Just a 90 second walk from our beautiful holiday cottage in St Davids is as spectacular a sight as you will witness in the whole of Wales. The Bishops Palace is a medieval masterpiece with some of its older buildings dating back to the sixth century. A lot of the palace now lies in ruins but you can still truly get a feel for the majesty of this Grade I listed building. Good luck getting planning permission on that!
King Edward I was a pretty underrated king and didn’t even get a Shakespeare play but he was a big part of the creation of this beautiful building. He ordered his men to head quick sharp to the quarry and get some stone because, “this is going to be a biggie”. The quote isn’t necessarily verbatim but we can safely assume he said it.
Ralph A. Griffiths OBE has described St David’s Cathedral and Bishops Palace as: “one of the most significant sites in the history of Christianity in the British Isles, and one of the earliest”, and “where Welsh Christianity and nationalism are entwined”.
It certainly is a miraculous building to look at even though the upkeep has been poor which has led to the walls falling down and it’s very unlikely that the tenants got their deposits back during that time. However, it still stands imposingly over the valley which also contains the cathedral and a little stream where you can take your socks off and have a little paddle, just like the early priests and monks would have done all those years ago.
Yewdale Cottage is placed beautifully for all aspects of St Davids attractions but it’s particularly close to the Bishops Palace. We highly recommend you have a visit as it truly is one of the most spectacular sights that Pembrokeshire and West Wales has to offer.
