My Coast: Sarah Hadland

My family has been visiting New Quay for over a hundred years. My great-grandmother was the first to holiday in the village, and my grandparents continued what has now become a family tradition. My grandparents were born in Wales, and although my cousins are now spread out across the country, we still gather in New Quay every summer.

It’s an unspoilt fishing village, which has barely changed since I was a girl. Usually, 20 to 30 of us get together, renting individual cottages. The property my grandparents holidayed in has been renovated and I now stay there. I can still picture my grandpa gutting mackerel in a bucket in the backyard.

Traethgwyn Beach is one of my favourite places in the world. There’s a local shellfish industry and we love buying fish straight from the boats to barbecue on the beach. It’s said that Dylan Thomas wrote Under Milk Wood in New Quay, basing the characters on people who lived in the village. The film about him, The Edge of Love, with Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller, was shot here but I’m relieved to say it doesn’t seem to have changed the character of the place; it’s never been overrun with tourists.

I still like to do the things I did as a child. We visit nearby Honey Farm and eat honey ice cream. I might go looking for seals on my uncle’s small boat and sometimes we travel down to Cardigan Bay to look for dolphins. We always spend one evening of our holiday on the pier, even if it’s pouring with rain. The whole family gathers for fish and chips and a glass of bubbly and we look out to sea and toast our grandparents. They loved New Quay. They’d be so happy to know that we all still come here. 

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