Townapedia
Fishguard West Street
Fishguard West Street · Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0
Bennetts Navy Tavern DSC 8645 -1
Bennetts Navy Tavern DSC 8645 -1 · Talsarnau Times, CC BY-SA 3.0
Fishguard Fort DSC 8631 -1
Fishguard Fort DSC 8631 -1 · Talsarnau Times, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Ship Inn DSC 8449 -1
The Ship Inn DSC 8449 -1 · Talsarnau Times, CC BY-SA 3.0

Fishguard, United Kingdom

Fishguard is a town of 3,419 people in Wales, United Kingdom.

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Population3,419 GeoNames
RegionWales
Elevation207 ft 63 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Nearest airportHaverfordwest Airport (HAW) 11 mi
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Why visit Fishguard

Townapedia lists 8 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails, 24 places to eat, 11 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.

Highlights include Theatr Gwaun.

About Fishguard

Fishguard (Welsh: Abergwaun, meaning 'Mouth of the River Gwaun') is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,400 (rounded to the nearest 100) as of the 2021 census. Modern Fishguard consists of two parts, Lower Fishguard and the "Main Town". Fishguard and Goodwick are twin towns with a joint Town Council.

From the Wikipedia article Fishguard (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Travel tips from other travellers: Fishguard on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Things to do1

Theatr Gwaun

Cinema and theater

West Street, Fishguard

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Museums and landmarks8

Fishguard Fort

Monument and historic site · 0.6 mi

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Cylch Gorsedd Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Abergwaun

Monument and historic site

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Gorsedd Circle

Monument and historic site

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London House Gallery

Museum

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Memorial to D.J. Williams

Monument and historic site

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Ocean Lab

Monument and historic site · 0.9 mi

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Peppers

Museum

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Pistyll Lime Kiln

Monument and historic site

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Parks, trails and playgrounds3

Brian Bowen's Garden

Park · 0.4 mi

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Llanfori Playground

Playground · 0.4 mi

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Lota Park

Park

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Restaurants and cafes24

Barfive

Bar and pub

5 Main Street

Mo-We off; Th-Sa 17:00-23:00; Su 14:00-23:00

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The Ship Inn

Bar and pub · 0.4 mi

3 Newport Road

Mo-Tu off; We-Fr 17:00-23:00; Sa 12:00-23:00; Su 12:00-21:00

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Cove Corner

Cafe · Coffee Shop

Market Square, Fishguard

Mo-Th 08:00-17:00; Su 09:00-15:00; Fr-Sa 08:00-22:00

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Bennetts Navy Tavern

Bar and pub

20 High Street

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Cambrian Inn

Bar and pub

Hamilton Street

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The Fishguard Arms

Bar and pub

24 Main Street, Fishguard

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The Old Coach House

Bar and pub

10 High Street, Fishguard

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Ffwrn

Cafe

Main Street, Fishguard

Th-Sa 11:30-17:15,18:00-23:00

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Mannings

Cafe · Breakfast, Cake, Coffee Shop

18 West Street, Fishguard

Open in Google Maps · +44 1348 874100

Pendre Inn

Bar and pub

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Hope and Anchor

Bar and pub · 1.1 mi

Goodwick Square

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12 more on the map.

History

Fishguard is within the historic Welsh cantref of Cemais, and part of the Welsh province of Dyfed, within the historic Principality of Deheubarth. The coasts of Wales were subject to Norse raids during the Viking Age, and in the latter part of the 10th century Norse trading posts and settlements emerged within Dyfed, with Fishguard established sometime between 950 and 1000 AD.

In 1078 Goodwick Moor was the scene of a bloody battle in which Rhys, son of Owain ap Edwyn, was defeated and slain by Trahaearn ap Caradog (Brut y Tywysogion) in the Battle of Pwllgwdig.

The English place name indicates that there may have been a Scandinavian trading post, although no evidence has been found. However, the V-shaped stone structures of ancient fish traps can still be seen at low tide on both sides of the bay, and it is believed these were the foundations for wooden fences that would trap the fish as the tide went out. Other examples can be found around the country, and they probably date from Saxon times, though similar devices have been in use since Neolithic times.

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Called Fiscard until the turn of the 19th century when the name was Anglicised, Fishguard was a marcher borough and in 1603 was described as one of five Pembrokeshire boroughs overseen by a portreeve. The Norman settlement lay along what is now High Street between the church at its north end and the remains of a Norman motte at its south end.

In 1912, Denys Corbett Wilson made the first flight between Britain and Ireland. Starting his journey from Hendon aerodrome on 17 April 1912, he eventually landed in Goodwick on 21 April having made a few unscheduled stops along the way. He then set off from a field near Harbour Village at 5:47 on 22 April and crash-landed 100 minutes later in Crane near Enniscorthy in County Wexford.

Lower Fishguard developed as a herring fishery and port, trading with Ireland, Bristol and Liverpool. In the late 18th century it had 50 coasting vessels, and exported oats and salt herring. In 1779, the port was raided by the privateer Black Prince, which bombarded the town when the payment of a £1,000 ransom was refused. As a result, Fishguard Fort was completed in 1781, overlooking Lower Fishguard. The port declined in the latter half of the 19th century.

Fishguard's ancient Royal Oak public house was the site of the signing of surrender after the Battle of Fishguard. This brief campaign, on 22–24 February 1797, is the most recent landing on British soil by a hostile foreign force, and thus is often referred to as the "last invasion of mainland Britain". A force of 1,400 French soldiers landed near Fishguard but surrendered two days later.

A 19th-century vicar of Fishguard, the Rev. Samuel Fenton MA, wrote the book The History of Pembrokeshire.

The ancient Parliamentary Borough of Fishguard was contributory to the Borough of Haverfordwest. During the Second World War, the Fishguard Bay Hotel was Station IXc of Special Operations Executive where submersibles were tested in Fishguard Bay.

Fishguard & Goodwick Golf Club was founded in 1921 and closed in the 1960s.

From the History section of Fishguard on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about Fishguard

Geography

The town is situated at the back of a north facing bay known as Fishguard Bay (Welsh: Bae Abergwaun) which offers protection from waves generated by prevailing westerly winds. It has a relatively mild climate due to its coastal position. The winds coming from the west or south-west have a determining influence on temperature and precipitation. There is an islet in Fishguard Bay, Needle Rock which reaches 131 feet (40 metres).

Wildlife around Fishguard is rich with a wide variety of colourful wild flowers and sea mammals including the grey seal, porpoises and dolphins. The local birdlife include Eurasian curlew, common redshank and sanderling regularly foraging in the lower Fishguard Harbour and European stonechat, great cormorant and northern fulmar can be seen from the coastal path.

From the Wikipedia article Fishguard, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Notable people from Fishguard

Born in Fishguard, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.

Where to stay11

Churches and places of worship5

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Shopping13

Gas and EV charging1

Schools, colleges and libraries4

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Healthcare2

Map of Fishguard

72 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Haverfordwest Airport (HAW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Towns near Fishguard

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.