A thousand years ago, Pembrokeshire was described as a land of mystery and enchantment by the anonymous author of The Mabinogion, the 11th-century collection of folktales. Venturing out of ancient Penally, beachbreaks guests should explore the amazing histories around Pembrokeshire. Narberth, a few miles from Tenby is today a bustling shopping town but then was known as ‘Arberth’ the high seat of the kings and queens of Dyfed including Prince Pwyll and the unfortunate Rhiannon. The castle is a ruin now but many ancient sites survive.

A historical walk through Penally might include the ice age caves along Trefloyne Lane. The largest, Hoyles Mouth Cave was home to Neanderthals over 25,000 years ago. Artefacts dug up in the caves including mammoth bones can be seen in Tenby Museum. Little Hoyle Cave is more easily accessible from the road through Trefloyne golf course. In the centre of the village are Penally Church and Penally Abbey ruins which date back to the 10^th century and include St Deiniol’s Holy Well in the lane behind the Abbey and ancient stone crosses in the churchyard. Walk through Penally Court Farm to view the ruined courthouse in the farmyard and then up onto Giltar Point for the World War I practice trenches on the coast path.

Visit Tenby for Tenby Museum & Art Gallery, the medieval church of St Mary’s and the Tudor Merchant’s House which is still laid out exactly as it was in the early medieval period.

Many more historical facts and fun can also be discovered in The Narberth Museum, The Pembroke Museum,  The Milford Haven Heritage & Maritime Museum and Maritime Museum in Pembroke Dock.

St David – the patron saint of Wales was born in Pembrokeshire near St David’s (the smallest city in the UK). According to legend, a spring of crystal clear water appeared next to his mother Saint Non. The site is still marked by a church and a stone arch over St Non’s Well.

Pentre Ifan in the Preseli Hills is one of the most spectacular Neolithic burial chambers in the UK with a giant capstone 5m tall. The surrounding hills are the source of the mysterious bluestones that found their way into Stonehenge’s inner circle. How did they make that 200 mile journey? Legend says they were transported by Merlin the Magician at the request of King Arthur. Geologists claim they were moved by glacial action, and modern archaeologists are convinced that they were transported by river and sea to Wiltshire. The stones aren’t telling.