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Local
Beaches, Harbours and Coves Newgale
– 5 miles towards Haverfordwest. A
spectacular, long, sandy beach with storm shingle feature along its length.
Powerful swells roll in here at all times of the year.
Winter storms allow for car surfing from the main road across the field. o
Car parking and Surf Hire at the
Shop on the front o
Car Parking and Pub at the Duke of
Edinburgh o
Car Parking and Lifeguard patrol
at far end of main road. o
Car Parking and Shop at the far
South End of Newgale St Elvis
– A quiet Stony beach a 10-minute walk over the Gribben at Solva Harbour car
park. The beach is ideal for
swimming and is at the mouth of Solva Harbour. Solva Harbour
– Car parking in front of Harbour House Inn in public car park.
A small, sandy beach area at high tide.
Ideal for small children. There
is also a play area up along the river. As
the tide retreats boats are left stranded on sandy banks, seaweed and pebbly
bottom along which the river Solfach runs. A five-minute walk on the
right takes you out to the quay. Quay jumping is a favourite past time of local
children, as is crab fishing. Sailboat
and water activity courses can be booked from the quay.
Tel. Solva Sailboats – 01437 720972 Porth-Y-Rhaw
– An idyllic rocky cove just ten minutes walk from Delfryn.
Turn right out of Delfryn and then right at the nasty bend at the bottom
of the hill. There is a National
Trust Car Park for a few cars here and it is safer to drive the 50 yards than
walk down the main road. Walk down
the valley to the cove and scramble over the rocks.
There are Iron Age earthworks on the cliffs up on the left. To the right
is a 30 min walk to Caerbwdi. It
can be dangerous bathing here if the sea is rough! Good for snorkelling for
all abilities when the sea is calm. Lobsters,
Pollack, Wrasse, Sand eels, Spider Crabs, Edible Crabs, Swimming Crabs, Conger
Eels and Trigger Fish can be seen here. If you are a competent
swimmer and have a wetsuit and some old trainers then Coasteering along to the
right or left can be considered. Please
ask the owners for some guidance and be aware that this can be a major adventure
and only suitable for competent children or adults. With the tide out the
left cliff scramble over 60 yards leads to a plunge pool that is at least 8 feet
deep. Locals leap of the ten-foot
drop into the pool but are wary of the reaching claws of spider crabs in its
depths. A good evening walk from
here to Solva (less than an hour) can end with some local refreshment and
indulgence at the many hostelries/eateries in Solva. A late cab home with Tony’s Taxi 01437 720931 is the best
solution. Caerbwdi Beach
– On the way to St Davids as the road dips suddenly into small valley there is
a turning on your left. 100 yards down the road is a grassy car park.
The walk is ten minutes to a beautiful rocky beach.
The rocks here are red sandstone and it is from here that the rock was
quarried for St Davids Cathedral. A
walk on the cliffs to the right will show you dramatic geo-synclines and rock
foldings across the bay. Continue
on round the cliffs and you will reach the earthworks at Pen Pleidiau Point near
Caerfai Bay. Seagulls nest on
the Island and locals have been known to collect their eggs for eating in April
and May. In calm seas a competent
swimmer can swim round the island and it is excellent snorkelling with deep
clefts in the rocky bottom. Sea
Bass can be seen and caught by Anglers here. The bay is good for
snorkelling in calm seas and is a fairly quiet place to spend some time.
Caerfai Bay
– One mile from St Davids, turn left at the visitor centre and drive straight
on. A sandy beach when the high
tide has retreated. A popular beach
for all the family. It is worth
visiting the farm shop and buying some delicious local organically produced
cheese and other goods. The farmer here is keen on eco friendly solutions.
It is his windmill in the field and he also produces energy from Slurry
Gas using his own invention. Porthclais Harbour
– One mile from St Davids - A picturesque harbour mainly suited to boats.
Bathing is not recommended, as there is a sewage outlet in the harbour
mouth. A ten-minute walk
round to the right will lead you to what is called Pwll Bet.
The cliffs here are relatively gentle and a path can be picked out down
onto the rocks. Here is a deep
cleft in from the sea where locals swim. There
are various pools just below or just above the high tide mark.
The right hand side has higher pools, which are warmed in the sun.
Another 20 minutes good walking brings you past the Carreg Y Fran Island
to: - Porthllisky
– This is one of the gems of the coastline, mainly due to the walk required to
reach the beach. Swimming out round
the islands is not advisable unless you really know what you are doing.
It is again fantastic snorkeling but on the outer rocks the current is
strong, even in calm seas. Here the
tidal current begins its strong pull into the Ramsey Sound. St Justinian’s
– 2 miles from St Davids - Here we have the Lifeboat Station.
Swimming can be done from the beach and locals often dive off the
lifeboat slip, but can get told off. Do
not go to far out, as the current is extremely strong.
There are various boat trips to be made from here to and around Ramsey. If you do nothing else,
and no matter what the weather, a trip round Ramsey will be the highlight of
your stay. Make sure you take
warm clothing. o
AQUAPHOBIA – Inboard seats on
Large Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat. The
seats make it the most suitable for small children and the more cautious.
(01437 720471) o
Thousand Islands – Large Rigid
Hull Inflatable Boats, seating on the tubes. Also run the Ramsey Island landing trips
(0800 163621 / 01437 721721) o
Voyages of Discovery - Large Rigid
Hull Inflatable Boats
(0800 854367 / 01437 721911) Porthselau
– 2 miles from St Davids - Head for St Justinian’s and turn left into
Pencarnan Farm and visit the booking office to ask for permission to park.
Porthselau is usually a very safe and sandy beach.
Often sheltered from the wind. Many
locals and of course campers come here. From this beach and the headland to the left you can
view Whitesands Bay from its best vantage point (other than boat).
Sunsets are spectacular, as they are at Whitesands, Whitesands Bay
(Porthmawr) – 2 miles from
St Davids. The most popular beach in the area. Get here early on sunny days.
There is a charge for Parking. It
is patrolled by Council Lifeguards and Volunteer lifeguards.
A good surfing beach. Shop
and Toilets at the top of the car park. Surfboard
and wets suit hire throughout the main season by courtesy of Ma Simes Surf Shop.
Surf Lessons can be booked here at the Whitesands Surf School Van.
Ice Cream Van, Blue flag
beach. Porth Lleuog –
To the right of Whitesands over the low headland called the Ramsnose.
Incredibly quiet considering Whitesands is just over the point.
Beware, high tide can get you stranded –
but as long as you keep an eye on the tide there should not be a problem.
It does involve a bit of a scramble over the rocks and choosing of the
easiest route. Porthmelgan
– 30 minutes walk over the cliffs from Whitesands.
A beautiful sandy cove, relatively secluded and you can take your dog
there. Some long sea caves on the left of the beach and St Davids
Head to your right. Porthlledwen
head (to the left) and St Davids Head are both good for fishing, but be aware of
large swells that can sweep you into the dangerous currents. The walk from
Whitesands to Abereiddu should take a
good few hours with an extra 1.5 miles to continue to Porth Gain.
The Strumble Shuttle will pick you up from Abereiddu at 12:22 and
17:22 to return to St Davids and from Porthgain at 12:11 and 17:11. Abereiddu
/ Abereiddy
– 7 miles from St Davids on the lower coastal road. A dramatic black sandy
storm beach, well worth a visit. Typical
Pembrokeshire cottages decorate the valley down to the beach.
There are public toilets here and usually an Ice Cream Van. Disused slate cottages are dotted along the North side
of the valley and headland. Around
to the right is the disused quarry, flooded to the sea, known as the Blue
Lagoon. It is said to be bottomless
if you can dive past the Giant Conger Eels that haunt its depths. Locals and adventure groups delight in plunging from
great heights on the far side old quarry buildings. Porthgain
– 8 miles from St Davids – A great place to finish a Coast Path walk.
o
The Sloop Inn is famous for its
excellent food and fine beer. o
A local fisherman now runs ‘The
Shed Tea Rooms’ which is great for sandwiches, baguettes and cakes during the
day but comes into its own in the evening, with locally caught fresh fish dishes
and juicy Welsh Black steaks a speciality. (01348 831518) o
Not to be outdone is the Harbour
Lights Restaurant for which booking is recommended.
(01348 831549) Porthgain was once a busy
brick and slate exporting port, which the remaining, imposing building works,
now reflect. Fishing vessels still
dock in the harbour and local catches landed. Aberfelin / Trefin
– 8 miles from St Davids – an idyllic small rocky cove just outside the
village. There are tearooms, pub
and gallery here. Abercastle
– 9 miles from St Davids – A quiet, sheltered, sandy harbour with typical
Pembrokeshire cottages. Very safe
for swimming in the harbour. Aber Mawr and Aber
Bach – Two remote wild beaches,
a short walk down
flower-filled country lanes. If
you want somewhere to escape to then these should be your destination. |
Contact Information Annie Rogers Delfryn, Nine Wells, Solva, Pembrokeshire, SA62 6UH
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