About Fishguard | About Fishguard |
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Fishguard, Goodwick and Lower Town form a friendly community with a population of 5000 in the heart of North Pembrokeshire overlooking Fishguard Bay. The main commercial centre is Fishguard where shopping is typical of a market town with many small family owned businesses. Goodwick is the location of the ferry and railway terminus and during the holiday season an express ferry makes the crossing to Ireland in two hours. The picturesque harbour at Lower Town has been the setting of several films including Dylan Thomas's Under Milkwood, starring Richard Burton, whilst Moby Dick starring Gregory Peck, was set in the old Fishguard Harbour.
Some of the most beautiful parts of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park stretch away on both sides of Fishguard. The Marine Walk is just one of the many walks that provide superb views of the coast and sea whilst the more adventurous can join the 186 miles long Coast Path. Goodwick has a sandy beach which has been awarded a 'Seaside Award' and there are open spaces to relax or play on. A modern Leisure Centre provides facilities for the young and old and Theatr Gwaun shows weekly films as well as regular live events.
The area is noted as the scene of the Last Invasion of Britain in 1797 when 1200 French troops landed near Goodwick. The invaders were quickly routed but the event has gone down in history with a modern tapestry of the skirmish displayed in a special gallery in Fishguard Town Hall. At 30.4 metres long and 53 cms deep this work of art, embroidered by over seventy local women, has become internationally famous.
Prehistoric sites around Fishguard Bay suggest that voyagers found shelter here from early times with Scandinavians and Normans leaving their mark. The name Fishguard is derived from two Old Norse words meaning ‘fish-yard’. Lower Fishguard, or Cwm, is much older and was described in the 16th century by the Irish as a ‘good harbour’ and by the late 18th century it had 50 coasting vessels handling herrings, oats and lime.
Fishguard continued to grow as a typical market town supplying the needs of the rural community around it, whilst Goodwick was just a cluster of fishermen’s cottages until the early part of the 20th century when a port and railway terminus was built there. The hamlet developed rapidly with the influx of workers and the Fishguard to Rosslare ferry service opened in 1906. Attempts to develop the port as a transatlantic terminal were short-lived, ceasing with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.
Fishguard is a fascinating holiday destination and a perfect base to explore Pembrokeshire. As the latest edition of the Lonely Planet guide says about Fishguard, "Stop awhile and you'll discover a hilly little town with a cute harbour and intriguing history."
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