April Cottage Holidays in Wales
The Pembrokeshire coast is a superb place to spend spring
For a delightful springtime break, an April cottage holiday in Wales is a no brainer. Imagine a countryside teeming with wildlife, a coastline buzzing with activity and the streets awash with vivid colour, well that’s precisely what Pembrokeshire is like this month.
April is more than often home to Easter weekend, meaning two weeks or so off from school for the children and a long Bank Holiday off from work for the adults at least. It’s the month of the year when many of the seasonal businesses re-open for another busy summer including boat trip operators. It’s the last month before the summer months when the dogs can roam free on every single beach in the county.
The school holidays and the drier days make this month ideal for family holidays – you can even bring along the grandparents and extended family if you want for a full multi-generational getaway. Wildlife enthusiasts and dog owners will likely prefer the remainder of the month when the weather remains warmer but the county is a little more peaceful.
Coastal Cottages Wales Cottage Holidays in April
Spring has sprung and the Pembrokeshire landscape is awash with colour and wildlife, there's no better setting for your Easter holidays.
Easter Holidays in Pembrokeshire
Come April, the clocks have rolled forward resulting in brighter mornings and the weather is slowly improving as we count the days down to summer. It’s safe to say that by the time the Easter holidays arrive, many of us are leaping into the outdoors craving some much-needed vitamin D and fresh air. Well, where better to immerse yourself in fresh air than in Pembrokeshire?
This rural area of West Wales is genuinely idyllic during spring. Spend your days enjoying the beautiful grounds at the National Botanic Garden of Wales near Carmarthen or the Dyffryn Fernant Garden on the outskirts of Newport. Explore Hilton Court & Gardens near Roch where you can stroll the woodlands and walk along the lake, let your children’s imagination run wild in the woodland playhouses and stop off for a coffee and a slice of cake in the wooden cabin tearooms.
Blow off those cobwebs by getting active outdoors this month. Give horse riding a go, test your bravery with a coasteering session leaping, scrambling and swimming along the coast or dive into the sea with a surfing lesson.
Of course, no Easter holidays are complete without some festive-themed fun. Head to any of the National Trust sites within Pembrokeshire for family-friendly Easter Egg Hunts; these include the Stackpole Centre, the Southwood Estate, the Tudor Merchant’s House in Tenby and Colby Woodland Garden. Places such as Scolton Manor and Milford Waterfront also host annual Family Fun Days and Easter Fairs which are well worth a visit.
Take a Boat Trip
On the 1st April every year (unless Easter weekend falls in March), all the boat trip operators in the county start their engines and set off for those offshore islands we love to visit. Pembrokeshire has a total of 5 neighbouring islands, all of which have something incredible to offer visitors.
Caldey Island is just off the coast of Tenby with trips running from Tenby Harbour and is a fascinating island inhabited by monks. Take the walk up to the lighthouse for stunning views over Carmarthen Bay and this southern stretch of the Pembrokeshire coastline, you can browse the shops in the island’s village before enjoying a picnic on the green or building sandcastles on Priory Bay Beach.
The remaining four islands are a paradise of nature. Ramsey offshore from St Davids is an RSPB Island famous for being one of the largest locations locally where Atlantic grey seals come to breed, during September you will find fluffy white seal pups dotting the coves and rugged cliffsides of this island. It is also an SSSI Area and a Special Protection Area, home to wild mountain ponies, up to 200 sheep, and several endangered birds such as chough.
Skomer Island is well known for being one of the best spots in the UK for sightings of puffins, as it is home to the largest colony of breeding puffins in Britain. Plan a trip to land on the island for up-close viewings of these characterful birds with their vibrantly coloured beaks. You will also find around 165,000 pairs of Manx Shearwater seabirds on this island which is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Skokholm Island, managed by The Welsh Wildlife Trust, is located some two miles offshore and is one of the smaller isles in Pembrokeshire. Not even one square mile in size, this remote island offers nesting birds a stunning landscape made up of high sandstone cliffs and dishevelled terrain. A superb spot for viewing seabirds, here you will find Razorbills, Guillemots and Storm Petrels as well as Puffins and Manx Shearwaters which you will also see on Skomer.
Last but not least is Grassholm Island, the isle positioned furthermost from our shores at around 8 miles into the sea. One of the RSPB’s oldest reserves, Grassholm is best associated with the white-feathered seabirds, gannets. Home to just under 40,000 pairs of these birds, this colony accounts for approximately ten per cent of the world’s population. From afar, it is easy to mistake the island’s grounds as being white when in actual fact, it is the gannets creating this effect.
Discover National Parks Fortnight
In the UK, there are a total of 15 National Parks each one managed by individual authorities. Working together, they form the National Parks UK and in April each year, they arrange a celebration to observe these Parks as the glorious wonders they are.
This celebration comes in the form of a Discover National Parks Fortnight and takes place annually in April. Alongside applauding the magnificent landscapes and beautiful scenery these Parks offer, Discover National Parks Fortnight encourages people to get out and explore these stunning locations and discover the wonders for themselves.
Here in Pembrokeshire, we live in the UK’s only coastal National Park. 612 square kilometres in size, it would be an understatement to say there is plenty to explore here. Book a ramblers retreat and hike the 186 miles of the Coast Path, a National Trail in its own right, or bring along your local stargazing group and look to the moon at one of our eight Dark Skies Discovery Sites. Take an adventure through the quirky towns, rural villages, quaint harbours and picturesque coves or walk The Golden Road on the Preseli Hills for an insight into the rich heritage of Wales.
Play in the sand on the fantastic beaches, follow in the footsteps of film heroes where blockbuster films were made, find the land which inspired Roald Dahl and find out where Saint David was born. Dine on delicious meals in the many restaurants, tuck into fish and chips by the seaside and indulge in homemade cakes and ice cream across the county.
Barley Saturday
In the historical town of Cardigan, just a stone’s throw from the Pembrokeshire-Ceredigion border, Barley Saturday is a brilliant agricultural traditional dating back to the late 19th Century. Held annually on the very last Saturday in April, Barley Saturday was born from a common practise when local farmers would come into the town in search of farmhands and stallion owners would display their horses for stud.
Named Barley Saturday as it took place at the end of the season where farmers sowed their crops, the tradition has grown over the years to a much larger celebration suitable for all the family. Pay a visit to Cardigan for the last weekend of the month, and you shall find a Saturday-packed with activity.
Nowadays you will find various horse competitions with more horses on show than just Welsh cobs as it was originally. Later in the day, head to the High Street for a procession of all the horses along with a parade of vintage tractors, motorbikes and classic cars as well as less-common vintage agricultural vehicles such as milk floats and wagons.
For an afterparty, head to the unique Pizzatipi overlooking the water where they often join in with the town’s celebrations. High spirits are guaranteed with live music, dancing, freshly made pizza and great local drinks.
Take a Break Before the Dog Restrictions
Each year between 1st May and 30th September, the local council put in place some must-know dog restrictions at a small selection of Pembrokeshire’s more popular family-friendly beaches. As a result, we often see a frenzy of dog owners make their way to the coast for one last hurrah on those beaches which are affected before these restrictions come into place.
Only two beaches impose a total ban of dogs during the summer, Whitesands and Tenby North Beach – so make the most of April and let your furry friend splash in the shore here whilst you can in April. Other beaches which have partial bans include Amroth, Newgale, Dale and Saundersfoot.
With our dog-friendly holiday cottages, we’ve got you covered for a break with your poochy pal all year round but if you do need an extra excuse to take a getaway with your canine, this is it. We even have a couple of cottages within walking distance of Whitesands and Tenby North Beach so you won’t even have to get in the car to drive for your morning stroll.
