Caldey Island

Monks have lived on Caldey since about the sixth century, with breaks, and the present community are Cistercians who arrived in 1929, taking over an abbey built between 1910 and 1913 by an Anglican Benedictine community to designs by John Coates Carter, a white-rendered building counted the most complete example of the Arts and Crafts style in the country and nothing like the rest of Pembrokeshire. The monks farm the island and make products sold in the shop, of which the perfume is the best known: it was developed from the gorse, lavender and other plants growing on the island and has been made here since the 1950s, along with chocolate and shortbread. The old priory church of St Illtud holds an inscribed stone carrying both ogham and Latin script from the sixth century. Boats run from Tenby harbour, six days a week in season; the island is closed to visitors on Sundays.

The main sights

• The 1910s abbey - a white Arts and Crafts monastery unlike anything nearby.
• The perfume works - scents made from island gorse and lavender since the 1950s.
• The ogham stone - a sixth-century inscription in two scripts in St Illtud's.
• The island walks - a lighthouse, cliffs and beaches on a short circuit.

When to go

May to September, when boats run Monday to Saturday; the island is closed on Sundays and boats stop for winter. Crossings cancel in swell and the harbour is tidal, so departures shift with the tide.

Practical notes

Boats do not run on Sundays or out of season, and cancellations for weather are common. The monastery buildings themselves are largely closed to visitors, who see the church, shops and grounds. The island is small and half a day is enough.

Nearby

Tenby is twenty minutes back across the water; the Pembrokeshire coast path runs from there.

Key facts