Thousands of people flocked to Fishguard this weekend for a chance to get up close to a piece of living history.

El Galeón Andalucía, a spectacular replica of a 17th-century Spanish galleon, berthed in Fishguard for a four-night visit, putting down the gangplank for visitors from Thursday to Sunday before sailing out of the harbour on Sunday evening.

The galleon is a full-size replica of a 17th-century Spanish galleon ship used by the Spanish in maritime expeditions and trade between Spain, America and the Philippines.

(Image: Submitted)

She is built from iroko and pine wood and carries nearly 1,000 square metres of sail. The galleon was constructed in Punta Umbría (Huelva) with meticulous historical accuracy right down to the stateroom furniture.

The landmark visit is the result of a year's worth of organising by North Pembrokeshire Chamber of Trade and Tourism (NPTT) and followed more than 12 months of negotiations between NPTT and Vela Cuadra Producciones.

A visit scheduled for September had to be cancelled due to weather conditions and NPTT was delighted to secure this visit less than a month later.

The galleon sailed out of Fishguard on Sunday evening, with the crew reporting that the visit to Fishguard had been busier than the berthing in Liverpool.

(Image: NPTT)

"What a spectacle the Spanish Galleon proved to be," said NPTT secretary Jeremy Martinea. "It has been many years since such an impressive and historic vessel has visited our shores.

"More than 4,000 people were able to board the ship, while countless others came to see it up close -- all thanks to the team of volunteers from North Pembrokeshire Trade and Tourism."

NPTT also provided the free shuttle bus service, which ferried visitors from the overflowing Goodwick Moor Car Park to the harbour area while the organisation's promotional team spread the word far and wide across Wales through social media.

(Image: NPTT)

Many of Saturday's visitors combined their trip with a visit to the Fishguard Bay Sustainable Food Festival, or enjoyed a Fishguard Dish at one of the 12 local venues offering special menus focused on sustainable, locally sourced food.

NPTT chairman Andy Linforth said: "NPTT is delighted that our efforts generated so much interest and drew people from far and wide to Fishguard this weekend, to the benefit of many local businesses.

El Galeón Andalucía's Ulysses with harbour master Richard Davies, NPTT's Jeremy Martineau, Fishguard Mayor and Mayoress and Stena's Matthew Tucker.(Image: Western Telegraph)

"A weekend to remember -- full of flavour, community spirit, and maritime magic."

Unfortunately, the galleon's visit wasn't all plane sailing, with several people reporting that they hadn't been able to get on board, due to the tides and visitor numbers, despite the fact that they had booked tickets.

(Image: Western Telegraph)

Mr Martineau said that NPTT was unaware of these problems until people complained to them and that NPTT would feed this back to the ship.

He has also emailed the ship's office in Spain asking about this and seeking reassurance that those who weren't able to get on board will be refunded.

Thousands of visitors board historic Spanish galleon during local visit