Melin Tregwynt

In a wooded valley less than a mile from the Pembrokeshire coast, not far from the town of Fishguard, is Melin Tregwynt – a woollen mill of whitewashed stone buildings complete with water wheel.

You could mistake it for a heritage attraction, and in a way, it is. But it’s also a thriving business that employs over 40 people, and its distinctive textile patterns have found enthusiastic fans from as far afield as the United States and Japan.

On a weekday morning, the place is busy, and holidaymakers are drinking coffee in the sunshine outside the mill café. The shop is piled high with throws, cushions, and all sorts of other products that have been made with Melin Tregwynt cloth. A customer is holding a blanket up to the light to see its colours and strokes it ever so gently: textiles are tactile.

There has been a mill on the site since the 17th Century, and it’s one of a handful of businesses that survive from a time when almost every Welsh valley had its own woollen mill.