FISHGUARD
Fishguard harbour is the main port and sailing centre for North Pembrokeshire. In the days of the sailing ships it used to be a busy fishing port, andf it was also important for agricultural and fish product exports and for the import of a vast range of goods needed by the local community. The impressive harbour with its fine breakwater was constructed in 1906 in an effort to entice the great transatlantic liners away from Liverpool and Southampton. It didn't work, and so Fisguard never did grow into another Liverpool. But the port is still busy today, with Irish ferry traffic.
Fishguard is famous as the focal point for "The Last Invasion of Britain." In 1797, the nearby Pencaer Peninsula was invaded by a mottley group of French soldiers, mercenaries and ex-convicts who had been ordered to invade and secure Bristol. Their ships were blown off-course, and when they landed they thought they were in Ireland! Tradition tells that the force of invaders pilfered local farms and produce, became drunk on Portuguese wine (from a recent shipwreck) and then frapidly deteriorated into a disorganized rabble. A local cobbler woman called Jemima Nicholas is said to have captured a dozen French soldiers armed only with a pitchfork. Within 48 hours the French had surrendered. The story of the whole amazing event is recorded on a tapestry which rivals the Bayeux Tapestry and which measures over 30 metres in length.
Fishguard is a delightful town with narrow streets and good local facilities. It is the only town on the Pembrokeshire coastline which is not within the National Park. There are really three sections to the town -- Lower Town (the old harbour), Fishguard itself, and Goodwick, located on the hillside above the new port.
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