Its stunning setting has set creative juices flowing for centuries and now a medieval coastal castle could become the source of inspiration for a new wave of authors and poets.
Manorbier Castle near Tenby is to host a whole raft of writing courses aimed at published, fledgling and emerging writers from next month.
The new venture is the brainchild of the castle's owner, Dame Emily Naper, who is hoping to forge creative links with an intriguing history that has featured many literary greats.
Although the area is a popular summer holiday destination beloved by surfers and walkers, Ms Naper, as she prefers to be called, hopes it can now become an artistic retreat where writers can reflect and bounce ideas off one another.
Manorbier castle. Photo © iStockphoto.com/hansok
The history of the site is certainly not one to scoff at.
Virginia Woolf first made her decision to become a writer as she strolled along the sea's edge at Manorbier. She experienced depression early on and penned an article there "to prove there was nothing wrong with me". Her first novel, The Voyage Out, was conceived at Manorbier in 1908.
George Bernard Shaw was also a frequent visitor while Siegfried Sassoon conceived his poem A Ruined Castle, about Manorbier, in 1924 when he was staying with Walter de la Mare in nearby Shrinkle.
Further back in history, Manorbier was the birthplace of Gerald of Wales, or Giraldus Cambrensis, who wrote Journey Through Wales to raise money for the Third Crusade in the 12th century.
So, for those embarking on any of the four courses on offer at the castle this autumn, those are fairly awe-inspiring footsteps to follow in.
Course director, the arts correspondent and author Celia Lyttelton, told me: "I think it's got a hugely inspirational history and it is fantastic to be reviving that history some 700 years later.
"Writing can be such a solitary occupation and these courses offer the chance for interaction and guidance.
"They are designed to be fluid and informal and not too intensive, to leave time for participants to write and explore the gorgeous coastal paths surrounding the castle - although the castle drawbridge is pulled up at 11pm."
Course leaders include novelist Esther Freud; poet and literary editor Alan Jenkins; food writer and editor Jojo Tulloh; novelist and creative writing lecturer Tiffany Murray; Tom Hodgkinson of Idler books and magazines; and memoirist and musician Jasper Rees.
Writers can choose between four-day residential writing courses in non-fiction and memoir, fiction, non-fiction and the art of writing essays.
Lyttelton added: "I don’t want the courses to be just about writing but to give a professional perspective and practical advice for those who are serious about getting published.
"They will address things like the Kindle revolution and self-publishing. We will have literary agents coming in and people from Unbound, where authors pitch books and they are supported via a pledging system.
"Obviously it's a dramatic surrounding and there is no mobile or internet reception or TV so people can really immerse themselves in the beauty of the place."
Ms Naper and her aunt, the Hon. Beatrice Plunkett, inherited the castle as ancestors of Sir Francis Dashwood, an 18th century Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ms Naper has returned to the breathtaking site after 30 years of living in Ireland.
Study areas in the castle include the round-tower rooms, the old guard room and chapel, while accommodation is provided in the lodge within the castle walls, which was converted from a 16th century barn in the 19th century.
For more details about the courses on offer and how to book visit the Manorbier Castle website.
