St Davids  Cathedral, Wales – a travelogue

Somehow, despite being in my sixth decade, and a regular visitor to Wales I had never made St Davids. A t trip to the Pembrokeshire coast rectified that omission.

The UK’s smallest city is named after the patron saint of Wales, St David. Back in the 6th century, Dewi Sant, as he’s known in Welsh, founded monasteries across his homeland and France, including one in his local community.

He was born to a lady named Non, who also became a saint, and his birthplace is marked by the remains of St Non’s Chapel, easily reached on a 20-minute walk from St Davids centre.

Back in town, a spectacular cathedral, which has been a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of years, holds the saint’s remains and was built in the 12th century alongside his monastery. It’s said that two pilgrimages to the cathedral are equal to one pilgrimage to Rome, and it brings thousands of visitors from around the world to the tiny city every year – not to mention Welsh visitors who want to honour their saint in his final resting place.

The sweeping beaches of the Pembrokeshire coast were used as rehearsal locations for D Day. When i visited Tenby it was easy to see why.

Prior to D Day President Eisenhower visited the coast to check on preparations. I stopped at Solva and had a drink in the harbour pub, a pub where Eisenhower and Churchill had dropped by for refreshments much to the astonishment of the landlord.