Friends of Nature UK houses in Great Britain

Trefin Friends of Nature House,
The Old School Hostel, Ffordd-yr-Afon,
Trefin, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire SA62 5AU
Welsh Tourist Board Rating: 4 Star Hostel
and 'Walkers and Cyclists Welcome' accredited.

Escape to our particularly wonderful, wild and rugged corner of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Our friendly characterful house and bed and breakfast offers comfortable and versatile accommodation at prices that are hard to beat. We are situated in the centre of Trefin, an attractive village just a quarter of a mile from the famous coast path and only 15 minutes from the cathedral city of St. David's and the popular beach at Whitesands Bay. Some of our guests don't even venture that far though. Trefin works its magic on them, it's the sort of place where you can just relax and be. A short stroll from us is a pub serving good food and a national award winning café/gallery and then there's the sea, always present, and some of the most glorious coastline this world has to offer. Come and experience it for yourself...

Take a look at the following information about the house and if you need any further advice please do not hesitate to contact us

Sue and Chris

The House:
Originally the village school our house opened in 1968 and has recently become independently owned and operated. Following a major refurbishment the house has been upgraded to 4 stars with Visit Wales, the Welsh Tourist Board. We now have private single, twin and double rooms as well as shared accommodation, all at very competitive prices. There's a cosy lounge, a well equipped self catering kitchen, free internet access and we provide organic fair trade breakfast and packed lunches if required.

Opening hours:
Reception is open from 8.00am to 10.00am and from 5.00pm to 10.00pm.

Open Season:
We'll be opening from 1st March - 31st October in 2015.

Bedrooms:
21 beds in 1 x 2, 1 x 3, 2 x 5 and 1 x 6 bed rooms. Private single, twin and double rooms are available. All bedding is provided and each room has a washbasin. There are 4 showers and 5 toilets.

Meals:
Trefin Friends of Nature House has self-catering facilities and also offers bed and breakfast and a packed lunch service.

The dining area seats 18, or the adjoining village hall may be rented, for a small charge, to accommodate larger groups. A short stroll from the house is The Ship Inn, our 'congenial village local' as described by The Good Beer Guide. There's always a guest ale on tap and Mike and Meriel specialise in serving up hearty portions of old favourites like Pembrokeshire pork and leek sausages or steak and ale pie. There's also an award winning café/gallery in the village.

Drinks:
Tea and coffee are provided.

Lounge:
We have a comfortable lounge with an extensive library and lots of toys and games for the kids. Once booked in there is all day access so you can come and go as you wish.

Shopping:
The nearest supermarkets are in St Davids (7 miles) and Fishguard (10 miles) but just up the road in the satellite village of Penparc, Don and Delsie's 'Miniature Harrods' will supply most of your daily needs.

Car parking:
We have a parking area, suitable for about 6 cars next to the house and the village car park is close by. For the benefit of our neighbours, please do not park in the street.

Smoking:
For the comfort of all our guests smoking is not permitted anywhere in the house.

Other facilities:

Drying room with electric heater
and de-humidifier.
Lockable cycle shed.
Hairdryer and alarm clock
are available.
Towel Hire.
Picnic hamper to borrow.
Children's playground and
tennis court adjacent to property.
Tourist Information available.
Loan of OS walking maps.

Local Attractions and Activities

Stunning coastal scenery, beaches to relax on, wildlife to watch,
and outdoor activities for the adventurous.
All this and the lovely cathedral city of St Davids to explore...
** Trefin Friends of Nature House has It All **

* Walking:
Here's what the Lonely Planet guide has to say about our coastline: "The coast from St. David's to Fishguard (and beyond) is far less touristy than southern Pembrokeshire. The coves and beaches if they're accessible at all, are reached by winding lanes and footpaths. If you're only going to walk part of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, this is an excellent section to tackle". We couldn't have put it better ourselves!
Trefin Friends of Nature House is an ideal base to explore this wonderful stretch of coast. Stunning wild beaches and small harbour villages can be reached in a few minutes by car, or visited as part of a day's circular walk. There is also the fabulous little Strumble Shuttle bus service from our village that meanders along the coast; catch the bus one way and then walk back to the village for afternoon tea at our popular café/gallery.
We're also an ideal stopover for those walking the whole of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.
* Cycling:
This is great cycling country with lots of quiet country lanes to explore and lovely pubs and tea-shops to visit en-route. Sustrans long distance route 4, The Celtic Trail, passes the hostel. Check here for details of all cycle routes in Wales.

* Wildlife and Nature:
There's great bird life to be seen near the hostel, guests often see rare choughs and sometimes gannets and peregrine falcons. The coast and lanes are a favourite haunt of linnets, goldfinches, tawny owls, stonechats and yellowhammers. Seals, dolphins, porpoises and sometimes whales can be spotted from the coast path and, in September, seal pups are to be seen with their mothers in the inaccessible bays near us. Spring is also a great time to visit when the coast is ablaze with wild flowers and nearby woods are carpeted in bluebells.

Local attractions - a few places of interest
to whet your appetite...

*  St Davids: This is the smallest city in Britain and it's worth taking a day to explore its beautiful cathedral and interesting shops and art galleries. It's also becoming known as a top destination for eating out with several excellent restaurants and cafes.
*  Whitesands Bay: This is one of the best beaches in West Wales and is popular with both families and surfers. There are several other secluded little sandy bays near us, some only accessible on foot.
*  Boat trips to and around Ramsey Island: There are several companies operating wildlife watching trips to Ramsey Island, both in conventional vessels and exciting jet boats. A little further away are Skokholm, Grassholm and Skomer which are also well worth exploring.
*  Historic Pembrokeshire: The area is rich in historical attractions. Take a walk from us to the little harbour side village of Porthgain, an interesting place with a rich industrial heritage (and a great pub!) There are several impressive castles to explore and many prehistoric sites to visit. A short stroll from us, in a dramatic setting by the sea is Careg Sampson, a 4000 year old burial chamber, and an interesting trip by car would be to Castell Henllys, a re-creation of an Iron Age settlement and on up into the wonderful Preseli Hills where some of the stones used to build Stonehenge were quarried.

* Especially for Kids: Apart from our glorious beaches there are lots of attractions that the kids will love. Pembrokeshire's big 3 are Folly Farm, Heatherton and Oakwood Theme Parks. There's go-karting nearby, beach and Western style horse riding, ten--pin bowling and Pemberton Chocolate Factory, to name but a few.

How to find us:
Our OS Grid Ref: SM 841 325 - OS 1:25,000 Explorer Map OL35 - OS 1:50,000 Landranger Map 157
Geo-coordinates: 51.948828 -5.144275

By Car...
From the M4 take the A48 dual carriageway to Carmarthen, then the A40 bypassing Haverfordwest. Continue to Letterston, (a great fish and chip shop called 'Something's Cooking' on the right) and in the centre of the village turn left onto the B4331. After about 5 miles turn left again onto the A487. After about 2.5 miles, just after the petrol station on your left and the yellow painted Square and Compass pub on your right, turn right signposted Trefin. It's about 1 mile to the village. Immediately after the pink house turn right into our carpark.

By Cycle...
Sustrans Route 4, The Celtic Trail, passes through Trefin. Secure cycle storage is available at Trefin Friends of Nature House.

By Coach... There are daily long distance National Express coaches from various towns and cities direct to Haverfordwest.
The No. 528 direct service from London Victoria coach station departs at 12 noon, and arrives at Haverfordwest at 19.05. The No. 411 bus departs from Haverfordwest bus station at 19.55 due St. David's 20.34. We're about 7 miles from St. David's. Contact us for local taxi numbers.

By Train...
There is now an excellent direct service every 2 hours from Manchester Piccadilly, Crewe, Shrewsbury, Hereford, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea to Haverfordwest. A good connecting bus to aim for is the 16.00 Number 411 from the bus station in the centre of town direct to Trefin. It arrives at 17.20. The 09.45 train from London Paddington, changing at Cardiff, connects into the above mentioned train and bus.
There is also a boat train to Fishguard; the 10.55 from Cardiff (07.45 connecting service from London Paddington) arriving Fishguard Harbour 13.11 and there is a 14.02 bus (No. 411) from nearby Goodwick Harbour Garage (next to the Parrog Café) due Trefin 14.28.

By Bus from the mid Wales Coast...
From Aberystwyth change at Cardigan and Fishguard for Trefin; We suggest the 13.35 departure (No. 550), which will get you to Trefin at 18.20.
All times are Monday to Friday and most apply on Saturday too. We've done our best to check that they are correct but please don't sue us if they're not. Give us a call if you need further help - we've got various timetables to hand.

Enquiries:
Write to:
The Old School Hostel,
Ffordd-yr-Afon, Trefin,
HAVERFORDWEST,
Pembrokeshire SA62 5AU

E-mail enquiries to: trefin@naturefriends.org.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)1348 831 800 (with an answerphone during closed periods)

Prices:
Members of International Friends of Nature receive our eco-discount in shared and single accommodation as detailed below:
Single occupancy from £21 pppn (or £24 in the summer school holidays)
Twins, doubles, triples and private rooms £18 pppn (some rooms £21 in summer school holidays)
Family rooms from £24 - £60 per room per night depending on the numbers occupying a room and which room it is

Breakfast available from £2 per person

Please note: Our double rooms are for exclusive use of a room similar to the photo above.

There is a reduction of £2 pppn for stays of 2 nights and arriving without using fossil fuels (foot, bike, bus, train, some electric cars and not using taxi to transport luggage) or for stays of 3 nights or more if using fossil fuels for transport.

How to Book:
Telephone bookings will be held for 7 days pending receipt of payment. We will confirm receipt of payment by post or e-mail that will also contain further information about the village and hostel and how to find us.

For bookings made more than 2 months in advance please pay 25% deposit with the balance to be paid 2 months prior to your stay. For bookings made less than 2 months in advance please make payment in full.

Booking from Overseas Customers:
Please telephone or e-mail the hostel to discuss prepayment if booking from overseas.

Payment Details:
Please make cheques payable to: THE OLD SCHOOL HOSTEL, TREFIN and send them to:
The Old School Hostel,
Ffordd-yr-Afon, Trefin,
HAVERFORDWEST,
Pembrokeshire SA62 5AU

Refund Policy:
A full refund is made for cancellations made more than two weeks prior to the booking. Following that refunds are based upon monies received if the room is re-let.

PLEASE NOTE:
Friends of Nature UK and IFN members will be charged the rates for accommodation (as shown above) providing their IFN membership card is shown at the time of check-in.

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Updated - Monday, 26 January 2015