Pin Down Your Weekend in West Wales

West Wales is lovely to visit at any time of year, and I may be biased because it’s when my sewing classes usually run, but Spring and Autumn are two of my favourite times to visit the area as it’s not as busy as during the peak Summer season, or as cold during the Winter!

And while you may be visiting me for a sewing weekend and therefore in the sewing studio most of the day, if you’re travelling with loved ones (or have just happened across this post because you’re going to be in the area) they’re going to need something to do in that time, so I thought I’d put together a list of my top recommendations in West Wales for eating, walking, relaxing and sleeping to take some of the leg work out of your trip planning!

Something to note about Wales is that, like many rural places, in the off-season not as many businesses open, and cafes and shops are often closing as early as 3 or 4 pm. Many also don’t open on Sunday’s, so it’s best to check out their website in advance to get business hours if you’d like to visit.

Thimble Studios is situated in a former vestry in the small historic market town of Newcastle Emlyn. Where once cattle and sheep were sold at market, now there is a Fair Trade Town and an array of independent shops, cafes, pubs, and arts & crafts and antique centres. You can read more about Newcastle Emlyn here.

My accommodation suggestions are based around this area as staying in or around Newcastle Emlyn means you’ll be able to walk to the sewing studio (or at least have a short car ride if it’s a little more rural), and these have also been tried and tested by previous students who were happy to give their approval of them! 

Ty Becca is a traditional Welsh Long House that was saved from demolition over 20 years ago by the previous owners; the actual building has been around since the 1400s! It will sleep a couple or an individual and is situated just 5 minutes in the car from the studio.

Thimble students can get a preferential rate for Ty Becca £105 per night (instead of £130!), minimum three-night stay. You can even take your dog with you for an extra fee of £40. They’re open for bookings from February through November and every stay booked supports the local food bank in Cardigan, which is a lovely initiative.

To get the discount, email Rob and Ness at info@secretfieldwales.co.uk about your stay and attending a course at Thimble Studios.

They also have another guest house, Abrahams, which sleeps 4 people if you are travelling with guests or a friend.

Secret Fields Wales also has an excellent recommendations guide you can check out for more tips for the local area, including biking routes if that’s what your significant other is into!

If you are coming in the off-season when my classes run, you might be able to get a room at the Gwesty (meaning hotel in Welsh) right here in Newcastle Emlyn, which is very reasonably priced with a good breakfast included. You can ask for a quiet room in case they have a wedding reception on but the feedback from previous students has always been good!

They serve tapas in the restaurant in the evening, which is open to everyone, and there are spa facilities which you can book in advance if you’d like to really make a weekend of it and treat yourself to a nice massage after your sewing!

You can view the hotel here, and book here.

If you’ve opted to stay in Newcastle Emlyn, there’s a lovely walk following the river in the park to stretch your legs out, and Riverside Cafe makes a great veggie lunch!

While you’re here for the weekend, you might want to make the most of your evenings or eat out for meals, and if this is the case then I’d recommend staying a little further afield from Newcastle Emlyn for this, and Cardigan is a great choice with lots of food options.

Cardigan is a lovely estuary town which sits on the River Teifi and is situated about a 20-minute drive from the sewing studio in Newcastle Emlyn.

A note: because these are rural businesses, opening, closing and last service times may change throughout the year. If you do plan to visit any of these places, it’s worth checking their website or ringing them up to see if a booking is necessary – or make one anyway so you guarantee your table!

This lovely historic maritime building by the estuary was recently refurbished into a hotel and I would certainly consider it as a place to stay if you are looking for something extra special for your visit.

However, aside from that their walk-in bar is super cosy and Yr Odyn is worth the visit to wrap up a day of sewing or walking. You can take a peak at their seasonal offerings over on their Instagram.

To make a hotel booking click here.

Crwst has two locations in Cardigan; one for brunches on Priory Street and Crwst at Poppit Sands which is perfect for grabbing a freshly baked doughnut and coffee and enjoying a walk along the beach (no matter the season!) – keep up to date with their bakes and opening hours at their Instagram account.

Pizzatipi is situated along the river in town, and is the perfect place to enjoy a woodfired pizza with a lovely open courtyard and heated covered gazebo. They also have a bar which closes at around 10 pm.

Yr Hen Printworks is a Michelin accredited restaurant, serving small plates featuring high-quality local produce. Delicious!

Definitely book your table in advance if you’d like to go here.

Baramenyn has the best sourdough in the area, hands down. They’re only open Thursday, Friday & Saturday, 12-4pm so do plan accordingly if you’d like to take some home with you (maybe it helps to have a friend or partner with you so they can pick some up on Saturday while you sew)!

You can’t come all the way to West Wales and not experience at least some of the amazing options for walking. Here are some of my favourite places to mooch in the area.

Some of my favourite beaches include;

They are all linked by a well-maintained coastal path. You should allow roughly 40 minutes between each beach along the path.

Tresaith has got a nice pub with a terrific seafront terrace, Penbryn (an otherwise completely unspoilt sandy beach) has a lovely food hut at the top carpark called The Plwmp Tart and Llangranog is spoilt for choice; a beach hut for fish and chips, Tafell A Tân for woodfired pizza and a cafe for ice creams. It’s my favourite for a bite whilst watching the setting sun.

Further west, Mwnt is a lovely bay with a hill offering a great viewpoint out to the sea (and dolphin spotting!) whilst Ceibrw leads up to the Witches’ Cauldron, a collapsed cave with stunning greeny-blue water right along the coast path.

There’s no cafe nearby either of these so you might want to take a flask of tea or grab a coffee on your way. 

Cenarth Falls is a nice spot by the river to take some green space and water in, but not much of a walk.

Cilgerran Gorge Circular Walk starts at a car park near the castle and continues on through the wildlife centre.

Maybe outside mooching isn’t for you and a spa is more up your street?

The Cliff Hotel & Spa is a nice way to unwind after a day of sewing – they offer treatments until 8pm so a massage after a day of sewing is not out of the question! It’s £20 for access to the spa (plus treatment cost) and the cafe has an amazing view over the Cardigan estuary too. The cafe is fine with walk-in’s but you should definitely book the spa in advance.

And that’s all my recommendations for your visit to West Wales for now! I do hope that they’re helpful for planning your visit, whether you’re coming to a Thimble Studios sewing class or not.

Thanks as always to my good friend and excellent photographer Heather Birnie for allowing me to use her images for my West Wales recommendations. You can also follow her on Instagram here.