I visited one of UK’s most popular seaside towns — it’s now my favourite place

I don’t know why I thought this iconic seaside town was terrible for so many years. Perhaps it was a false memory from visits in teenage years or early adulthood. Or perhaps it really wasn’t a great place all those years ago and has radically changed for the better since. Perhaps it’s a bit of both. 

Whichever it is, I have gone from insisting for about 20 years that I would never visit Tenby again to wanting to live there. I wish I’d gone back far, far sooner to enjoy much more of it. 

It’s the most wonderful place for so many reasons, whether it’s the many inviting places to eat and drink, the four beaches within walking distance of the town centre, the landmark colourful homes high on a clifftop that are famous around the world, or the vast majesty of Pembrokeshire which surrounds it on all sides. 

It’s also a perfect destination whether you’re a family with young children, a group of friends on a weekend away or a young couple hoping for the ideal mix of peaceful beaches, cobbled alleys, countryside walks and a bustling nightlife. It’s no wonder it was named among Britain’s “best” seaside towns in 2024. 

Tenby has now become a fixture in my life — as well as the lives of my family and friends. If I can’t live there, I want the next best thing: visiting as often as I can. To that end, my friends and I now book a house once a year, and we also take summer holidays there as a family too. 

Beaches

Among Tenby’s standout features is the fact that you can easily access four different beaches on foot from the town centre within minutes. North and South Beach are large beaches with wide open spaces at low tide (and great waves at high tide). North Beach is distinguished by the jagged rock which rises from its heart. Between those two beaches are the smaller Harbour Beach, where you’ll find the town’s fleet of small fishing boats moored, and Castle Beach, which is sandwiched between two rocky outcrops, one of which is home to a distinctive clifftop fort. 

Caldey Island

Caldey Island is a truly remarkable place and one of Britain’s “holy islands”. There has been a monastic presence here for centuries, and their current home is a beautiful, white, Italianate-style monastery built in 1906. You’ll also find the 13th century St Illtyd’s Church. But the true joy of Caldey Island is to be found roaming from one end of the island to the other. En route you’ll pass horses grazing in fields and even a functioning chocolate factory, where you can buy a bar. 

Once you’ve reached the far end of the island, you can gaze out to sea while enjoying the serenity of this island. You can reach Caldey by boat from Tenby. There are regular departures to and from the island from Tenby’s harbour. In fact, once you reach Caldey, you are dropped off at an empty beach of near-white sand that would not look out of place in the Caribbean. With most of the crowds enjoying the beaches back at Tenby, this could be a perfect place to have a beach to yourself. 

Exploring Pembrokeshire

Tenby is just one of the many jewels in Pembrokeshire’s crown. I could go on and on describing how much there is to do there, but I’ll just pick a few highlights.

Firstly, there are all the many beaches around its stunning coast, among them Freshwater West (where you’ll find the “grave” of Dobby from Harry Potter) and Barafundle, which has previously been named among the UK’s best beaches.  

You can walk to Barafundle from Bosherston, walking through gorgeous and peaceful lily ponds en route. Also nearby is the wild and exposed St Govan’s Head, home to one of the most remarkable features you’ll find anywhere on Britain’s coast: St Govan’s chapel, built into the very cliff face in the 13th or 14th century, with thunderous waves crashing below. Also in this corner of Pembrokeshire is the Stackpole nature reserve, while further north you’ll find the sparse beauty of the rolling Preseli Hills. 

Ancient and old landmarks

Pembrokeshire’s long history means it is peppered with man-made landmarks stretching back centuries. Among them are the Pentre Ifan burial chamber, which dates back to Neolithic (New Stone Age) times, when our ancestors buried their dead in tombs such as this.

Pembrokeshire also has several castles, in part due to the existence of the Landsker Line, which once separated the Welsh in the north of the county from the Norman and Flemish settlers in the south. 

Among them is Carew Castle, which stands above the tidal waters where the Carew river meets the waters of the channel. Such is the tidal range here that you can see a vastly different picture depending on the time of day you visit. The walls around the nearby tidal mill are amazing for crabbing. Just drop in your net and bait and you’re all but guaranteed to pull out a crab.

Eating and drinking in Tenby

Thanks to its influx of visitors, Tenby is home to several places to eat and drink, some of which are outstanding. There’s Tap and Tan, which is half barbecue joint, half craft beer temple, where the meat is cooked on open flames in front of you as you order. In one of Tenby’s oldest and prettiest buildings you’ll find Plantagenet House, which is next to the town’s Tudor merchant house and dates back in part to medieval times. 

Down Sergeant’s Lane you’ll find the Harbwr Brewery. Not long ago this was an abandoned and overgrown alleyway. But it’s now a gorgeous, cobbled lane where you can order a drink direct from the brewery itself, and sit and people watch passing walkers.

There’s also a pub attached. And as you walk down to the harbour, you’ll find a shack selling crab sandwiches and lobster rolls, as well as The Stowaway, an unbelievably cosy place for coffee and cake, hidden underground in an old archway. 

Where to stay in Tenby

Tenby has a lot of hotels, B&Bs and AirBnbs. There are the standard chain hotels like Premier Inn and Travelodge and lots of independent ones too, many along the seafront. But the true joy in Tenby accommodation is finding a gem of a house or converted apartment on the seafront, which you might find on Booking.com or on Airbnb.

Many of the colourful seafront homes for which Tenby is famous can be rented out. My family stayed in one large flat literally steps from the harbour and beach, while you can hire out entire homes looking out to sea.

It’s always worth thinking about the fact that, like many parts of Wales and the UK, Pembrokeshire does have a serious problem with homes being bought and rented out to visitors, instead of being lived in by the local population.