Part 1: Discover Pembrokeshire in Wales
Itinerary 6 nights
A vacation in Wales and France
Gweld ti cyn hir! A bientôt!
Itinerary 6 nights
Depart by private transfer from London to Cardiff, where you will be greeted with Champagne and canapés and introduced to your staff, before exploring the beautiful property and it’s breathtaking sea views.
Before dinner, enjoy a visit from a local patriot, who will give you an overview of Welsh history and its language, before you embark on your journey to Discover Pembrokeshire. Indulge in a memorable gourmet four course meal, prepared by your private chef.
Wool has been woven into the history of Wales since the Middle Ages. This morning you will visit Melin Tregwynt, a woollen mill where there has been weaving recorded since 1819. The mill has stood on this site since then, taking fleeces from the sheep farms of the area, carding and spinning them into woollen yarn and then weaving the yarn into cloth and blankets. Learn the process and importance of the wool trade, and browse the beautiful collection of woollen goods on offer.
Return to Swn Y Mor for a wonderful first lunch prepared by your private chef. This afternoon, you will embark on a helicopter ride around the coastline of Pembrokeshire. See some of the sights you will visit later on in the week from an elevated view from your private flight.
To finish the day, visit a small family run local gin distillery - the only distillery in Pembrokeshire! Discover a gin that is produced using its 300 year old well to blend the botanicals.
Return to the house for cocktails, canapés and a delicious dinner prepared by your chef.
Pembroke Castle has a long and fascinating history dating back to 1093. Pembroke is also noteworthy as the only castle in Britain to be built over a natural cavern, a large cave known as the Wogan. Historically, Pembroke is important not only for its masonry but for the fact the Harri Tudur, who became Henry VII and inaugurated the Tudor line of monarchs, was born there in 1457 reputedly in the tower now known as the Henry VII Tower.
Continue to visit one of Pembrokeshire’s most beautiful beaches - Barafundle Bay, which has not only been voted the most beautiful beach in Britain, but also was in the top 12 most beautiful beaches in the world. Enjoy your lunch in true Brit style, with local fish and chips enjoyed al fresco with a beautiful sea view.
This afternoon, a special visit to a local Lovespoon Workshop. The lovespoon is a traditional craft that dates back to the seventeenth century. The earliest known dated lovespoon is from 1667.
This small family run workshop produces handcrafted lovespoons, and will give a talk and demonstration on the history, tradition and process of lovespoon making. Of course, there will be an opportunity to choose your own as a souvenir to take home with you.
Return to the house for another wonderful gourmet meal./p>
Enjoy a leisurely morning and a light breakfast, as you will be indulging in a traditional Welsh breakfast with cockles and lava bread as a ‘brunch’ before departing for your afternoon tour.
Visit the popular seaside town of Tenby, known for its 13th-century town walls and its stretches of sandy shoreline, including Castle Beach, where the ruins of Tenby Castle are on a headland overlooking the harbour.
Visit the Tenby Museum and Art Gallery, which includes a 16th-century wrought-iron cannon. We continue to the Tudor Merchant’s House, an exhibition which recreates domestic life in 1500, with a merchant's shop and working kitchen.
After breakfast this morning, depart to visit St David’s - the UK’s smallest city. Visit the Cathedral, set on a spectacular Pembrokeshire peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic upon the site of an earlier sixth-century monastery built by St David, the patron saint of Wales. St Davids Cathedral has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 800 years.
Nowhere in Britain is there a more ancient cathedral settlement, for it reaches back fourteen centuries and survived the plunder of the Norsemen in the 'Dark Ages'. Next stop - the weekly local market. Browse through some local arts and crafts, and pick up some delicious local delicacies.
Stop for lunch at one of Pembrokeshire’s most exquisite restaurants - Blas (meaning Taste) - which resides in a converted windmill.
After lunch, embark on a boat ride around the beautiful coastline. Prepare to see seals, sea lions and other local wildlife, whilst your guide tells stories about the local area. Return to the house.While you are sipping your cocktail this evening, you will be entertained by a local male voice choir - performing a private concert of welsh hymns as you watch the sun setting over the water.
After breakfast this morning, visit Pembrokeshire’s famous cheese makers - Caws Cenarth. The family began producing Cheese here at the farm in 1986 and now their artisan cheeses are among the most respected in the UK.
Continue to visit 5000 year old Pentre Ifan Burial Chambers, which contains and gives its name to the largest and best preserved neolithic dolmen in Wales.Return to the house for a delectable feast, prepared by your private chef.
After a few hours relaxing, accompany the staff to one of the area’s most famous pubs: Bessie’s. Located in the breathtaking Gwaun Valley. The pub is another time capsule of a bygone era, owned by 92 year old Bessie. The bar is the front room of Bessie’s house and the beer is served through a hatch straight from the barrel, served directly from the jug.
Return to the house for some cocktails overlooking the sea, before enjoying a very special farewell dinner.
Journey to France
After breakfast, depart via private jet transfer to Strasbourg in France where Jason, Captain of the Saroche will meet you and transfer you to the barge. Meet the crew, get settled into your staterooms as we set sail for a sundowner cruise through the city.
This morning we take a walking tour of Strasbourg old town, picturesque half-timbered houses give a perfect image of traditional Alsace.
Return to Saroche for Lunch on deck and set sail, as we sail out of the city and into the countryside to our destination of Hochfelden, our mooring for the night. Plenty of time to cycle and walk along the towpath as we cruise.
Diner on board.
Morning cruise to Dettwiller passing pastoral landscapes, lunch on board and then Jason will take you wine tasting in the afternoon to the grand cru fields of Traenheim. Traenheim is a charming little village of 500 people owing its fame to its vines, which produce the grapes for excellent Grand Cru wines. The exceptional quality of these wines derives from the distinctive sub-soils of the Altenberg and the microclimate which gives it decidedly more hours of sun per year than the Alsace average.
Returning to the barge for evening cocktails and dinner on board.
After breakfast we seat sail and cruise into the town of Saverne, where we will be mooring for the evening. After lunch on board Jason will take you on a walking tour of the historic town and Chateau that dominates the scene. There will be plenty of time to explore the town before returning to Saroche.
This evening you will dine in a traditional Alsacien restaurant nearby. Return to the barge for a digestif by the fire pit.
Saverne to Lutzelbourg this mornings cruise takes us into the heart of the Zorn valley to the charming town of Lutzelbourg. This picturesque village at the junction of five valleys, whose origin can be traced back to the 12 Century has a welcoming quality that makes it one of the loveliest parts of the Vosges.
After lunch Jason will drive you through the forest to the village, of Wingen sur Moder to the Rene Lalique glass museum. René Jules Lalique was a French glass designer known for his creations of glass art, perfume bottles, vases.
Returning to Saroche for dinner aboard.
Lutzelbourg to Nidevillier. Today we set sail in the morning and cruise up a few locks to the world famous incline plane lock at Arzviller, this impressive feet of engineering takes the barge 145 metres up the side of the hill and eliminates 17 locks in the process, from here we cruise through two tunnels that lead us to the village of Nidevillier our destination for the week.
After lunch Jason will take you to the town of Sarrebourg to visit the small chapel in the town centre with the Marc Chagall windows. An early modernist, he was associated with several major artistic styles and created works in virtually every artistic format but is best know for his stained glass windows.
Return to Saroche for the gala dinner.
After breakfast Jason will drive you back to Strasbourg train station for your onward journey.
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