SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

KAREN PRICE has 36 hours in Welsh wonder St Davids, the tiniest city in Britain

- KAREN PRICE

NESTLED on the western tip of Wales, St Davids is unlike any other city. With a population of less than 2,000, it has more in common with a market town than a bustling metropolis.

Quaint buildings house a selection of coffee shops, gift stores and clothing outlets as well as a local butcher’s, a deli and traditional pubs.

Strolling through the centre on a Tuesday morning and after stop-offs at Mountain Warehouse, a Welsh gift shop and Chapel Chocolates, my partner and I soon reached the famous and impressive cathedral, the very reason St Davids is a city.

When St David - the patron saint of Wales - died, his remains were kept at here. In the 12th century, Pope Calixtus II declared it a place of pilgrimage and also said two visits to St Davids Cathedral was the equivalent of one to Rome. It’s certainly a lot cheaper.

Since the sixth century there’s been a church on this site, and for the past 1,500 years it’s been open daily for prayers and worship as well as regular concerts and organised tours.