Explore West Wales

Honey Cottage boasts a pretty cottage garden which has a sunny disposition all day whilst a stream runs down the side at the rear of the property and across the bottom of the large terraced garden to the fore. Pembroke Castle and its Mill Pond, a nature conservation area, is just 20 minutes easy walking distance, as is the town, whilst the picturesque beaches of Freshwater East, Barafundle Bay and Broad Haven South are all approximately 6 miles distant. An idyllic, peaceful holiday location for a family nicely positioned to explore the county's beauty spots and popular family attractions.

Location

The town of Pembroke is steeped in history, dating back to the 11th century when Arnulf of Mongomery raised an earth and timber fortification on the banks of the Pembroke River. Although something of an outpost, it was considered to be of sufficient strategic value to justify progressive strengthening over the next 150 years, the first stone structure on the site dating from the middle of the 13th Century. William de Valence, one time Mayor of Pembroke, is thought to have been responsible for girdling the town with walls at some time during this period.

It was while a guest of her brother-in-law, Jasper, at Pembroke Castle in 1457 that Margaret Beaufort, widow of Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, gave birth to Henry Tudor.
He was to be the founder of a dynasty that was to have a profound effect on the course of history far beyond the confines of Wales.Prosperity developed in the Middle Ages with the establishment of the woollen trade, originating from the activities of Flemish immigrants, but by the 16th Century it had declined.

Pembroke came into prominence during the Civil War when, in 1648, John Poyer, Mayor of the town declared for the King in spite of strong local support for the Parliament. Together with a group of sympathisers, Poyer occupied the Castle — by this time a formidable stronghold, and eventually surrendered after prolonged bargaining, but not before Cromwell's men had laid siege to the town with artillery and inflicted much damage.

The town's centrepiece is its magnificent Norman castle, standing proudly at the head of a rocky ridge and surrounded on three sides by water. It is one of the finest and best preserved strongholds in the country.The Main Street, which runs the length of the old town, is ideal for strolling and browsing. There are several interesting Tudor and Georgian houses, two historic churches, and a pleasant mixture of shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants.

There are gentle walks along the Mill Pond (look out for kingfishers and otters) and to the remains of Monkton's Benedictine Priory.Pembroke is at the very centre of a wide circle of things to do and places to see, many of which come under the care of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

Within easy reach of Pembroke are the resorts of Tenby and Saundersfoot; the historic and revitalised dockyard towns of Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven; the castles of Manorbier and Carew; the magnificent beaches of the South Pembrokeshire Coastline; the popular market town of Narberth; the picturesque 24 mile Haven Waterway, and, of course, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.