
Throw in enough activities to keep even the most adventurous daredevil happy – from coasteering to kayaking and kite surfing – and you’ll be left wondering why everyone doesn’t come here.
Yet perhaps this is the best thing of all about the area.
Whether you’ve got a four-legged member of the family or not, Pembrokeshire really is top dog.