A Weekend in West Wales
Celebrating a friend’s birthday, I spent a weekend in West Wales, staying in Manorbier Caravan Park.
It wasn’t my first time in West Wales and it certainly won’t be my last. I love West Wales. It’s a peaceful and pretty part of the UK, visited often by fellow Welsh people but I think, doesn’t get the recognition from foreign travellers that it deserves. I’d like to help you learn a little about West Wales and inspire you to visit!
Getting there
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Coming from Cardiff, most of us will have spent a weekend in West Wales at some point. It has always been a popular staycation maybe because it is only about a 2 hour drive away. The drive is straightforward as most places to visit in West Wales, you’ll use the M4 to reach them (whether by car or bus).
There are also train routes that go into West Wales with stations for most places so this is an easy option from Cardiff too.
Read Next: 13 Things to Do in Cardiff
Places for a Weekend in West Wales
If you’re looking for a weekend in West Wales, you have a fair bit of choice about where to stay, especially in Pembrokeshire. It  is a popular destination to spend time during public holidays in Wales. There are several places to visit and many types of accommodation.
Other Places Nearby:
Tenby
Saundersfoot
Skrinklehaven
Penally / Manorbier
Haverfordwest
St Clears
St Davids
Fishguard
Milford Haven
Laugharne (pronounced larne)
Types of Accommodation:
Guesthouses
BNB’s
Hotels
Caravan Sites
Camping Areas
A Weekend in West Wales: Manorbier Caravan Park
My accommodation was a caravan in Manorbier Caravan Park. Staying in a caravan is my favourite way to visit West Wales because it reminds me of my childhood and let’s be honest, caravans are always fun. Also, when spending a weekend in West Wales, it’s ideal to have a caravan because there’s lots to do even when it’s raining. If you aren’t familiar with weather in the UK, it’s sporadic and we love talking about it (you can read more about that here). The caravan has lots of facilities as well as privacy in comparison to a hotel which is only a room and not somewhere you’d want to be in the rain.
I was quite lucky on my weekend in West Wales, though. It rained, of course, but whenever I went out the sun seemed to come out too (winner)!
Manorbier caravan park is located next to Penally which is about 2 miles to Tenby and 4 miles to Saundersfoot making it an ideal place to stay for a weekend in West Wales.
Friday in Tenby
Staying in a caravan has kitchen facilities that I used on the first day for coffee and breakfast. I used deck chairs to enjoy the fresh morning in the privacy of the caravan’s outdoor area because the weather was on our side. After getting ready, I used the car to head for Tenby. Five Arches Car Park is a central place to park and costs £6 to park for 10 hours / £8 to park for 24 hours.
I felt the history of the Normans as I entered the town through the South West gate. In contrast, felt the modernity of Tenby with the souvenier shops and corner chip shops. Walking down St George’s Street, there are glimpes of tradition such as the traditional sweet shop, the high-rising church and cobbled paths.
Being in a seaside town, it’s only right to try local seafood. I found Plantagenet House that greeted me with a vintage smell (the same smell can be found in St Fagans Museum of Welsh History). The interior portrays a traditional Welsh pub and the quaintness mirrors the small lane in which the restaurant is located. Furthermore, next door to this restaurant is a museum called The Tudor Merchant’s House you can explore for £5.50 per adult to see what life was like in the 15th century.
I walked off my food down to Tenby Harbour and across the town to Tenby’s South Beach. Here, I discovered there was a Street Food Festival taking place (typical that I’d just eaten). The festival was lots of fun though where I enjoyed a few drinks, a live DJ and (confession), I did eat a few small snacks like oysters and pakoras.
Read Next: When to Visit Wales
Friday night in Manorbier
Back at the caravan, I went over to the clubhouse to play some games in the arcade before enjoying a drink at happy hour between 6.30 and 8.30pm. I also joined in the bingo where my friends and I won almost £100. It was a lovely end to my first day in West Wales.
Saturday Morning in Penally
The sun was shining again for us the second day of West Wales so I spent the morning in a cafe in Penally called Bubbleton Farm Shop and Farm Kitchen. It has a small hut where you can order drinks and food to consume in either the indoor cafe or outdoor furniture.
Surrounding the small hut is lush green fields that stretch around, bringing with it smells of flowers and grass. The sun was beaming down as I drank pots of tea (staple part of British culture) with my friends and soaked in the green scenery that went far into the distance. As well as drink and food to have in, you can also buy local Welsh produce to take away or buy as souveniers. The main attraction is to see farm animals all around Bubbleton and you can buy food to feed them. We saw chickens, pigs and sheep and their noises blended well with the experience at Bubbleton. I can’t recommend this place enough!
Related Post:Â Lush Places to See in South Pembrokeshire, West Wales
Saturday afternoon in Saundersfoot – Ending a Weekend in West Wales
After the fun at the farm, I drove to Saundersfoot. I’ve been to Saundersfoot a few times on trips to West Wales and always enjoy my time here. I parked in Coppet Hall car park which takes you directly to Coppet Hall beach. A small tunnel leads you right into the centre of Saundersfoot to enjoy the small shops along cobbled streets. Something I always do on a weekend in West Wales is find a vintage sweet shop. Saundersfoot has a great one where you can pick an assortment of sweets from giant jars behind the counter. It’s a fun experience and includes old pictures of Saundersfoot which gives you a glimpse of olden days.
A walk along the beach is a must at any seaside town so after a stroll, I went to a top spot for seafood. I dined in Beachside Barbecue and sat at a table with the most stunning view overlooking the sea. This matched perfectly with my seafood platter including salmon, cod, prawns and hake. I also shared some sangria as the icing on the cake of a perfect day.
After food, I explored the small shops in Saundersfoot such as souvenir stores and small boutiques where I found cute keepsakes.
I always have a brilliant time in West Wales and this time was no different. Staying in Manorbier Caravan Park gave me the freedom to explore both Tenby and Saundersfoot, places I love.
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Other things to do on a weekend in West Wales
– In Penally, you can go strawberry picking to enjoy a fruit salad on a Summer’s day.
– Visit Barafundle Bay which is one of the top beaches in the world
– Rollercoaster fun in Oakwood Theme Park
– See animals at Folly Farm
– Learn some history in Pembroke castle
– Seafood Sundays in West Wales, South Wales and West England
– Seek adventure in Bluestone Resort, Dinosaur Park or Heatherton Theme Park.
I hope you’ve learned what you can do for a weekend in West Wales. Don’t do what we did though, and ended up an hour past home (Cardiff) because we were doing geography quizzes to ‘pass the time’…
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Shireen, this is a really fun and enjoyable post and I’ve just added plenty of your recommendations to our Google Maps for a visit to West Wales! Also, just to let you know that I also enjoyed the inclusions of where you parked too because this is always helpful to know when deciding on where to park for the day. A great read about your short break away and I look forward to reading the next one. Keep up the great work!
Hi Russell, thank you for your kind comment and reading my article 🙂