Out and About

We’re located in an incredibly convenient and quiet location, just a short walk away from the stunning Pembrokeshire coastline and the centre of the historic mini-city of St. David’s, known as Ty Ddewi in Welsh - a name that reflects its importance as the ancient spiritual capital of Wales and birthplace of our patron saint, St. David or Dewi Sant.

History and spirituality
Visit St. David’s birthplace at St. Non’s, look around the fascinating Norman cathedral and bishop’s palace, or go on the Saints and Stones tour of local churches. If you’re travelling further afield, don’t forget to explore some of the imposing castles scattered throughout Pembrokeshire - Pembroke and Cilgerran are two of the most impressive.

The great outdoors
As well as being ideal for those interested in history and things spiritual, the local area is one of the best places in the world for those who enjoy the great outdoors. St. David’s lies at the heart of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Britain’s only truly coastal national park, and is surrounded by a spectacularly rugged landscape. Whitesands and Newgale are two of the best beaches in the area.

Outdoor adventure
Some of Europe’s leading outdoor adventure locations can be found around St. David’s - this peninsula is renowned for the excellent coasteering, sea kayaking, surfing and climbing it offers. TYF Adventure provides fantastic surfing, coasteering, kayaking and climbing adventures around Pembrokeshire.

Walking
If you’re looking for a good walk, we’re very close to the Pembrokeshire Coast Path - a spectacular 186 mile (299 km) long National Trail covering some of the most varied coastal scenery in Britain. It stretches from St. Dogmael’s in the north to Amroth in the south.

We’d recommend the stretches around St. David’s Head, Pen Beri and Porthlysgi. If you enjoy hill walking, the magical Preseli Mountains, where the Stonehenge bluestones came from, are less than 20 miles away.

There are other great walks to try in and around St. David’s. Local maps are available at TYF Adventure Equipment close to Cross Square in the centre of St. David’s.

Cycling
Those who enjoy cycling can try a stretch of the ‘Celtic Trail West’ - a national cycle route that stretches for over 140 miles between Swansea and Fishguard, and passes very close to the hotel. Bike hire is available locally.

Shopping and socialising
St. David’s offers a great selection of shops, galleries, bars and restaurants - our favourites being the quirky St. David’s Bookshop, John Rogers’ Peter's Lane Gallery and Cwtch Restaurant. It’s only 5 minutes walk from the hotel to the centre of St. David’s, so we’d recommend a gander!

The local community is diverse and fascinating, and you’ll still hear Welsh or Cymraeg, a Celtic language and one of Europe’s oldest, spoken locally. If you’d like any ‘what to do’ tips, just give us a call!
 
Wildlife watching
St. David’s lies in the middle of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, a place of sanctuary for wildlife. Internationally important protected habitats and wildlife sanctuaries are found close by.

Several nearby coastal islands are excellent destinations for wildlife enthusiasts. Grey seals wallow around the rocky coastline and porpoises and dolphins are regularly seen close to the coast.

Ramsey Island lies about 1km off the coast. This RSPB owned island has spectacular sea bird cliffs, coastal scenery and heathland together with the most important grey seal breeding colony in southern Britain. It’s also one of the best sites in Wales to see the chough, often called Britain’s most charismatic crow.

Other breeding species include ravens, peregrines, gulls and auks. Tourist boats sail to the island (7 days a week, Easter to the end of October) from St. Justinian's on the mainland.

Meanwhile, across St. Bride’s Bay to the south lies Skokholm, Skomer and Grassholm - you can see them from the windmill tower. Together, they form one of the most important seabird breeding areas in Europe.

Manx shearwaters, storm petrels, wheatears, meadow pipits, oystercatchers, skylarks, guillemots, puffins, and more can all be seen. Choughs are usually present and occasionally breed. And we mustn’t forget the gull family - kittiwakes, lesser black-backed gulls, herring gulls and great black-backed gulls.

Skomer is probably the most important breeding site of manx shearwaters in the world, with over 160,000 pairs.

Great numbers of migratory birds use the islands as a stop-over - including finches,  chiffchaffs, skylarks, swallows and meadow pipits, as well as the occasional rare bird such as the frigate bird, golden oriole and black stork.

Contact reception on 01437 721678 / stay@tyf.com  or visit the tourist information centre, just a couple of minutes walk from the hotel, for further information about the local area.