Next time you fancy a day out with a difference, consider hopping on the train to Fishguard, where you can now enjoy three different types of tour: by boat, on foot and by minibus.
North Pembrokeshire Tours is a new offering from North Pembrokeshire Trade and Tourism, a not-for-profit company that sprang out of Fishguard and Goodwick Chamber of Trade’s efforts to promote business and tourism in the area.
Fishguard is best known for The Last Invasion Tapestry, which commemorates the last ever invasion of mainland Britain in 1797 (an invasion reputedly foiled by plucky local women). However, North Pembrokeshire Trade and Tourism company secretary Jeremy Martineau is keen to emphasise the full array of attractions the area has to offer.
“Fishguard and Goodwick is not just a place on its own,” he says. “It’s surrounded by the National Park and the coast path runs right through here. Our hotels have 50 serviced bedrooms, and we have over 200 holiday properties within three or four miles, so this is a very much a tourist destination.”
Wildlife is a key attraction, and North Pembrokeshire Tours, in partnership with Blue Shark Charter now offers boat trips from Fishguard harbour so that visitors can take in the extraordinary coastline and its inhabitants. The start is close by the Harbour station.
Also on offer is a three-hour walking tour of Fishguard that takes in everything from its Eisteddfod stone circle to traces of its shipbuilding and international trade history. It includes a quayside coffee break and a chance to see the town’s famous tapestry. To access the tour, anyone arriving by train can take a 410 bus from Fishguard and Goodwick railway station to the tour starting point in the middle of Fishguard.
Finally, there’s a minibus tour that starts right from this station and takes in a superb selection of local attractions, including Nevern with its castle ruins, bleeding yew tree, Celtic cross and ogham writing in the church; Pentre Ifan Neolithic burial chamber; and Craig Rhos y Felin – the site where the bluestones for Stonehenge were quarried.
The tours are all available now and it’s hoped they’ll delight everyone from the international visitors who come to the town by cruise ship through to local people who want to enjoy all the area has to offer.
“It will, perhaps for the first time, offer an organised way for people to appreciate some of the assets in the area, which even some local people don’t know about,” says Jeremy. “I also think it will help build pride in the area and broaden the visitor experience.”