Few passengers expect to disembark in a former Royal Navy dockyard. Yet Pembroke Dock, on the south bank of the Cleddau estuary, in the heart of Welsh Pembrokeshire, was born for exactly that: founded in 1814 around the only royal dockyard in Wales, the town built warships for more than a century, including several royal yachts. The grid-pattern streets, Georgian buildings and old slipways still tell of this vocation, and the port call naturally revolves around this maritime history.

Flying boats and the Millennium Falcon

The Heritage Centre, housed in a former garrison chapel, sums up the town's surprises. You learn that during the Second World War, the town was the largest military flying boat base in the world: up to a hundred Sunderlands bobbed on the estuary, tasked with hunting submarines in the Atlantic. Another unexpected and verifiable story: it was in a hangar here that the full-size Millennium Falcon for the film The Empire Strikes Back was secretly built in 1979. The centre's volunteers recount these years with infectious enthusiasm, backed by photos and first-hand accounts.

The neighbouring town and its Tudor castle

A few kilometres to the south, the twin town of Pembroke stretches out at the foot of one of the most imposing fortresses in Wales. Pembroke Castle, an enormous round keep and curtain wall set on a spur surrounded by water, saw the birth in 1457 of Henry Tudor, the future Henry VII, founder of the dynasty that would produce Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. You can walk the ramparts and visit the halls, and the natural cave beneath the spur, the Wogan Cavern, adds an unusual touch. Taxis, local buses or excursions make the trip in about ten minutes; it is the port call's great historic highlight.

The estuary and the villages across the water

The Cleddau, a broad inland arm of the sea, shapes the entire region. Crossing it on the road bridge offers plunging views over the coves where sailboats and tall ships lie at anchor. Across the water, the village of Neyland and, farther west, Milford Haven live to the rhythm of their marinas. Coastal excursions readily head toward the beaches and cliffs of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only British national park that is almost entirely coastal, whose trails overlook a changing sea dotted with bird islands.

Ideas for planning your day

• Heritage Centre and a walk through the dockyard's Georgian quarter: a leisurely half-day on foot;
• the Tudor keep and old lanes of the neighbouring town: two to three hours including travel;
• the Pembrokeshire coast, Freshwater beaches or the cliffs of St Govan's: a half-day excursion;
• Carew Castle and its tide mill, about fifteen minutes by road, for lovers of less-visited sites.

A region to be earned and savoured

Pembrokeshire also takes pride in its table: crab and lobster from nearby harbours, Welsh lamb, farmhouse cheeses and, to finish, a slice of bara brith, the fruit loaf served with tea. The pubs of both towns offer the essentials in a setting of beams and brass, where the lilting Welsh accent is part of the menu. Conversations strike up easily, especially if you ask where to see seals or puffins: everyone has a secret spot on the coast.

Back along the slipways

Returning to the ship, the path runs along the old launching slipways and the dockyard walls, where so many hulls have slid into the estuary since 1814. The evening light softens the grey stone, herons fish on the mudflat, and the Cleddau spreads out peacefully toward the hills. Pembroke Dock does not play the star; instead, it opens a chapter of naval history and one of the most beautiful coastlines in Great Britain. As you set sail, what remains is the urge to come back and walk the coastal paths, this time without a watch.