Fishguard, Wales Coast Path

Heading toward Fishguard, the trail led through an archway into Fishguard Fort. This military site was associated with the Battle of Fishguard when a small French force landed in the bay attempting to invade in 1797. Local militias, armed volunteers, and British Army units defended the area and defeated the French. The story of this invasion was beautifully depicted in the Last Invasion Tapestry, a huge embroidered tapestry initiated as a community project. Over four years, eighty local women worked together to complete the tapestry in time for its bicentenary commemoration in 1997. Measuring an incredible 100ft (30m) long and 21in (53cm) wide, the tapestry’s stitching style resembles the famous Bayeux Tapestry, which chronicles the story of the 1066 Norman Conquest. A total of 178 shades of wool were used to create subtle colour changes illustrating different times of the day and the seasons. 

A notable figure during the Battle of Fishguard was Jemima Nicholas (aka Jemima Fawr), a Welsh local who, armed with a pitchfork, captured 12 French soldiers. According to folklore, she led a group of local women armed with household items like pitchforks, scythes, and brooms to confront the soldiers. Rounding them up, the women locked them inside the church until the French troops surrendered shortly afterward. Jemima and her group of women are featured in the Last Invasion Tapestry, and her tombstone in the local cemetery is inscribed with her heroic act.

Fishguard is a coastal town with a strong maritime heritage, where fishing was the primary industry, trading with Ireland and England. Located in a deep valley at the confluence of the River Gwaun and the sea, the town stretches up the valley’s slope and down to the shores of Fishguard Bay. The bay acts as a natural barrier, protecting the town from the fierce waves of the Irish Sea and the prevailing westerly winds. 

However, the bay could not shield Fishguard in 1779 when Irish privateer Luke Ryan bombarded the town because it refused to pay a ransom. Ryan was commissioned by the French, who supported the Americans against the British during the Revolutionary War, to command the ship “Black Prince”. He was authorised to target British vessels and disrupt their trade and naval activities. Interestingly, while Ryan's actions may resemble piracy, he operated within the legal rules of privateering during wartime. Whether burning the town was an act of piracy or privateering remains questionable.

It was after Ryan’s attack that the fort was built, which proved valuable when the French arrived nearly two decades later.