I’ll never forget the drive down to Hafan Lodge 85 in Pembrokeshire – a proper Welsh summer jaunt that started with me spilling my flat white all over the passenger seat just past Carmarthen. Daft as a brush, I was, fiddling with the satnav while trying to sip my coffee, and suddenly it’s dripping everywhere like a soggy Welsh cake. Laughed it off, though – nothing says holiday like beginning with a caffeine catastrophe. Wiping it up with a service station napkin, we pressed on, the M4 giving way to those twisty B-roads flanked by lush green hedges bursting with wildflowers. It was mid-July, peak summer in Pembrokeshire, and the sun was doing its best impression of a holiday brochure, dappling the landscape in that golden light that makes everything feel alive.

By the time we rolled up to Narberth, about five miles from the lodge, the air was thick with the scent of cut grass and sea salt drifting in from the coast. Hafan Lodge 85 sits in a peaceful holiday park just outside town, tucked among rolling fields that scream Pembrokeshire postcard. We arrived mid-afternoon, the summer heatwave turning the gravel drive into a bit of a crunch under the tyres. Unloading the car felt like unpacking for a week in the Med, not Wales – wellies and sun cream jostling for space in the boot. The lodge itself? A gem. Compact but cosy, with a wooden deck that overlooked a communal green space where kids were already kicking a football about in the long evening light. That seasonal stretch of daylight is pure magic here; it was gone 9pm before the sun even thought about dipping, giving us bonus hours to settle in without rushing.

Stepping inside, the first impressions hit like a warm hug. The open-plan living area was bathed in sunlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows – proper summer perk, that. The kitchen was kitted out with everything you’d need for a self-catering stint: a fridge humming away, oven ready for a post-beach roast, and a dining table begging for fish and chips. Upstairs, the bedrooms were snug, with crisp white duvets and views out to the fields where sheep grazed lazily under that endless blue sky. I claimed the master with its en-suite, flopping onto the bed for a moment and thinking, blimey, this is just what I needed after a mad year at work. A bit of gentle self-reflection there – sat there with the window cracked open, listening to the buzz of bees and distant chatter from fellow holidaymakers, realising how rare it is to just switch off. No emails, no deadlines, just the simple joy of a sun-soaked Welsh escape.

That first evening shaped up perfectly thanks to the season. We wandered a short stroll to Narberth’s high street – all of five minutes away – where the summer buzz was in full swing. Pubs spilling punters onto pavements, ice cream vans tinkling their tunes, and the local market stalls hawking fresh strawberries plump as your thumb. Grabbed some pasties from a bakery that smelled like heaven, then back to the lodge for a deck-side supper as the sun hovered low, painting the sky in pinks and oranges. The warmth lingered into the night, no need for a jumper, just shorts and a light shirt while we cracked open a bottle of rosé. Overhead, the stars started peeking out earlier than you’d expect, but with that twilight glow hanging on, it felt like the day was reluctant to end.

One light-hearted hiccup: trying to fire up the BBQ on the deck. Summer vibes had me all enthusiastic, but the wind – that cheeky Pembrokeshire breeze off the coast – kept blowing out the flames. We ended up with smoke signals instead of sausages, giggling like idiots as neighbours waved over. Proper first-night farce. Yet it encapsulated the joy of it all – this lodge, in high summer, with its sunny aspect and easy access to Narberth’s charms, felt like the ideal base. The season amplified every bit: the vivid greens of the fields, the balmy air inviting lazy lounging, the long days promising lazy mornings ahead. As I drifted off that night, sea gulls calling faintly in the distance, I knew we’d nailed the arrival. Pembrokeshire in summer? It doesn’t get much better than Hafan Lodge 85.