The perfect chocolate box, woodland cottage doesn’t exist, only in our dreams …. Or does it? In fact, there’s a pretty stone cottage in Pembrokeshire set just 20 metres from a woodland estate one way and 15 minutes further is a beach. I don’t think there’s a better tick list for a countryside escape in Wales this spring and summer – in fact, it’s perfect all year round.
Colby Rose Cottage should definitely be on your radar if you’re planning a staycation in Wales, in 2026. It sits in an idyllic location, adjacent to a quiet country lane and just 20 metres from Colby Woodland Gardens, a National Trust property that’s a stone’s throw from Amroth seafront .
The bungalow has two bedrooms and sleeps four people. Inside the cosy vibe is top level with a woodburner in the simple but classically designed living space. Outside, you’ll open the French doors out onto a green oasis filled with shrubs, a small lawn and a stream.
A modest, cottage kitchen has everything you need for self-catering but don’t fret, you’ll be surrounded by plenty of places to eat and drink if you don’t feel like cooking.
You’ll be surrounded by nature and will have Colby Woodland Garden on your doorstep – this place is gorgeous. It’s a 900-acre estate of beautiful woodland paths, plants, flowers and trees on what was an 18th-century coalfield.
The colours in autumn are as bright and vibrant as spring and summer. If you visit Colby – run by the National Trust – be sure to explore the second hand bookshop and have some cake at the cafe before or after your stroll. You’ll pass a walled garden wildflower meadow, Japanese Red Cedar and Great Chinese Rhododendrons. There’s also the Bothy Tearoom which has great coffee and cake options, lunchs nd smashing gluten free bread – always worth knowing!
Colby’s walks can start and end in the gardens, or from your cottage door of course, but you can also follow their path straight down to Amroth beach.
Get the route map for Colby, here.
Talking about the beach, it’s a long sand and pebble beach, which stretches the whole length of the village, is the south-side start of the glorious, 186-mile-long Pembrokeshire coastal path. If you’re starting, or ending a walk of the path, Amroth is a fantastic spot to take a break and relax.
Amroth beach is way more than your go-to for kayaking and dipping in the summer – it has a drowned forest and at very low tides tree stumps can be seen poking through the sand and fossilised antlers, nuts, animal bones and Neolithic flints have been discovered in the past. If you are swimming in the summer be aware of these unusual features.
You won’t pass through Amroth without seeing steel fish sculpture Bertie the Sea Bass who was created to highlight the issue of plastic litter pollution and is filled with plastic litter.
Along the front there are a handful of pubs including the Amroth Arms and The New Inn. The latter is a 16th century, former farmhouse and it’s at the far east end of the beach.
Amroth Arms is smack dab in the middle and is a really cosy, friendly pub with a fire at the centre making it an ideal escape after a walk in the Welsh winter air. Their homemade lasagnes, cottage pies and more pub grub makes you feel like you’ve completed the ‘Welsh winter weekend’ tick list and you certainly won’t go home hungry.
Grab a drink in the Temple Bar and they host a regular quiz and bingo, too. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What’s On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here
Stays at Colby Rose Cottage start at £439, from National Trust.
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