Off the beaten track, but often discovered by Pembrokeshire holiday visitors exploring the trails around St Brides Bay, Solva Woolen Mill is the oldest working wool mill in the county.
Weaving has been done for nearly a century in the mill, which used to be known as the Middle Mill, and there is more to visitors than just the operation of the mill and the products.
Nestled comfortably in the beautiful valley of the River Solva, the mill may be remote, but its fame has spread around the world and Pembrokeshire holiday visitors may be surprised to learn that recent commissions for its unique products include the White House of the Confederacy in Virginia Hampton House, Maryland and the Welsh home of the Prince of Wales at Llwn-y-wermod, near Llandovery.
Specializing in flat weave floor coverings, the factory craftsmen use skills inherited from the past to create traditional and contemporary designs for the modern home.
Tourists on holiday in Pembrokeshire can browse the mill shop where elegant wool wares are sold, including woven rugs and fabrics by top designer Vanessa Arbuthnott, and a variety of other unique and distinctive gifts.
The Mill is easy to find and is open Monday through Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm and on Sundays from 2pm to 5.30pm between July and the end of September, and in the winter from October to June from Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5.30. p.m.
Visitors can get there by following the Brown tourist information signs from the A487 Solva to St Davids road or Croesgoch to St Davids road. From Solva you can take the detour over the stone bridge at the foot of the hill and travel a kilometer and a half through the picturesque valley.
Once there, the Pembrokeshire holidaymaker can enjoy much more than just a peek in the shop. A relaxing snack in the tea room or a picnic in the gardens, with the therapeutic click of the newly restored 10-foot diameter water wheel as a background sound effect, can add more dimensions to the visit.
And no holiday visit to Pembrokeshire would be complete without a walk through the beautiful Solva Valley to the picturesque harbor where the River Solva flows into the sea. The harbor is packed with colorful yachts, cruise ships and fishing boats and has a row of disused lime kilns, a legacy of the agricultural industry that relied on lime brought in by ship in the past.
