Overshadowed by St Davids and Tenby, the Welsh seaside town of Fishguard makes a great off-season base for coastal and country exploration. In Welsh mythology, Llŷr is the god of the sea. In his latest incarnation – a shimmering five-metre seahorse, keeping watch from Fishguard’s Marine Walk – he’s king of the Pembrokeshire coast.
![[Gideon Peterson’s seahorse sculpture, Llŷr, in Fishguard.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6b771620809462d920a1ec23086cb71ee30aa7d5/0_0_5712_4284/master/5712.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“I’m calling him Llŷr before anyone else names him,” local artist Gideon Peterson said as we gazed at his magnificent stainless steel creation, perhaps fearing a Seahorsey McSeahorseface situation. “I see him as a water dragon, protecting seafarers. He’ll be visible from the ferry, and will reflect whatever the sky is doing – he’ll catch all kinds of light.”.
![[Part of the Last Invasion of Britain tapestry.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8ce8a7878003f639b92f1871d2886cfde8296046/0_0_5712_4284/master/5712.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Even on a drab day Llŷr dazzled, a fitting centrepiece for Celf ar Droed (Art Afoot). Launched in December, this new network of trails will, it’s hoped, raise the profile of Fishguard and neighbouring Goodwick, and encourage both locals and visitors to explore between the two.
![[Pentre Ifan dolmen, south-east of Newport, Pembrokeshire.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f58841add3344da05f6f254dfe1ef1ec3aab1be/0_0_5712_4284/master/5712.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
There are three Art Afoot routes, ranging from 1.25 to 1.75 miles long, which can be walked separately or linked to make a loop that’s just under four miles. As well as the seahorse, other artworks dot the trails. A dragonfly, also Gideon’s, rises from the reed beds of Goodwick Moor nature reserve. A sculpture of Jemima Nicholas, pitchfork-wielding heroine of the last invasion of mainland Britain (when a French force landed near Fishguard in 1797), stands on West Street. Augmented-reality plankton hovers above the waterfront, viewable by QR code and smartphone.
![[Welsh ponies on Sarah Baxter’s walk back to Fishguard.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/10968104de863bb10513da212f401cbaef170b7e/0_0_5712_4284/master/5712.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
