- Fishguard : A market is held in the market hall every Thursday. The splendid Fishguard tapestry, designed by Elizabeth Cramp to commemorate the last invasion of Britain, is on view in Fishguard’s library. Fishguard also has a bookshop, cinema and a delightful gallery (West Wales Art Centre) with a cafe at the back.
- Strumble Head : A wild part of the coast with a working lighthouse which is occasionally open to visitors.
- Llys y Fran reservoir and Country Park: The main attraction is the lake, dam and the opportunity of hiring mountain bikes for a ride around the park. It’s a brilliant day for young teens and a terrifying ordeal for adults if they are infrequent cyclists.
- Pentre Ifan: A neolithic burial chamber, sited just off the main road between Newport and Cardigan. This is a small unassuming visitor attraction: no entrance fee, no facilities and nothing to distract you from the awesome ensemble of massive rocks in the countryside.
- Tregwynt Mill:Melin Tregwynt has been weaving Welsh wool for the past 100 years. The weaving sheds are open to the public and there is a shop where their fabric, traditional woollen blankets and manufactured articles are for sale.
- Rosebush: An unlikely name for a small, rambling village in the heart of the Preseli Mountains. At the end of the C19 this was a busy industrialised area, dominated by slate quarrying. It is now a good base for walks in the Preselis and a wonderful place to stop for refreshment at Tafarn Sinc. Pant Mawr Farm, just a few minutes’ walk from Tafarn Sinc, makes a wide range of delicious cheeses that you’ll find on sale at the farm shop.
- Nevern: Nevern is a lovely little village with a beautiful old Church, churchyard and ancient celtic cross. It was once an important town with a castle but has declined in significance since the foundation of Newport in 1197.
- Cenarth: A village on the Teifi river, where there is a series of little waterfalls and pools. We have seen coracles on the river and an amazing density of elvers.
- Cilgerran Castle: This is a picturesque ruined 13th century castle, overlooking the Teifi Gorge. JMW Turner was here c 1798 and his ‘Kilgerren Castle’ can be seen at Manchester City Galleries.
- Castell Henllys: Off the A487 between Newport and Cardigan, this is a good place for rainy days. A site with a pre-historic promontory fort from around 600BC, which now offers replica iron-age round houses built over the excavated remains. There are often events such as story telling and craft workshops.
- Penlan Uchaf Gardens: Lovely gardens and the treat of a cup of tea and home-made cake after your walk in the Gwaun valley.
- Newport: This is the closest small town to Dinas. It has cafes, restaurants, a densely-stocked hardware store that sells everything and a useful tourist information office. It also has a relatively new Dolls’ House and Toy Museum at Ty Twt, Market Street. Check the website for opening hours.
- St Davids: Officially a city, St Davids, with its ancient cathedral begun in 1181, is actually not much more than a large village. It’s worth a visit for the many galleries, art exhibitions in the cathedral buildings themselves and the ruins of the Bishops Palace. This magnificent reminder of the wealth of the mediaeval Church forms the backcloth to a number of theatre performances during summer evenings. A brilliant venue with bats as a bonus.
- South Pembrokeshire: Although only 40 minutes away by car, this is another country. It does have some lovely castles, however.
A quiet holiday cottage in the Pembrokeshire National Park, near beaches and the coastal path.
Tegfan, Dinas Cross 