Nevern

Nevern  

Nevern is a pretty little village near Newport in the north east of Pembrokeshire. The village may be small but it’s a very interesting and historic place.  

Nevern castle.
The site of Nevern Castle is on the north side of the village alongside the back road to Moylgrove. It was originally a Welsh stronghold, and more than likely a hill fort before that. It was seized in the early 12th century by the Norman Robert Fitzmartin, lord of Cemmaes. Who built a motte and a large bailey defended by a set of double earthen ramparts. The earthen banks and the mound of the Motte can be seen in the woods now.  


Picture: The Celtic Cross at Nevern Church

Nevern Church
Nevern church was on the pilgrims route to St Davids. It has a number of important features including the Vitalianus Stone inscribed in Latin and a stone carved with the Irish Ogham script. There’s a 13ft high celtic cross and a miraculous bleeding yew. An avenue of 700 year old yew trees lead you through the churchyard, one of them is the famous bleeding yew tree for which various legends exist; some say it bleeds for the wrongful hanging of a young man many years ago, others say it will bleed until there is a Welsh prince on the seat at Nevern Castle and another legend says it will bleed until the world is at peace.  


Picture: The Trewern Arms at Nevern

The nearest hotels to Nevern would be in Cardigan or Fishguard but there are Inns in nearby Newport and Felindre Farchog. B&B’s and guesthouses aren’t plentiful either but there are a few in Newport. Camp sites and touring caravan site are available but not in the village itself. There is a holiday park with camping facilities at Llwyngwair Manor on the way to Newport. They have self catering static caravans to rent. There are numerous self catering cottages throughout this part of Pembrokeshire including in Nevern itself. The Inn in Nevern is The Trewent Arms, a well known local hostelry who serve meals at lunchtime and in the evenings.  

There are numerous remnants of the Celtic cultures that thrived hereabouts in Neolithic times:

Castell Henllys, a reconstructed Iron Age hill fort, complete with roundhouses and other buildings, built in exactly the same place as the Iron Age buildings as identified by archaeological excavations. Re-enactments throughout the summer bring the settlement to life. The site is run by The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and was also used to film a ‘reality TV’ series called “Living in the Iron Age”.  


Picture: Castell Henllys Iron Age fort near Nevern

Pentre Ifan, an exposed Neolithic burial mound on the hillside high above the village. The setting is magnificent with Carn Ingli and Newport Bay as a backdrop.


Picture: Pentre Ifan near Nevern