Harbour town, invasion story
Fishguard
A hilltop town, an old harbour and Goodwick across the bay, tied together by seafaring history and the events of 1797.
- Best for
- 1797 history, harbour views and marine life
- Give it
- A day across the main town, Lower Town and Goodwick
- Don't miss
- The surrender table and the 100-foot tapestry
Photo: Dylan Moore · CC BY-SA 2.0 · cropped
The Fox verdict
A harbour town still telling its invasion story
Fishguard brings the surrender of 1797 into the present day at the Royal Oak, through churchyard history and in an embroidered gallery, then opens onto Lower Town and Goodwick Bay.
Start with the Royal Oak's surrender table and the Last Invasion Tapestry, then move between the old harbour, the Marine Walk, Goodwick's aquarium and the sandy shore.
Where to go
Places in Fishguard
Every place below is checked against a published source, listed with what it is and how long to give it.
Local signatures
3 placesThe Royal Oak
A restored traditional pub where the terms of the French surrender were signed in 1797; Lord Cawdor used it as his headquarters, and food and real ale remain part of the visit.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 75 minutes
- Locality
- Market Square, in the heart of the town
Last Invasion Tapestry
A 100-foot embroidered retelling of the 1797 invasion, made by the Fishguard Arts Society for the 1997 bicentenary in the style of the Bayeux Tapestry.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 60 minutes
- Locality
- First floor of Fishguard Town Hall
Ocean Lab / Sea Môr Aquarium
Sea Môr is a catch-and-release aquarium showing changing marine life from the Pembrokeshire coast. Seashore Safaris are marine-biologist-led rockpool experiences along Goodwick beach and slip.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 90 minutes
- Locality
- Goodwick seafront by the ferry port
Food & drink
1 placeThe Ship Inn
A Lower Town pub in an early nineteenth-century terraced building, with pine beams in its downstairs bar.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 75 minutes
- Locality
- Lower Town (Lower Fishguard)
Walks & outdoors
1 placeMarine Walk
A headland walk with views towards Lower Town, the Preseli Hills and Fishguard Harbour; the local route can be completed as a circuit through town.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 90 minutes
- Locality
- Around the headland and through the town
History & heritage
1 place
St Mary's Church
A Grade II listed church rebuilt in 1855–57, with stained glass by John Petts and a memorial stone to Jemima Nicholas in the churchyard.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 45 minutes
- Locality
- The Square
Things to do
1 placeGoodwick Sands
A small sandy beach beside the ferry terminal, with a promenade above it and a breakwater you can walk along.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: around 75 minutes
- Locality
- Beside Ocean Lab in Goodwick
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Three ways to explore Fishguard
Signature outings
Harbour views on the Marine Walk
Start Marine Walk (West) at French Walk car park for a paved headland path above the harbour.
Stained glass and a local heroine
After seeing Jemima Nicholas's memorial stone, look inside for the baptistery pool set into the floor and the balcony once used by fishermen.
Marine life at Ocean Lab
Sea Môr is a catch-and-release aquarium showing changing marine life from the Pembrokeshire coast. Seashore Safaris are marine-biologist-led rockpool experiences.
The town story
Fishguard's surrender table and harbour
A town where the last invasion of mainland Britain is remembered between a pub table, an embroidered gallery, the old harbour and the shore at Goodwick.
The Surrender Table and the Last Invasion
The Royal Oak in central Fishguard displays the table on which the terms of the 1797 French surrender were signed. Lord Cawdor's officers used the inn as their headquarters during the attempted invasion. It remains a pub and restaurant, with that history still part of the visit.
On 22 February 1797, French ships landed about 1,400 soldiers at Carregwastad Point under William Tate. Tate's French force surrendered at Goodwick Sands on 24 February. Jemima Nicholas is credited with capturing a dozen soldiers, and a memorial stone honours her in the churchyard of St Mary's Church on The Square. The 100-foot Last Invasion Tapestry retells the events in a gallery upstairs at the Town Hall.
Three Parts of Town and the Ship Inn
Fishguard's main town rises above Lower Town harbour at the mouth of the River Gwaun. Goodwick lies across the bay beside the ferry port. From the hilltop streets to the old quay and Goodwick shore, each part gives a different view of the water.
In Lower Town, the Ship Inn occupies an early nineteenth-century terraced building with pine beams in its downstairs bar. The harbour nearby appeared in the films Moby Dick and Under Milk Wood.
Stained glass and the baptistery
The parish church on The Square was rebuilt in 1855–57 to a design Thomas Clark supplied without charge. Its stained glass includes work by John Petts, and a baptistery pool is set into the floor.
Walks Above the Harbour
Marine Walk (West) begins at French Walk car park, following a paved path around the headland with views towards Lower Town and Fishguard Harbour. A link through town makes a circuit. For a longer outing, follow the Coast Path west towards Strumble Head Lighthouse, about 4.9 miles from central Fishguard in a straight line; the walking route is longer.
Sea Life at Goodwick
At Goodwick's Ocean Lab, Sea Môr introduces visitors to changing marine life from the Pembrokeshire coast through a catch-and-release aquarium. Seashore Safaris are marine-biologist-led rockpool experiences. Nearby Goodwick Sands is a small sandy beach beside the ferry terminal, with a promenade above it and a walkable breakwater.
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A guide with a point of view
Written from research. Edited for real journeys.
Use the Official site links for live practical details, then use this guide for context, ideas and room to explore.
Photography credits & licences
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- File:St Mary's Parish Church, Fishguard - geograph.org.uk - 3721118.jpg — photograph by Dylan Moore; St Mary's Parish Church, Fishguard by Dylan Moore. Source record on Wikimedia Commons. Declared source image. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0. File changes: Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons, resized to a maximum 1920px edge and encoded as an optimised JPEG. Display changes: Displayed with responsive CSS cropping.
Sources
Every place on this page is checked against a published source. Each entry links the record we used and names who publishes it.
- The Royal Oak — royaloakfishguard.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Last Invasion Tapestry — visitwales.com operator, sector body or destination organisation
- St Mary's Church — churchinwales.org.uk other published source
- Marine Walk — pembrokeshirecoast.wales other published source
- The Ship Inn — cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net other published source
- Ocean Lab / Sea Môr Aquarium — visitwales.com operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Goodwick Sands — visitpembrokeshire.com operator, sector body or destination organisation