I've had a romantic notion of renting a cottage on the coast of Wales for quite some time. In the beginning of October, we packed up the car, including every last dog necessity, and road-tripped over to Pembrokeshire Coast of Wales. This was a special vacation since Fira and Dexter came along too. We stayed in a tiny village called Dinas Cross, right in-between the towns of Fishguard and Newport.
Packed to the brim and ready to head out of Cambridge!
Miss Fira getting cozy for the long ride ahead of us. She looks unhappy to be in the car, but little does she know how much running and frolicking she'll get to do in our destination.
After 6.5 long hours, we finally arrived at a charming cottage, cute as can be. I've also had a romantic notion of renting a cottage that looks and feels similar to
The Holiday (guiltily one of my favorite movies), so you can imagine the HUGE smile on my face when we pulled up to our accommodation for the week.
Fira and Dexter settled in quite nicely.
The like to think they're humans.
Inside, the cottage had all the features of an old British home, including a bright sunroom...
...a floor-to-ceiling stone alcove with a fireplace...
...low ceilings with exposed beams and not a television in sight...
...a windy, creaky staircase up to the bedroom...
...and an old-fashioned kitchen with just enough modern amenities.
Outside, a windy path led us down a short walk to the beach.
A quick drive in the other direction was the local supermarket where we purchased our groceries throughout the week. It didn't take us long to discover that fresh meat and produce were only delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays (and sold out fast!)
We all settled into our temporary home quickly.
And it didn't take long for the dogs to resume their respective roles as guards!
On our first evening, we took comfort in the coziness of a fire, a glass of wine, and a little Van Morrison playing in the background. The dogs were each snuggled up on their own couch after the long car journey.
The following morning, we were up early and eager to explore on foot.
The beach near the cottage was gorgeous! We decided to walk the coastal path that would take us around the perimeter of Dinas Head. It was only a 3-ish mile walk and the views were unbeatable.
The rest of the week, we took advantage of our close proximity to several spectacular, dog-friendly beaches a short drive from the cottage. The weather was a bit temperamental, but overall it was fairly dry (with the exception of an INTENSE thunderstorm one night.)
There were also a few architecturally and historically significant sights that we stopped to see.
On Thursday, we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary with a quaint lunch in the neighboring town of Fishguard. Afterwards, we drove over to a local brewery that Jason had read about. The owners were friendly, the beer was delicious....
...and the view was peacefully beautiful despite the lingering rain clouds.
As we drove back to the cottage, we stopped for some photo-ops that couldn't be overlooked.
Happy 33rd Birthday to this handsome guy! I'm lucky to call him my husband. Dexter's pretty handsome too.
On our last day, prior to starting the long drive back to Cambridge, we decided to check out one last beach. From the car park, there was about a 1/4 mile coastal walk to access the beach. As the beach entered our sight, we couldn't believe the stretch of untouched sand down below!
Fira was the happiest, most spoiled girl in all of the UK.
Dexter stared at the entrance of the beach to monitor for any visitors.
He also watched the waves, just in case they were getting too close.
What an amazing afternoon to end our week in Wales. Vacations with the dogs are the very, very best.
