Wizard WELSH weekend

Make for Pembrokeshire's coastline at St Davids for sublime scenery and fascinating history in equal measure

- KERRY WALKER

With cliffs, castaway bays and puffin-filled islands on its doorstep, St Davids, in Pembrokeshire, is home to the coast of your wildest childhood fantasies. But the UK's tiniest city also has a medieval cathedral, pastel-painted Georgian centre and one of Wales' most exciting food scenes, making it ideal for a short weekend break that blends the great outdoors with culture. Though you might be tempted to linger longer whatever the length of your stay, it never feels long enough.

Visit the cathedral

Quite why St Davids has city status becomes obvious when you glimpse its mighty Norman cathedral (stdavidscathedral.org.uk). Rising above the remains of an earlier chapel and hewn from the local purple-grey sandstone, this is where Welsh patron saint St David founded his monastery back in the sixth-century. Pilgrims have flocked here for centuries to visit his shrine. Back in the Middle Ages, it's said two visits to St Davids equalled one to Rome.

Arrive early in the morning to explore it at its silent best before the day trippers arrive. The cathedral echoes with classical and choral music at summer concerts.

Hit the beach

With the first rays of sun, everyone makes for Whitesands Bay, about two miles north of St Davids, for big waves and bracing sea air. When the tide rolls out, it reveals a wonderful vast sweep of powdery golden sand and seaweed-ensnared rockpools to explore.