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Pembroke is located in Pembrokeshire in Wales. Should you travelling from the East (which isn't difficult since Pembroke is on the Western tip of Wales ) you can follow the M4 motorway through Swansea then take the A48 followed by the A40. When you get to St Clears you need to turn left onto the A477, which leads directly to Pembroke. At Pembroke Dock you can board your ferry which goes to Rosslare in Ireland .
At the centrepiece of the town is a wonderful Norman Castle which stands proudly on a rocky ridge which is surrounded by water on three sides. Pembroke's strategic positioning, where it is sat on a high ridge between tidal inlets and also on a major route to Ireland, led to it being chosen as the best way in by the first Norman invaders. When the Normans arrived, Roger of Montgomery built the castle in 1093 and it held out for years. Pembroke was then used as a launch pad for Irish campaigns. In 1189 William Marshall took control of the castle and built it up into a fortress with a 70 foot keep with a domed roof, along with an inner curtain wall.
At the beginning of the civil war Pembroke was a supporter of the English Parliament until 1648 when John Poyer, the town's mayor changed sides. It took seven weeks fro Cromwell to take it back, and he blew up the fronts of all the towers to make sure the castle can't be used militarily ever again.
If you stand at the top of the round of the castle you can get a wonderful view of the town of Pembroke, which is surrounded by an ancient Town Wall which is standing strongly still. Looking down at this sight you can see why Pembroke became an official conservation area in 1977.
Running the length of the town is the main street, which is a lovely location for a stroll and a browse. It contains some very interesting Georgian and Tudor houses, along with two historic churches and a nice mixture of pubs, cafes, shops and restaurants. The Museum of the Home shouldn't be missed and you can take some gentle walks along the Mill Pond where you can find otters and kingfishers and also go to the remains of Monkton's Benedictine Priory.
Near to Pembroke are the resorts of Saundersfoot and Tenby, along with the revitalised and historic dockyard towns of Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock. There are also Mnorbier and Carew castles and magnificent beaches on the coastline of South Pembrokeshire . The 24 mile Haven Waterway is very picturesque, and there is also Nerbeth, which is a popular market town.
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