Newport castle

There’s a castle in town – go down to the main street, stand outside Spar, look up the hill and there it is! It’s a private residence so you can’t go in but it’s a lovely thing and gives a sense of Newport being an ancient settlement.

Heading down towards the estuary via Long Street – so down the hill from Spar, past the Post office, keep on going, down past the school and you come across some playing fields and tennis court – there are ancient, raised ramparts there which are all that’s left of the original castle, from about 1000 years ago. There’s a little information board on the estuary path which shows you what it might have looked like.

Cilgerran Castle

A real hidden gem, and relatively little known, Cilgerran Castle is ace. It’s about a 25 minute drive away and the postcode “SA43 2SF” in the satnav will take you there. It’s open 10am-4pm and is free to go in and wander about and well worth a trip, or a stop by if you’re on your way back from somewhere else. Round about 800 years old it’s pretty imposing.

Carew Castle

Down in the south of the county, about 55 mins. drive away, Carew Castle is really cool. There’s an entrance fee (about £8 each), but it’s got a tearoom that you don’t have to pay to go in. It’s a particularly striking setting so if you just want to marvel at the site and have a cup of tea then you don’t have to go in and it’s still impressive. Satnav postcode: “SA70 BSL”.

Pembroke Castle

The jewel in the crown, Pembroke Castle is massive, amazing, and warrants a good few hours if not half a day with a spot of lunch thrown in. The first bit of the castle was built over a thousand years ago, some of which is still standing, and then added on to over the next few centuries until eventually the castle as you see it now was completed. Interestingly it’s the only castle in Britain to be built over a natural cavern! Satnav postcode: “SA71 4LA”, and it’s just over an hours’ drive away.

Llawhaden Castle

This is a ruin and you can see it from the A40, just north of Narberth. There’s no charge to get in so you can park nearby and just have a quick wander; so worth considering dropping by as you pass, either en route to somewhere else or on your return journey as a quick diversion – satnav postcode: “SA67 8HL”.