In Pembrokeshire you're never more than a few feet away from a burial chamber. Over in the Gwaun Valley, near Fishguard, you've got one of the best megalithic tombs to see in Pembrokeshire, if not all of Wales. Well over 3,000 years old, and weighing in at an impressive 16 tonnes of pure neolithic stone, Pentre Ifan sits overlooking the Nevern Valley, which sweeps out to the Pembrokeshire coast and out to sea. We went for a Fire Donkey family day out on a fact/fairy-finding excursion recently, looking for a nice spot to have a picnic, maybe do a nice sacrificial burial, you know? It's fun to act like you're on holiday, visiting Pembrokeshire for the first time every now and again. Imagine what it was like for early settlers when there would have been wolves and bears and tree coverage? No wonder they had so many burial chambers in Pembrokeshire, folk gonna be dying from wolf and bear attacks left, right and centre.
What a mythical location Pentre Ifan is though; if you can get there at the peak of the afternoon after a long walk along the Pembrokeshire coast, when the sun hits it just right through the standing stones (obviously you have to use a bit of your imagination to picture what the original barrow structure would have looked like, but imagine you entered through the front door and the whole sloping roof was enclosed on all sides, it would have been a massive job. And these days if you went there at night as the thick Pembrokeshire sea mist rose around you, no doubt you'd have to keep a low profile in case you disturbed a fairy council meeting as they discussed renovations to old Evan's barrow. A place intwined with folklore. Pembrokeshire, I mean, is where fact and fiction collide. I think that's one of the best things about it. It is chocker block with folklore. The burial chambers are just scratching the surface. Who built this ancient dolmen, and why? And how? I mean, without using a crane how on earth do you lift that massive stone on top of the others? St David, another of Pembrokeshire's famous folk heroes, would no doubt have had a solution involving doves and monks (as per) but this is long before doves and monks were even invented, so we're at a loss. (We got intern Sebastien to try to reconstruct the building of this barrow using the heaviest stones we could find back at Fire Donkey HQ. Needless to say, it was followed swiftly by a trip to A&E in Haverfordwest to treat a slipped disc in their back.)
Once upon a time no doubt Pentre Ifan would have been more like a hidden gem in Pembrokeshire surrounded by the mystical West Wales rainforest which ran all along the Pembs coast, now of course it sticks out among the sweeping green sheep-razed pastures and rolling hills of the Preseli Mountains. Well, ok, Preseli hills. So a very much visible gem nowadays.
You can reach Pentre Ifan on foot if you're walking the Pembrokeshire coastpath. It's well sign-posted (although we still managed to get lost once before trying to find it!) It's easy enough to head to Pentre Ifan by car too if you haven't got the stamina for the mega pilgrimage. Be warned though, if you've not been into the Gwaun Valley before it is like stepping back in time and don't be surprised if your sat nav starts playing merry hell with you because that could be that the Pembrokeshire fairies know you're there.
After this historic exploration you'll probably want to stop for a bite to eat, and if you carry on out of the Gwaun Valley and head to extreme north Pembrokeshire you'll soon find lots of places to eat in Newport, a popular seaside village. We recommend Pwnc Cafe.
If you're on holiday in Pembrokeshire this summer and like walking, 100% verifiably accurate history, and having a good laugh, why not join us on our St David's walking tour? Comedy, mythology and doves await on our spurious historical tour, arguably the best way to top off a day out for all the family (in the St Davids area that involves people wearing curtains and telling lies).
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