Golf in West Wales

West Wales is the quiet, scenic end of Welsh golf — a run of honest, old-fashioned links along one of Britain's most beautiful coastlines, much of it inside the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The golf is a fraction of the price of the famous names, the crowds are thin, and the setting — beaches, cliffs, harbour towns and boat trips — makes it as good a family trip as a golf one.

Tenby is the anchor and the star — the oldest golf club in Wales, founded in 1888 and a founding member of the Welsh Golfing Union. Its links tumbles through the South Beach dunes beside the walled harbour town, with the monastery island of Caldey out to sea: blind shots, humps and hollows and old-school character in abundance, and terrific value. Nearby, Ashburnhamat Burry Port is the region's championship heavyweight — a links Harry Vardon called "the course I like best in Wales," and a Senior Open final-qualifying venue that demands real driving.

For a modern contrast, Machynys near Llanelli is a Jack Nicklaus links-parkland on the Loughor estuary, water in play on two-thirds of the holes, with a premier spa attached. And to the north, the clifftop Cardigan links high above the Teifi estuary at Gwbert is one of the best-value quality links in Britain, with panoramic Cardigan Bay views and, on a good day, dolphins in the water below.

Tenby and neighbouring Saundersfootmake the natural base — pretty harbour towns with plenty of accommodation, Tenby's links on the doorstep and Ashburnham under an hour east. Llanelli suits a Machynys–Ashburnham pairing and sits handily between the west and the South Wales links, while the far north around Cardigan is a quieter, scenic option. Cardiff is the nearest major airport.

Tenby & Saundersfoot

Penally Abbey, a Gothic country house in gardens just outside Tenby, is the pick for character, while the St Brides Spa Hotel above Saundersfoot harbour has the best sea views and a clifftop spa. In town, the seafront Atlantic Hotel is a comfortable, well-placed base for the links.

Cardigan & the north

The Cliff Hotel & Spa at Gwbert sits right beside the Cardigan links with panoramic bay views — the obvious base for that end of the coast.

The gastronomic highlight is Coast at Saundersfoot — a Michelin-starred restaurant right on the beach, worth booking well ahead. In Tenby, Plantagenet House, built around a huge medieval Flemish chimney, is the atmospheric dinner choice, and the Harbwr brewery-bar down by the harbour is the place for a local pint. Around Llanelli, the seafood at Sosban, in the old pumphouse on the North Dock, is a reliable stop after Machynys or Ashburnham.

Tenby itself — pastel Georgian houses above a walled harbour and three sweeping beaches — is one of the loveliest small towns in Britain. A boat runs out to Caldey Island, home to a working Cistercian monastery whose monks make perfume and chocolate.

The Pembrokeshire Coast Path links a string of spectacular beaches — Barafundle Bay and the Stackpole estate near Bosherston are among the finest in Wales. Further west, St Davids— Britain's smallest city, built around its medieval cathedral — is a wonderful day out, and the National Botanic Garden of Wales near Carmarthen makes a good inland half-day.

It pairs naturally with a run south into South Wales, or see the best courses in Wales.