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The Pendine Tourism Attractor Project, I admit, sounds a bit… well, predatory. “What are they going to do with us once they get us?” her husband asked as we drove towards Carmarthenshire. To be honest, he hadn’t fully recovered from his first meeting with my grandmother there. He had opened the door in a puff of Silk Cut smoke with the question: ‘So how would you feel about moving to Wales permanently?’
But the Pendine project, 15 miles from that test meeting, is a more welcoming proposition. Until now, Carmarthen has been somewhere tourists drive through on their way to Pembrokeshire, so Carmarthenshire Council is enticing them with this development right on one of Wales’ longest beaches – seven miles of white sand so flat and finish which framed the land speed record (most famously, Sir Malcolm Campbell’s 1927 sprint at 174.224 mph in his Napier-Campbell Blue Bird).
Behind the beach are a Ministry of Defense shooting range, villages flooded with chalets and caravans, plus a few rundown but charming ice cream and souvenir shops. The place could use a cash injection. Hence this new development: a Museum of Landspeed, a playground, beach volleyball courts and a 14-room budget hotel – Caban – right on the sand.
Outside, the building is clad in gray wood that tastefully blends into the dunes. Inside…well, actually, the inside of the hotel is the least interesting thing. Our homestay had a small shower room (hot and scrupulously clean) plus bunk beds and a king size bed tucked into the main room, which was fitted with a smart TV (to the delight of the children), tea making facilities, tea and – in the absence of art or interior design – windows filled with the sight and sound of the churning, close-up ocean (hard to beat for drama, so book a room with a sea view).
It was, in essence, an elegant Travelodge, as if the architect realized there was no point in trying to compete with the character and drama of the landscape outside. Functional and meeting its expectations, it is a place to rest after a day outdoors.
In the morning, the ruddy-cheeked dog walkers swish from the beach into the permanently bright, no-nonsense refectory for a full Welsh breakfast. Here, too, large windows overlook the waves on one side and the children’s playground on the other. The food is good and substantial: pizzas, sandwiches, a short dinner menu, and a revolving mobile fridge of pies.
On your doorstep there are rock pools to explore, kites to fly and rock climbing to try. The coastal path and glorious walks are just behind. There is a water sports shop next door where you can rent kayaks, surfboards and SUPs. I grabbed a wet suit and jumped into the sea while the kids bought a ball and ran to the sandy volleyball court.
The hotel actively encourages this outdoor concentration. There are bike lockers for those so inclined, and you can walk through the lobby in drenched wetsuits without raising an eyebrow. A partnership with coastal collector Craig Evans allows guests to book discounted excursions along the coast.
Evangelical about spreading his encyclopedic knowledge, Evans doesn’t charge for under-18s. Our children (aged nine to 12) were gripped as we picked, scavenged and scavenged free food from the beach, then cooked the freshest razor clams, mussels and crab over an open fire in a nearby cave.
The development has in effect created a super budget version of Watergate Bay, Britain’s best family hotel, on the Cornish coast. Sure, luxury declines in direct and dramatic correlation with the price tag. But that’s no sleight of hand: Watergate Bay is out of many families’ budgets, so a much cheaper place where families can jump right into wetsuits and water sports is an excellent result.
The museum, next door, will open next month. We were given the first tour and we were all instantly enthralled. The kids built their own model cars, testing aerodynamics in a mini wind tunnel, then raced them and recorded their speeds. There are interactive exhibits on the science of speed: engines, materials and more.
The development is also a great base for exploring further afield. Dylan Thomas’ home town of Laugharne is 10 minutes up the road and well worth a visit. We dined at the Milk Wood House, behind the poet’s boathouse, a restaurant which could conceivably boast the best view in Wales.
Family rooms from £120, family sea view rooms from £130, B&B. 01267 224622; cabanpendine.wales
