Pembrokeshire Coast Path

Travel to the small village of Amroth, approximately 2 hours 30 minutes from Cardiff and spend the evening at your first night’s accommodation.

Your walk along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path begins by following the cliff tops and sandy coves to Tenby, a captivating, medieval, harbour town. The beautiful beaches in this area and tourist attractions around Tenby make this the busiest section of the whole route.

Today there are superb views of Caldey Island and the coasts of Exmoor and The Gower Peninsula.

Upon your arrival in Manorbier, the enchanting Norman castle overlooking the beach is well-worth exploring.

This section really typifies why this coast is worthy of National Park status. It contains Barafundle beach – only accessible by foot, and recently voted one of the top ten beaches in the world. A tiny 12th-century hermit chapel is hidden in the magnificent cliffs at St Govan’s Head.

The route passes dramatic limestone cliffs and the tiny harbour at Stackpole Quay. It finally fringes the famous Lily Ponds at Bosherston, a National Nature reserve.

The path is quite undulating, but you’re never far from a beach, village, pub or toilet!

Probably the flattest section of the trail, but unfortunately much of it is restricted because of military use. Despite being a firing range, Range West ranks as one of Britain’s most important wildlife sanctuaries and is protected by some of Europe’s strongest designations.

The section from Freshwater West to Angle is very rugged and a remote and challenging experience. The scenery is spectacular passing wonderful sea cliffs with some steep ups and downs. Wonderful award-winning beaches and sheltered bays make for great picnic spots. The entire stretch is coastal – no roads, no houses, few stiles and no amenities at all.

Your accommodation is in the attractive village of Angle with its historic church.

This is still a very interesting walk even with its proximity to the industry associated with the haven. It is rich in history, environmental and agricultural interest. Pembroke Castle with its vast keep provides commanding views in all directions.

The Coastal Path continues past the busy port of Milford Haven—one of the largest natural harbours in the world.

This morning, it is important to double-check the tide tables on this section for the tidal crossings to avoid long detours on road. Beginning in the gentle and pastoral area of the Milford Haven waterway, this is a walk of contrasts which ends on the wild and treeless Atlantic coast with spectacular views of the rugged offshore islands of Skomer, Skokholm and Grassholm.

The walking is fairly easy on the Dale to Marloes plateau, around lovely St Ann’s head, with the occasional short climb out of relatively steep valleys. At Marloes Sands, you’ll encounter multi-coloured cliffs and it will be hard to resist a refreshing dip in the inviting ocean.

This section of the coastal path follows the wide sweep of St Bride’s Bay, with its beautiful beaches. Little Haven with narrow lanes, cottages, old inns and tiny bay and Broad Haven, a lovely village with sandy beaches nestled between the cliffs are welcome stops for walkers with a good number of pubs for well-earned refreshments.

The coastal slopes and cliff tops are rich in wildflowers. In places, the red of the Old Red Sandstone is brightly streaked with yellow algae.

From Broad Haven, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path takes you along the cliff tops to the lovely beach at Druidston Haven. From there you continue to famous Newgale Sands, with over two and a half miles of stunning beaches. Complete your walk with a well-deserved visit to a tea shop in the quaint harbour village of Solva, a colourful, small port since the 13th century.

The Coastal Path continues past the pretty harbour village of Porthclais, the little harbour of saints and pilgrims, to the golden sands of Whitesands Bay. It is said that this is where St. Patrick had his vision to convert Ireland to Christianity, setting sail from this bay in the 5th century.

Your accommodation tonight is in the magnificent small city of St Davids – no more than the size of a large village. No one should miss spending some time in St Davids Cathedral taking in the truly magnificent construction and the atmosphere of 1,000 years of Celtic Christianity.

The section between Whitesands and Abereiddi feels wild and remote, with hardly a building to be seen, making the refreshment van at Abereiddi a welcome sight for the weary walker!

Make time to linger on the wild and rocky peninsula of St Davids Head, which abounds with archaeology. Keep an eye out for seals in the rocky coves below and gannets diving for fish; you may be lucky enough to see porpoises hunting for fish beneath the gannets.

It is an exhilarating and, in places, rugged section of the path above high cliffs and beneath the dramatic craggy volcanic outcrops of Pen Beri, Carn Lleithyr and Carn Llidi. Your destination is the pretty little fishing village of Abercastle.

There are plenty of dramatic sheer cliffs on this section, where coastal erosion is obvious and there are infrequent steep hills to climb. Heather and gorse abound ensuring a dramatic blaze of colour in August.

Spend tonight in the picturesque old harbour town of Fishguard with its wonderful tale of the French surrender of 1797.

The cliffs on the penultimate section of the Coastal Path are lower, although Pen Dinas rises to 142m – the level valley path (also National Trail) avoids this. The hills up and down to the little beaches are steep but well spread out.

Your destination is the ancient little town of Newport with its interesting, steep-sided streets, old shops and Norman castle.

The final day’s walk is most definitely the hardest and most challenging section of the Coast Path – 15.5 miles long with frequent, very steep hills to climb.

This leads you to the finish in the village of St Dogmaels which occupies a beautiful situation overlooking the River Teifi opposite the town of Cardigan.

After breakfast, you will start your journey home after a wonderful walking holiday on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.