Tenby, Pembrokeshire

With its sandy beaches, the seaside resort of Tenby, or Dinbych-y-Pysgod, is a popular tourist destination. The attractive harbour is backed by the ruins of the Norman castle and by streets with medieval, Georgian, and Regency houses. Tenby’s origins lie in its strategic location on a promontory overlooking Carmarthen Bay and the Bristol Channel. The Normans built the castle on the headland to support their efforts to colonize Pembrokeshire as the “Little England Beyond Wales”. The town that grew around it was sacked several times by the Welsh in the 12th and 13th centuries; after the last attack, in 1260, the town’s protective walls were built; much of the walls can still be seen. The jetty and massive retaining walls protect the harbour, now used mainly by pleasure craft, from the often turbulent waters of the Bristol Channel.

Robert Harding Picture Library

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Carmarthen Bay; Pembrokeshire; Dyfed; Wales

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