Fishguard ferry port is located in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. From it's ealiest days, Fishguard was a small fishing and trading village. By the late 18th Century it had 50 coasting vessels and exported oats and herring to Ireland, Liverpool and Bristol. Following a raid by the Black Prince, Fishguard Fort was completed in 1781 to defend the town. Whilst the Battle of Hastings in 1066 is often remembered as the last invasion of Britain, it was actually just the last *successful* invasion. In 1797, while Napolean was busy conquering Europe, the French Revolutionary Government came up with a cunning wheeze to "liberate" the working classes of Britain with an invasion - first stop: Fishguard. In February 1797 one Colonel William Tate set sail with a ragtag collection of soldiers - the ones Napoleon apparently felt he could manage without. But after years of surviving on prison rations and having been greeted with canon fire from the local fort, the best of what was left of the French army seem to have been more interested in the rich food and wine that locals had recently removed from a grounded Portuguese ship. Within two days, the invasion had collapsed. Legend has it that the French surrendered because from a distance they had mistaken the traditional scarlet tunics and tall black felt hats of local Welsh women for British army Redcoats. On eof these local women in particular, Jemima Nicholas (known as "Jemima Fawr", Jemima the Great) set out from home, pitchfork in hand, and rounded up twelve Frenchmen, who she locked inside St Mary’s Church. The town is divided into two parts, the main town of Fishguard and Lower Fishguard, or "Lower Town". The main town lies upon the hill south of Lower Fishguard and is joined to that half of town by a steep and winding hill. The western part of the town which faces Goodwick, began in the early part of the 20th century, with the development of Fishguard Harbour. The story of the Fishguard Invasion is told in the Fishguard Tapestry, created for the 200th anniversary to emulate the Bayeux Tapestry, and is displayed in the Town Hall Library.

Travelling to Fishguard Ferry Terminal

Fishguard: Port Facilities

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