Photo: Colin Smith / Fishguard – Harbour Mouth – geograph.org.uk – 7003901.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0 · cropped
Fishguard offers more than a place to pass through on the way to a ferry. Its tapestry, community theatre and harbour tell different local stories, while guided kayaking and creative workshops give you something to do together. Nearby Goodwick adds a small aquarium focused on Welsh marine life.
The upper town, Lower Town harbour and Goodwick are distinct places, with hills and separate journeys between them. These six ideas help you choose one main setting and understand the journey between places. Leave time for food and a conversation along the way.
1. Read the story in the Last Invasion Tapestry
The Last Invasion Tapestry recounts the French landing near Fishguard in 1797. It is displayed in a purpose-built gallery within the library on the first floor of the Town Hall.
Give yourselves time to follow the scenes. The interest is in both the historical story and the way local makers have chosen to tell it. You can compare the details that caught your attention without needing to arrive with a knowledge of eighteenth-century warfare.
There is supporting material in the adjoining audiovisual room, so this is more than a glance at a single wall. It suits a date when you enjoy a focused cultural visit with something specific to discuss afterwards.
Check the gallery’s own admission and opening arrangements; entering a public library does not make every exhibition free. The Town Hall has a lift, and the published Saturday hours change with the season. Confirm the day you want before arranging the rest of the visit.
2. Choose a film or performance at Theatr Gwaun
Theatr Gwaun is Fishguard’s community cinema and theatre, offering an evening alternative to coastal walking. Its programme includes films and live events, so you can choose the atmosphere as well as the title.
Browse together and read the language, subtitle and age guidance. A screening, a live concert and an event linked to a festival may have quite different running times and ticket arrangements. Check the named venue too, since a wider programme can include events elsewhere in town.
Meet beforehand if you want time to talk without competing with the performance. A simple meal or drink is enough to give the evening a sociable beginning. Afterwards, you can discuss what surprised you rather than trying to agree on a verdict.
Check access and the finishing time when booking. If travelling by public transport, confirm the complete return journey before choosing a late event. Fishguard’s railway stations are not beside every town-centre venue.
3. Discover Welsh marine life at Sea Môr
Sea Môr Aquarium is at the Ocean Lab in Goodwick, near the ferry port. It focuses on animals found in Welsh waters, giving you a closer look at life that can be difficult to see from the shore.
This is a small, focused visit rather than a large aquarium to spend the whole day touring. Take time to notice how creatures move and hide, and ask questions when staff are available. Understanding one unfamiliar animal can make a later coastal walk more interesting.
Book or call ahead. The aquarium can close to the public for school visits, and its timetable differs from the café and shop. Seeing the Ocean Lab open does not guarantee that an aquarium visit is available at that moment.
The charity publishes access information and offers quiet slots by arrangement. If a calmer session would help, contact the team before choosing a time. Leave room afterwards for refreshments or a short walk along Goodwick’s waterfront.
4. Walk between the views of the harbour
Fishguard’s Lower Town and coastal viewpoints offer a date built around the setting itself. The old harbour feels different from the ferry port at Goodwick, with its smaller boats, quayside and sheltered-looking corners.
Choose whether you want a short harbour visit or a longer route involving Marine Walk. The slopes between upper and lower town change the effort considerably. Use a local route map and agree where you will finish before heading downhill.
You could start with the view, stop for a photograph and then settle somewhere for food. Leave working areas clear and keep back from unguarded edges. A harbour is a working place as well as somewhere attractive to sit.
If you are interested in public art, the Art Afoot trails provide another way to notice the area. Choose a suitable section rather than assuming that every linked path has the same gradient or surface.
5. Paddle with a guide from Lower Town
Kayak King runs guided trips from Lower Town harbour using sit-on-top kayaks. It offers a more adventurous date while keeping the route and local conditions in the hands of an experienced guide.
Beginners are welcome, and equipment is provided, but discuss your confidence and any participation needs before booking. Single and tandem kayaks are available; ask which arrangement suits you rather than assuming sharing a boat is automatically the best choice.
The guide chooses a route for the weather, sea and group. Caves, wildlife and particular coastal features should therefore be treated as possibilities, not promised stops. Enjoy the perspective from the water without making one sighting the condition for a good trip.
Book before travelling. The operator is at the harbour when tours run and does not offer a staffed walk-in booking site. Follow the meeting instructions, bring the requested clothing and allow time afterwards to change before arranging food.
6. Make something at Trove
Trove, on West Street, is a community arts space offering workshops in different materials and techniques. Its advertised activities include basket weaving, fused glass and needle felting, giving you alternatives to another evening spent watching a screen.
Choose a dated session that suits two adults and confirm availability directly. The website may show past events alongside bookable activities, so a photograph of a previous workshop is not evidence that the same class runs every week.
Ask about the experience level, materials and what you will take home. Some processes need further work or collection afterwards, which matters if you are visiting for only a day. Agree the cost before reserving two places.
Let the activity be enjoyable rather than a competition over whose result looks most professional. Making something gives conversation a natural rhythm, including comfortable pauses while you concentrate. Trove’s café is part-time, so check it separately if you want lunch as well.
Three dates to build on
A cultural afternoon: visit the tapestry, then take time for food or a suitable part of the town walk. Keep the descent to Lower Town optional.
An active outing: book a Kayak King tour and plan the rest of the day around its meeting point and weather arrangements.
A creative or indoor meeting: choose a confirmed Trove workshop, a Theatr Gwaun event or a booked aquarium visit in Goodwick.
Fishguard and Goodwick station and Fishguard Harbour station are different, and neither name should replace checking your actual arrival point. Our Pembrokeshire date guide compares Fishguard with Tenby and Haverfordwest, then suggests separate island, garden and historic outings across the county.