Copyright walesonline
If you see our family in a pub, our table will be immediately obvious. It'll be the one with colouring book, stickers, toys and probably a small child or two with a frown on their face because Uno hasn’t gone their way. But not if you saw us at The Ferry Inn in St Dogmaels, oh no. That day, my kids were the ones perched (read: bickering) over a copy of David Attenborough’s bird reference book comparing pictures in the book to the wildlife right outside the window. The colouring book and sticker book they had respectively opened when we arrived were rapidly discarded because the view stretching out in front of them of the River Teifi was far more interesting, and thankfully a reference book was on the dresser just to our left to make up for my woeful knowledge of birds. So instead of colouring, they watched as Canadian Geese move in the distance and Oystercatchers as they dug their beaks into the mud trying to find their lunch. Pulling them away from their newfound love for birdwatching, I had to remind everyone to look at their menus because we were there for lunch. But I make no apology for banging on about the view, it's just that you can't talk about the food here without discussing them, because this pub has one of the most beautiful views and amazing beer gardens you will find in Wales. From the roadside The Ferry Inn looks like a classic country pub, but the sign reading "The Ferry Inn, twinned with the Tardis" gives a hint you should expect the unexpected. Seating 120 people, there are a variety of spaces, whether you're there for a drink or a meal - from the cwtch near the bar, to the restaurant downstairs or the main room and its vast windows upstairs, or the plentiful tables raised above the river estuary outside. It's both kid and dog friendly, I've no doubt in the height of summer you'd struggle to get a table. When we visited, it was one of those autumn days where the sun had other plans, so we sat inside, rather than on one of the many outdoor tables but from our vantage point in the downstairs dining room, one of the pub's unique selling points, the pub's private jetty, was in front of us. As it was out of season, when we arrived around 1.30pm on an October Saturday, we were the first ones in the dining room - later to be joined by a range of canines and their owners. The friendly staff offered us our pick of tables, all with that exceptional view. The restaurant boasts of its Welsh suppliers - with meat from Dewi James in Cardigan and Celtic Pride Butchers, cheese from Caws Cenarth, salad from New Leaf Microgreens and Glebelands Market Garden, both in St Dogmaels with fish from local fishermen in the estuary and Welsh Seafoods in Milford Haven. The menu is relatively compact, with a seafood basket (£22.95), chicken and chorizo tagliatelle (£22.95), scampi (£19.95) steaks and burgers. The seafood basket was almost my choice, but I was one of the three quarters of our table who went for the burgers. Mine, the Ferry Blue, was that Dewi James beef joined by Perl Las Blue. Priced at £19.95, it came with coleslaw and seriously chunky chips. Packed in a ciabatta-style sourdough bun, the burger was seriously smoky, served ever so slightly pink, and joined by bacon, lettuce, red onion, mayo and that incredible blue cheese. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here It was one of those burgers that wasn't so big you felt nothing but guilt after eating, but I was happily full at the end of the meal. My husband had the chicken burger, complete with chilli jam, tomato, salad, and an equally weighty portion of chips. The third burger was a kid-selected order and we also had an order of the chicken goujons (with chips and peas) to complete the table. The goujons were huge with four in a portion. The kids meals were huge - far too big, realistically, for ours. They cost £8.95 each, and could easily, for smaller kids, have been shared. The view, in case I haven't mentioned it, was so good and distracting to the kids that I managed to sneak a second glass of wine in meaning our total bill came in at a reasonable £77, for four meals, and five drinks. St Dogmaels is one of those places that is underrated, and with a pub like this it should be on the list of anyone who visits Pembrokeshire. I can only imagine - and long for - a night sat watching the birds and boats come and go from that decking. Owners Andy and Liz Baker gave up their lives in London to take over, and refurbish, this pub, describing it on their website as a "relaxed destination venue in this beautiful location" - something I can't disagree with. The inside is tastefully decorated, and while we sat on the lower level, as we left I had a nosy of the main room upstairs, and that huge window makes the most of the incredible location. If I had one criticism it's that I do find it slightly odd though when pubs still haven't removed all their Covid-era warning signs though, but maybe that's just me trying to consign that bit of my life to a different chapter, and it's such a minor thing from a fab visit to a lovely pub. After our food, we drove the few minutes, or one mile drive, to Poppit Sands, for a windy walk on the vast beach, and a game of hide and seek in the sand dunes. A dog friendly beach, there were plenty of four legged friends making the most of the dry hours before some almighty rain came in. If we'd not have had such a lunch just up the road, we could have had something at Crwst, which has its offshoot of its renowned Cardigan venture next to the car park. If I'd known the next morning we wouldn't have managed to get a table there I would probably have snuck in to the sister venue while I could. St Dogmaels, is the start, or finish, of the 186-mile-long Pembrokeshire Coast Path. It's been named by The Times as 'one of the best places to live', the riverside village has proper pubs, wildlife, coast walks and is the launch pad for boat adventures along the marine-life-rich estuary and coastline, but I still didn't achieve my dream of seeing seals in Wales, this time at least. Whether you need some fuel for your journey, or a reward at the end of your walk, this stretch of Pembrokeshire should be on your list, just don't forget your binoculars, because, not sure if I've mentioned it - there's a heck of a view.
