My husband and I had planned to embark on a road trip around Wales back in May. However, we forewent that idea in favour of spending a month living in Antigua and put our Welsh adventure on the back burner for another time.
Having enjoyed a midweek break in the Brecon Beacons, my thoughts wandered back to a previous weekend we had spent in Tenby.
Tenby :
This town on the Pembrokeshire coast had been on our radar for some time. I had vivid memories of the colourful houses clustered around the beautiful sandy beach from when I had visited with my children when they were younger, back when we were still living in Essex.
With its narrow streets, pretty Georgian and Victorian houses, glimpses of the sea around almost every corner and picturesque harbour, Tenby felt like somewhere we would really enjoy exploring for a weekend.
We decided that an out-of-season weekend would be the perfect time to discover it for ourselves, when the town would hopefully be a little quieter and we could appreciate its character at a more leisurely pace.
The Coach Guest House:
I don’t normally mention specific accommodation when I write my posts because I always feel that finding the right place to stay is a very personal decision, depending on your budget and what you are looking for. However, on this occasion I feel the accommodation is worth mentioning. Having not stayed in a UK B&B for some time, we were more than pleasantly surprised.
Driving into the town on Friday afternoon, we became aware very quickly that parking is somewhat limited, so we were really happy that this was provided by the guest house just across the road. It is free from midday on the day of arrival if you book directly with the owners, or £4 per day from 2pm when you use an online travel site.
The car park is barrier-operated and we were provided with a key fob that allowed us through the barrier to our allocated parking space. There is a space available for every room, and the fob is also needed to exit the parking area, providing an extra level of security and peace of mind.
We were met on arrival by Mike, who owns and operates the property with his wife, Jocelyn. We had chosen a room at the front of the property on street level to avoid having to carry our luggage up the stairs. It was beautifully decorated, quiet and well furnished, with everything we needed for a comfortable stay.
We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the town and finding somewhere to eat dinner. As you can see from my photos, we weren’t, at this point, blessed with wonderful weather 😊 but that is always a gamble you take when taking a weekend away in the UK.
Tenby North Beach:
These three photos were taken on North Beach, with its sweeping crescent of golden sand framed by the colourful houses of the town.
It was low tide, so the beach stretched out towards the harbour, providing wonderful views along the Pembrokeshire coast, with the historic town rising behind it. In the foreground is the distinctive Goskar Rock, rising from the sand at its centre.
The Tap & Tan:
Tenby isn’t your traditional UK seaside resort, with tacky souvenir shops, endless fish and chip shops and burger joints, which for us was a blessing.
Tucked away in The Mews, just off Upper Frog Street, we discovered Tap & Tân. It was the sort of place that could easily be missed if you didn’t know it was there, but once inside we found a lively, informal bar and restaurant with a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere.
Tap & Tân has strong links with Tenby Brewing Co., so craft beer is very much part of the experience, alongside a menu centred around slow-smoked barbecue. Rather than trying to decide between all the tempting choices, we opted to share the Full Feast BBQ Platter.
It arrived laden with a selection of smoked meats and sides, making it the perfect choice for us as we got to sample a bit of everything. There was plenty to eat, and the combination of smoky flavours, generous portions and the relaxed atmosphere made for a great start to our weekend.
We definitely didn’t expect to find BBQ tucked away in a corner of a Welsh seaside resort!
We went to bed on Friday night completely full up with food and wondering how we were going to face the full English breakfast included in the room rate the next morning!
Final Thoughts:
Our first evening had given us a lovely introduction to Tenby, but the best was yet to come. The following day we were heading out to explore some of the spectacular coastline surrounding the town – and, as lovers of beautiful beaches, we were particularly looking forward to what we might discover at Barafundle Bay and more importantly, for me, as a fan of both the Harry Potter books and films, whether I could find the beach used in the scenes of Dobby’s death 😢
A Midlife Adventure 