Mathry
Mathry is a small hill top village in between Fishguard and St Davids. The village is quite interesting, especially the wood turning workshops run by Jim Harries, where you can watch all manner of hand-crafted wood-turned products being made. Opposite Jim Harries wood turning studios is the only pub in Mathry, The Farmers Arms, who serve meals at lunchtime and in the evenings.
Picture: Bluebell woods above Aber Mawr beach
Below the hill is one of Pembrokeshire’s activity centres: Preseli Venture. They offer a number of activity holidays ranging from adrenalin weekends that are perfect for stag and hen weekends to corporate team building courses. They offer a range of activities including surfing, coasteering, mountain biking and kayaking. Coasteering, if you haven’t tried it, is climbing along the cliffs at sae level and leaping in to swim round anything you can’t climb round. It’s phenomenal fun!
Pictures: Coasteering and Surfing with Preseli Venture
To the west and north of Mathry is some of the finest coast scenery in The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park from Trefin to Abercastle to Aber Mawr and on to Strumble Head.
There’s plenty of accommodation available in the area. Nearest hotels would be in St Davids or Fishguard but there are plenty of B&B’s, guesthouses and farmhouse B&B’s. There are lots of camp sites or touring caravan sites plus one or two holiday parks in St Davids or Fishguard where you can rent a self catering static caravan or chalet. There are plenty of self catering cottages in this part of Pembrokeshire including some in Mathry itself. There's a youth hostel at Pwll Deri alongside The Coast Path.
Abercastle is a small pebbly cove west of Mathry. There are about 8 parking spaces available on the beach front.
Picture: Abercastle
Aber Mawr is a little further along The Coast Path to the east. It’s a wide pebble backed beach which is sandy at low tide. Behind the beach are some pretty bluebell filled woods. Parking is limited to about 20 cars. Right next to Aber Mawr is Aber Bach, a smaller pebbly beach. Local legends tell of a mermaid being caught here by a local farmer. He let the mermaid go eventually.
Picture: Aber Mawr
Picture: Aber Bach near Aber Mawr
Continue walking along The Coast Path to reach a very isolated beach at Pwllcrochan before a steep climb up to a headland with fabulous views over The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The Coast Path continues straight and level to Pwll Deri.
Picture: Pwll Deri looking towards Strumble
Just north of Mathry is Melin Tregwynt Woolen Mill, suppliers of fine woollens to shops like Fortnum & Mason’s. You can see the looms at work and browse their shop.
Picture: Melin Tregwynt