His favourite place
I never understood why Tenby is so popular as a holiday destination, but there's something that draws my partner there each year, and it's the place where he's the happiest. Others are exceptionally motivated to stay there for a while. Along The Coft - a road leading away from the harbour towards the large expensive houses, one will pass a dozen parked cars in which people sleep for a night or two instead of reserving a hotel room.
Our own accommodation was rather unconventional: We stayed in our Base Camp. If it weren't for the windows, it could be mistaken for small a trailer instead of a caravan. Inside, it's essentially a lounge - and quite a comfortable one - with a small kitchen area and most the luxuries of a good hotel room. TV, radio, Intenet connection, an effective heating system and plenty of drink, of course.
We installed the Base Camp on Meadow Farm, which isn't actually a farm, but a clearing near the top of a hill overlooking the town, and about a mile from it. There is a small office building, and a facilities building next to that, but not much else. The owners don't need to develop it much, as it's the only place in Tenby on which one could site a caravan.
More specifically, we installed the Base Camp in the corner of a thick, unkempt hedgerow, on ground that had been softened by several days of rain. Our position was more like a den than a caravan pitch, but still ideal. Being high up on the side of the hill, we had a clear view of the bay in the distance - that is most the town, and Caldey Island, roughly a kilometre from the coast.
For two of the nights, we experienced the stormy weather that's common at the east and south coasts of Britain during these months. We were on the edge of the Irish sea, which really isn't separate to the Atlantic. The winds were strong enough to shake the Base Camp, and threw the rain with some force at the front window. That came in waves, six hours at a time. The ground outside, which wasn't of the sort that absorbed water, took on the appearance and consistency of dark clay.
The Town
My partner and I didn't explore the wider region of Pembrokeshire this time. Instead, we ventured into the town every day, and never got bored of that. At some point in history, Tenby was an active harbour town, and at some other point, it was partly surrounded by fortifications (the Five Arches) and defended by a military base on the large rock by Castle Beach. Most the buildings in the town appear to be around 200 years old, most of them occupied by local businesses.
As always, we spent much of the time in the various taverns. One place of exceptional historical interest is Plantagenet House, which I discovered while searching for places to have a good Sunday lunch. Apparently some part of that building, likely the basment, was built in the 10th century, and the large chimney was added during the mediaeval era. Today part of the restraurant occupies the old fireplace and chimney. Was Tenby the site of an active harbour over 1,000 years ago? The meals served at Plantagenet House are the best we'd encountered in a couple of years. They've outdone even Brighton's Camelford Arms.
Saundersfoot
Several miles from Tenby is another harbour town (or a village?) called Saundersfoot. My partner tells me that it's possible to walk there along the beach, when the tide is at its lowest.
Saundersfoot is a rather dull place when the weather's not great, and it doesn't have much A couple of nice shops by the main junction, and another row of shops between that and the apartment buildings that seem primarily owned by English as holiday homes. The beach is reasonably large.