Tenby is a harbour town in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales. I visited the area in February 2022, with my sister and our dogs - Archie and Fergus. We spent two days exploring the town, it's beaches and harbour; and by the end of our time there, I think it'd had become one of my favourite places in the UK.
In the town, there are a lot of narrow pavements, which meant I needed to use the road instead. This obviously isn't the most ideal situation, and I can imagine in the summer months, when the area is busier, using the road in a wheelchair, wouldn't be safe.
Image Description: Nash, his red Labrador, Archie, and Saluki, Fergus, heading towards St Mary's Church. His wheelchair is being used as a coat and bag rack!
How to get there:
We drove into Tenby and were able to find somewhere to park both days. There are free, on-street disabled parking bays, throughout most of the town centre (We parked on High Street). Whilst there were plenty of disabled bays, we did find it a challenge to find a bay with enough room to put my ramp out, so I could get in/out of the van. So, we would stop next to the parking bay, get the ramp, me and my chair out, put the ramp back in, then I would wait on the pavement, while my sister parked in the space. Had I not had someone with me, it would have been almost (if not totally) impossible, for me to find suitable parking.
Whilst we didn't use public transport, there is a train station in Tenby along with 7 different bus routes that pass through the town. So if you're unable to drive, or would rather use public transport, there are a few options.
Where to Eat:
Trying to find a place to eat that would accommodate my chair, did prove a little difficult, as a lot of pubs had step access or weren't big enough to fit a wheelchair inside. In addition to this, we had the dogs with us, so we needed to find somewhere that were dog friendly too!
We did, however, stumble upon D. Fecci and Sons, a local fish and chip restaurant, that had level access and plenty of room to get around. The service in there was exceptional, and after speaking to the staff, we learnt that they had designed the restaurant to ensure wheelchair users would be able to dine there. I love it when accessibility isn't an afterthought!
On our second day in Tenby, we met up with our parents and their two dogs - so we were a party of four, including one wheelchair and four dogs! Luckily we found The Cove Eat and Drink, who were really accommodating and found us a table that could fit us all comfortably. The food was a little on the dry side (for everyone else - I loved my steak sandwich!), but it was a really relaxed space to catch up with each other without leaving the dogs out of all the fun!
Image Description: Nash's meal from 'The Cove' - A steak sandwich, on a breaded bun, with fries and a side salad, to the left is a glass of Coke.
When visiting the South Beach, we stopped for a drink at Salty's Beach Bar and Restaurant. The building had step-free access, a disabled bathroom and was dog friendly, which made it a perfect place to pop into after a day at the beach.
And of course, no visit to the seaside would be complete without ice cream! We found a small café called Cadwaladers, that sold ice creams and sorbets. It wasn't the easiest of places to get in to, the doorplate wasn't level with the flooring, so my chair caught on it a little - I imagine it would have been a lot easier to get in/around in my manual chair.
What to See:
We spent some time at, the North and South Beaches and found that I could get down to the sand at both, but neither had a platform down to the sea. We also visited the Castle Beach, but unfortunately I wasn't able to get down, so I watched my sister and the dogs enjoy it, from the cliff top.
The North Beach
The North Beach had a long, steep path down to the sand (I had to recline my chair so I didn't feel like I was tipping forwards). I was glad of the access, however I couldn't help but think of how difficult it would have been to push my manual chair back up the hill.
Image Description: Nash and his red Labrador, Archie, heading down to the North Beach. Both are looking at the camera, Archie on his lead next to Nash in his powerchair. Nash is wearing his lighting bolt design bundle bean and has his hood tightly fastened. The weather is wet and cold.
Once we got to the bottom of the ramp, there was a wide paved ramp down to the sand, and a path along the seafront, built from the same material. I loved it because it meant I could enjoy the walk across the beachfront, with my sister and the dogs (who were walking along the sand). At the other end of the path, is the Life Boat dock, the harbour and a ramp/access-only road back up to the town.
The South Beach
The South Beach was my favourite place in Tenby; it just felt so chilled out, and the perfect place to unwind. There was an access-only road down the cliffside, which made getting down to the beach super easy, and then a wooden ramp down to the sand. Unfortunately, when we were there, the sand had drifted a lot, and so quite a bit of the ramp was inaccessible. However, I still go to spend time 'at the beach' rather than watching other people enjoy it, from afar!
Image Description: Nash, in his powerchair, and his red Labrador, Archie, on a wooden, sand-covered, ramp. Archie is sitting beside Nash on his lead and you can see the cliff edges and sea in the distance. heading back from South Beach.
Final Thoughts
I think Tenby is a must-see location, for anyone visiting Pembrokeshire. I found getting down to North and South beaches, relatively easy, however, I was unable to get to Castle Beach due to it only being accessible via steep staircases. Getting back up to the main town (from the beach) is pretty hilly, so manual chair users might need to use power add-ons or just an extra push from a friend. There is a range of accessible places to eat and drink, as well as the town being really dog friendly. I'd love to go back again when the weather is a little warmer, however, I'm not sure how easy it'd be to get around when it's busier during the school holidays.
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