According to the Sunday Times Maenclochog in Pembrokeshire is one of the best places to live….
The Pembrokeshire National Park has a spectacular coast, but it can get very busy in the holiday season. Drive 20 minutes inland to the foothills of the Preseli Mountains and this village, pronounced ‘mine-cloch-og’, has everything you need for a good rural life, and bougie Narberth is close by.
Maenclochog — pronounced Mine-cloch-og — stands out among West Wales’s scattered settlements for its picturesque location and plucky community spirit. The population is fun, friendly and super-supportive, whether you’re from a generations-old farming family or one of the more recent arrivals who have made this corner of the country a surprisingly fertile hub for small, independent businesses.
Loosely clustered around a large green and overlooked by the squat outline of St Mary’s Church, the village has all the facilities you need: a much loved, super-sociable pub, a village shop and a busy café where locals meet for breakfast baps and after-school teas on tiered cake stands. The village hall hosts birthday parties, youth clubs and yoga classes. There’s an agricultural store and two petrol stations, as well as access to a choice of excellent English and Welsh-medium schools.
The location is remote, but it has its advantages. The sea is 20 minutes away at Newport, near enough for a daily swim if you’re feeling hardy, but a safe distance from the gruelling traffic that descends on Pembrokeshire’s coast during the summer holidays. The inland landscape is pretty special too. There are walks in Pantmaenog Forest, and the village sits in the shadow of the Preseli Mountains, the original source of some crucial hunks of Stonehenge.
The hills are the venue for the annual Preseli Beast, a gruelling but surprisingly jolly 24-mile fell race each May. There’s also an illuminated tractor run — a procession of more than 200 colourful tractors — which lights up the dark winter nights, but the highlight is probably the Christmas Eve Nativity, complete with donkey.
What are the best shops and restaurants in Maenclochog?
Sarah’s is an ultra-useful village store, doubling as a Post Office and selling everything from wellies to Welsh cakes. Maenclochog Hardware and Country Store is the place for all your agricultural, building and DIY needs. There’s a Spar convenience store at the garage in Glandy Cross and big supermarkets a 25-minute drive away in Haverfordwest.
Caffi’r Sgwar serves cracking omelettes and hearty jacket potatoes, salads and something-and-chips lunches as well as regular takeaway nights.
The Globe Inn is the social hub of the village and the place to find a plumber, carpenter or someone to fix the roof. No food, beyond crisps and nuts, but there’s a super-friendly welcoming atmosphere. It’s considered polite to leave wellies and waterproofs at the door before gathering around the bar with your neighbours to put the world to rights over a pint of Butty Bach ale.
If you require oat flat whites, espresso martinis and foraged small plates then there’s always bouji Narberth ten miles away.
Where can I travel to?
You will need a car. A 20-minute drive will take you to Narberth, Fishguard or Newport. It takes at least an hour to drive to Swansea, two hours to Cardiff and 20 minutes longer to the Severn Crossing……
The Sunday Times – 23rd March 2025 – https://www.thetimes.com/best-places-to-live/wales-uk/article/maenclochog-pembrokeshire-area-guide-dk7w65tjn
If you are looking to move to Pembrokeshire, give West Wales Property Finders a call on 01834 862816. We can find your perfect property for you whilst saving you time, stress, and often money too.
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