If Tenby were located closer to London, you'd be sick of seeing it as a film location for every Jane Austen adaptation, Bridgerton episode and other Regency-era drama filmed in the UK. Instead, thanks to its 250 miles and five-hour journey from the capital, many readers may not even know it exists, much less be aware of its picturesque streets and dramatic location. In truth, it leaves the better-known Brighton far behind and is on par with the charm of Bath.
Tenby's most memorable features are its medieval walls, its brightly coloured houses and its magnificent coastline. The grim, grey stone boundary that protected the town when it was a flourishing Norman port in a conquered land is delightfully at odds with the rest of the town's architecture and its frivolous holiday spirit.
Tenby sits on a bit of coastline that forms something resembling a capital letter "G", with the old harbor and the walled town looking out over the inside of the letter, while a spectacular stretch of beach runs almost two miles south from its bottom. A Victorian esplanade overlooks the long beach from cliffs roughly equivalent to a five-story building; views are spectacular. (For the easiest beach access, follow signs for South Beach, rather than Seafront, pay and display.) Many of the Victorian-era hotels which comprise the southern stretch of sea view own gardens cut into the cliff tops. Some of them are exclusive to guests and some are doing a thriving business as open-air bars. The buildings along this stretch are painted in yellows, blues and greens. The architecture might look like scores of other British seaside towns but the colours are a radical change.
The buildings get much more interesting inside the walls, where the colours get even brighter and the Regency features proliferate. Picturesque shop fronts. Interesting windows. Classical porticos. Even the odd plaque commemorating famous residents. At some point just after the turn of the 19th century, Nelson, Emma, Lady Hamilton and Lord Hamilton spent a holiday here together in their infamous manage a trois.
The French wars that had shaped their lives had also shaped Tenby. Unable to visit the continent, wealthy travellers devoured the options designed here by English entrepreneurs as an alternative. The place still feels affluent today, with independent shops, galleries, restaurants and micro-breweries lining cobbled lanes that branch from gracious, winding streets. I could have perched myself on numerous corners to sketch and take in the scene.
But we couldn't linger: we had a date with some monks.
In a yard just above Tenby harbour you'll find a collection of huts selling boat excursions and outdoor adventures. One of the most popular is to Caldey Island, a green jewel a mile off the coast and 2.5 miles south of Tenby. You board the boat from Castle Beach, voted the best in the UK in 2019 and distinguished not just by the quality of its sand but by a small promontory of jutting rock in its middle that houses a Napoleonic fort. A clever rolling dock, pulled up or reversed down by tractor, allows tourists to clamber into boats while keeping their feet dry. Once aboard it's a lovely ride of about 20 minutes taking in all of Tenby's South beach and promenade and some of the rugged coastline just below it.
The island is best known for its small religious community of Cistercian monks, who live in a monastery clearly built for more than the approximately 18 who live there today. (Their web site steers clear of official numbers but a video produced about five years ago and shown on the island to explain monastic life cites that number, and elaborates that many are older men who retired to cloistered life from careers elsewhere.) The monks live a silent life of prayer and farm work on the island. They produce a range of lavender bath products from their harvests, but are most famous for making chocolate. No, there are no cocao trees on Tenby; they import their beans.
They've also imported red squirrels. With no grey squirrels on the island, no cars, no resident dogs and only one cat, conservationists saw an opportunity to bring back the British native. Given their famed reclusiveness and the fact that dogs are allowed to visit, you're far more likely to see one of the adorable critters on Brownsea Island (which I've written about here), but growing numbers make Caldey a success story.
Other sights on the island are better described as charming than spectacular. There's an ancient, very simply furnished stone chapel and the monk's main church is austere. You can't see anything else of the monastery interior. The exterior itself is striking, and sits on a hill above a tiny village of a few houses (about 20 lay-people live on the island in the monk's employ), a shop and post office, a gallery and cafe. Visitors can enjoy a variety of walking paths that lead to striking views and secluded, sandy beaches. I suspect in high summer season the boat fare might be worth it to get to a quieter beach.
For me, the sea travel was as good as the island rambling and I'd suggest that anyone who gets to Tenby needs to see the town from the water to fully appreciate its beauty.
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