Found by the picturesque harbour of Solva, an inlet that fills and drains completely of water, depending on the tide.
The Harbour Inn is a great place to sample Brain's bitter, a creamy, nutty brew. We enjoyed the fish and chips out in the sheltered beer garden and soaked up the last rays of the October sun while admiring the little boats stranded high and dry at low tide.
www.harbourinnsolva.com
31-33 Main Street, Solva, Pembrokeshire SA62 6UT
+44 1437 720 013
Google map: bit.ly/pG6cDA
The Boathouse Tearoom is a little National Trust cafe, located by the world's smallest harbour and offering a great selection of hot and cold food to sustain visitors on the half-mile trek to Barafundle Bay. We tried the scones with home-made jam and clotted cream and bought some locally produced honey.
beta.nationaltrust.org.uk/stackpole
Stackpole Quay, Stackpole, SA71 5DE, Wales
+44 1646 672672
Google map: bit.ly/nIN09e
Often voted the best beach in Britain, Barafundle Bay is definitely worth the walk over the rugged cliffs.
The wide bay is filled with golden sand bordered by dunes at the back and craggy cliffs with rockpools and secret caves on either side. A wonderful place for a picnic, a paddle or a potter in the rockpools.
Visitors can park their cars at Stackpole Quay, have a bite to eat in the National Trust cafe in the boathouse and see the world's smallest harbour, with room for just one boat!
Barafundle Bay, Stackpole Quay, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Google map: bit.ly/p5yNCJ
Cromwell's Tavern is a friendly local pub, found near the castle in the heart of Pembroke.
It's a great place to try Welsh bitters and admire all the music memorabilia: framed pictures of Kiss, Jimi Hendrix and others line the walls and we didn't dare take on the locals at pool, after spotting all the trophies in a glass cabinet!
2 Westgate Hill, Pembroke, Dyfed SA71 0NU
+44 1646 682718
Google map: bit.ly/qC3vOO
Charlie's Bar is the place to go for a great night out in Milford Haven. Situated near the docks and the marina, it's a small bar with several rooms, a pool table, pub quiz machine and very loud music blasting out on a Friday evening.
The Old Sail Loft, The Docks, Milford Haven, Dyfed SA73 3AF
+44 1646 690098
Google map: bit.ly/o1ndu7
St David's Cathedral (Eglwys Gadeiriol Tyddewi) is one of the most beautiful houses of worship in Wales. Located in Britain's smallest city and nestling in the greenest hollow on the rugged Pembroke coast, the cathedral is a must-see for anybody visiting Wales.
There has been a church on this site since the 6th century and in the Middle Ages, it had a strategic position at the crossroads of the Celtic world: Ireland, Scotland, England and the Basque lands.
www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/
The Close, St Davids, Pembrokeshire, SA62 6RH
+44(0)1437 720202
Google map: bit.ly/qJrvVJ
This family-run ice cream parlour, cafe and restaurant is something of an institution and THE place to be seen in The Mumbles.
More than 30 varieties of Italian ice cream are produced each day - I wolfed down a divine selection of three sorbets: lemon, creamy strawberry and raspberry, served with a crisp wafer. There is great coffee and a fine dining menu, chalked up on the blackboard, offering pasta, pizzas, soups, stews and salads.
The cafe is always full and visitors gaze through the vast glass windows at the view of Swansea bay; it's almost like being in Naples on a cloudy day!
www.verdis-cafe.co.uk
Knab Rock, The Mumbles, Swansea SA3 4EN
+44 1792 369 135
Google map: bit.ly/pK8STM
We arrived in Swansea at 11pm, long after everything in Swansea, bar the kebab shops, had closed.
After several days of bland burgers and delicious, but samey fish and chips, Rose Indienne offered a wake-up call to the tired taste buds.
Everything about Rose Indienne breathes class. The service is polite and friendly without being overwhelming. The decor is delightful and the selection of starters contained some spices I had never experienced before. The vegetarian dishes were top-notch and I would dare to recommend this place as the best Indian restaurant in Swansea, maybe in all Wales?
www.roseindienne.co.uk
73-74 St Helen's Road, Swansea SA1 4BG
+44 1792 467 000
Google map: bit.ly/okkSQR
Desperate for an early-morning, wake-up brew, we found this tiny cafe quite by chance on the corner of a back street, ten minutes' walk from Swansea town centre.
It's located in a sweet former cobbler's workshop, and you can still see the gorgeous greeny-yellow stained glass sign reading 'Leonard's, for good boots and shoes' while you're perched on one of the three high, tractor-style metal (but surprisingly comfy!) stools. The coffee maker in the window is an authentic Elektra and there are sweet touches like the cobbler's wooden shoe mould in a frame and the little boot holding the door ajar.
Oh, and did I mention the coffee?
Smooth cappuccinos, rich dark espressos, lethal mocchas...all you could ask for, plus panini, home-made browies and bacon butties.
A real find.
1 King Edward Road, Swansea
+44 7543 439 595
Google map: bit.ly/qW43nF
FM mangal is a really friendly and welcoming Turkish restaurant, kebab joint and take-away venue nestling in the heart of Camberwell's resto-street.
I enjoyed a great late Sunday lunch (after a strenuous pingpong championships on Camberwell Green!) with two friends and we sat up in the high gallery and treated ourselves to cool, refreshing, post-pingpong pints of Efes beer.
'Mangal' is, apparently, 'grill' in Turkish and the 'FM' refers to the initials of the head chef, who prepared a delicious aubergine and minced lamb dish, complete with a vast range of salad selections.
Not being a cheapskate, but what really won us over was the hospitality and all the complimentary items!
While we were perusing the menu, the friendly waitress brought us some amazing, smoky barbecue-flavoured flat bread and fresh, sweet lilac onions marinaded in a divine balsamic vinegar mix. After the meal, we were presented with slices of pineapple - although, strangely, no plates or cutlery to devour it with!
Finally, we were offered tiny shot glasses filled with a selection of three liqueurs: banana, coffee and tangy cherry.
What a great way to round off a great afternoon!
54 Camberwell Church Street, SE5 8QZ
+44 207 701 6677
Getting there: buses 12, 36, 171, 345, 436 to Camberwell Green
Google map: bit.ly/oSDdwX
* Lucy is our Been there local for London. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/london-local-lucy-mallows.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/LucyRM.jsp
Elephant offers authentic Pakistani street food in a modest setting in the uber-cool Brixton Village market. Meat curries, naan breads, daals, salads, rice dishes and divine samosas are served up by owner Imran Bashir using his mum's secret spice concoctions and the price is very reasonable.
55 Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Lane, Brixton Village, London SW9 8PS
+44 7590 389684
www.elephantcafe.co.uk
Google map: bit.ly/mQpVAk
* Lucy is our Been there local for London. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/london-local-lucy-mallows.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/LucyRM.jsp
The Crooked Well opened recently in Camberwell as the brainchild of some serious foodies who love British cuisine but the inventive and inspired menu also incorporates elements of the Mediterranean and tastes of sunshine. The venue is just beautiful, with gorgeous blue tiles behind the bar, giving the ambience of a Portuguese bar - more Coimbra than Camberwell! - and indeed, there are several bottles of excellent port to accompany the dishes or to sip while the sun goes down.
thecrookedwell.com
16 Grove Lane, Camberwell, London SE5 8SY
+44 207 252 7798
Google map: bit.ly/q4oKka
* Lucy is our Been there local for London. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/london-local-lucy-mallows.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/LucyRM.jsp
I suppose you could call this my local, and indeed it has the most 'local' feel of any of the pubs in the area. It's never full, just a couple of regulars lurking at the bar who look like they've been glued to the same spot for years. However, it's a great place to watch the footie on big screens and you can be sure of getting a seat and a pint.
43 Lyndhurst Grove, London SE15 5AN
+44 207 703 8057
Getting there: buses 12, 36, 171, 436 to Southwark Town Hall then walk up Shenley Road
Google map: bit.ly/n7xkhp
Lucy is our Been there local for London. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/london-local-lucy-mallows.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/LucyRM.jsp
Old-style boozer in the heart of Peckham with a pool table and cheap pints. Local artists hold exhibitions of their work in the back room.
96 Peckham High Street, London SE15 5ED
+207 639 2490
Getting there: overground train to Peckham Rye, buses 12, 36, 171, 436
Google map: bit.ly/nr4x0Q
* Lucy is the Been there local for London. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/london-local-lucy-mallows.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/LucyRM.jsp
This Japanese noodle bar is a real find. It's not in the uber-cool Brixton Village so you stand a better chance of getting a table!
Delicious spring rolls, sushi, sashimi, bento boxes, big bowls of ramen, pan-fried noodles and rice dishes all under one small, modest roof, tucked away in a back street off Railton Road. Charming service and a good wine list. Highly recommended.
www.newfujiyama.com
5-7 Vining Street, Brixton SW9 8QA
+44 207 737 6583
Getting there: Victoria line underground to Brixton, buses 3, 35, 45, 133, 159, 345
Google map: bit.ly/oyluos
If you make a special trip to Peckham Rye to see the Peckham Peace Wall that sprung up on thousands of post-it notes plastered over the boarded up walls of Poundland after the recent riots, then you'll be disappointed.
It's gone.
Poundland has now replaced its smashed windows, however the Peace Wall will be preserved as a piece of local history in Peckham Library.
Some of my favourite messages were/are:
'Well luv Pecknam' (sic)
'Diversity + jerk chicken'
'Stop the riot, allow Greggs, man' (referring to the trashed bakery)
'Love is the key'
Peckham Library
122 Peckham Hill Street, London SE15 5JR
+44 20 7525 0200
Open: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 09.00-20.00, Wed 10.00-20.00, Sat 10.00-17.00, Sun 12.00-16.00
Getting there:
Buses: 12, 36, 63, 76, 171, 343, 345, 363, 436
Rail: Overground train to Peckham Rye
Google map: bit.ly/nGupZS
Lucy is the Been there local for London. You can read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/london-local-lucy-mallows.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/LucyRM.jsp
Pasha claims to be London's only Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan restaurant, hiding at the back of an exterior that seems straight out of a scene from Borat.
Pasha also hosts a hotel and a sauna and hammam (Turkish steam bath) on the premises. Quite an unusual venue and a great, if somewhat wacky, night out.
www.hotelpasha.com
158 Camberwell Road, SE5 0EE
+44 207 277 2228
Buses 12, 171 to Camberwell Road
Google map: bit.ly/nWrFaj
A delightful mixture of a Spanish tapas bar and a Mexican cantina. Great tapas, using organic and free-range produce. Guests can enjoy divine Iberico hams washed down with fine Spanish wines. There's even a hotel on the premises, if you become 'tired and emotional' ...
www.churchstreethotel.com
29-33 Camberwell Church Street, SE5
+44 207 703 5984
Buses 12, 36, 171, 436 to Camberwell Green
Google map: bit.ly/nkjNAM
Johanssons looks like a tiny deli and sandwich bar from the front but behind it stretches out into a Tardis of wonderfulness. There is a small bistro behind with a lovely garden where you can enjoy a quality bottle of plonk and some olives. The Mediterranean/Swedish menu has sea bass, wild boar, home-cured salmon and scrummy pork belly plus there are plenty of veggie options.
2 Grove Lane, Camberwell, SE5 8SY
+44 207 701 4944
Buses 12, 36, 171, 436 to Camberwell Green
Google map: bit.ly/p0Vmh0
After swimming lengths, I'm always famished.
Actually, I need no excuse to pop into the Brockwell Park's Lido Cafe, swim or no swim, I'll be there enjoying a cup of coffee or a hot chocolate. The menu is extensive and inspired with smaller portions for kids, and food served throughout the day. When the outdoor pool is open, there's even a little hut where swimmers and 'sunbathers' (ha!) can get snacks.
Special events include live jazz and flamenco evenings and five-course supper parties.
Art Deco fans can also admire the interior, when not gazing at all the beautiful bodies by the pool. Dream on!
www.thelidocafe.co.uk/
Dulwich Road, Brockwell Lido, London, SE24 0PA
+44(0)20 7737 8183
Google map: bit.ly/nnf7Ex
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