Pembrokeshire occupies the far south-western tip of Wales, a peninsula that pushes out into the Irish Sea and gets weather from three directions at once. Almost the entire coastline, plus the inland Preseli Hills and the upper reaches of the Daugleddau estuary, sits inside the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park — the only national park in Britain designated principally for its coast. That single fact shapes the whole county. Development is contained, the cliff tops are open, and the 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path traces the entire edge from Amroth in the south-east round to St Dogmaels on the Teifi.
The geology changes as you walk it. The southern coast around Stackpole and Bosherston is old red sandstone and carboniferous limestone, giving vertical white cliffs, natural arches and sudden sheltered beaches reached only on foot. West of Milford Haven the rock turns older and harder, and by the time you reach St Davids Head you are on some of the most ancient stone in Britain, with volcanic outcrops standing up out of the heath like broken teeth. The north coast between Strumble Head and Newport is emptier again, a run of small coves, fishing hamlets and cliff paths that see a fraction of the traffic of the Tenby end.
Culturally, Pembrokeshire is split by an old and still visible line. North of a rough boundary known as the Landsker, Welsh is widely spoken and place names are Welsh throughout. South of it lies what has been called Little England Beyond Wales, a belt of Norman castles, English place names and a settlement pattern imposed after the twelfth-century conquest. You can drive across the divide in twenty minutes and hear the difference in the pubs. Milford Haven, meanwhile, is a deep-water port and energy terminal, and the industrial scale of it comes as a jolt against the rest — a useful reminder that this is a working county, not a preserved one.
Top things to do in Pembrokeshire
The county rewards a mix of the obvious and the awkward-to-reach. These are the things most visitors build a trip around.
- Barafundle Bay — a curve of pale sand backed by pines and dunes on the Stackpole Estate, reachable only by a half-mile walk over the cliff from Stackpole Quay, which is precisely why it stays quiet even in August.
- Skomer Island — the puffin colony is the reason most people go, with birds present from mid-April to late July and June the reliable month for watching adults ferry sandeels to burrow chicks. Landing boats run from Martin's Haven on a fifteen-minute crossing.
- Pembroke Castle — a substantial Norman fortress with a vast circular keep, wall-walks and the Wogan Cavern, a natural limestone chamber beneath the castle. Birthplace of Henry VII and free of the over-restoration that afflicts some castles.
- St Davids Cathedral — set in a hollow below the smallest city in Britain, deliberately sunk out of sight of raiders. The nave floor visibly slopes and the ceiling is Irish oak. The ruined Bishop's Palace next door is worth the extra ticket.
- Carew Castle and Tidal Mill — an unusual hybrid of Norman defensive castle and Elizabethan country house, alongside one of the last working tidal mills in Wales, with a mill pond walk between the two.
- Coasteering — the sport was invented on this coast in the 1980s. Guided sessions from St Davids and Abereiddi combine swimming, scrambling and controlled jumps along the base of the cliffs, with the flooded Blue Lagoon slate quarry at Abereiddi the best-known venue.
- The Preseli Hills — inland moorland where the Stonehenge bluestones were quarried, crossed by an ancient ridgeway track and dotted with burial chambers including Pentre Ifan, a capstone balanced on three uprights.
- Tenby — medieval town walls, a harbour of pastel houses and three beaches, plus boats to Caldey Island, where a small community of Cistercian monks still makes perfume and chocolate.
Getting to Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a long way from most of England, and honesty about that helps. Trains from London Paddington run to Haverfordwest, Pembroke Dock and Tenby, with the quickest London to Haverfordwest services taking around four and a half hours, usually with a change at Swansea or Carmarthen. Many services take considerably longer, closer to six hours, so it pays to check the timetable rather than assume. From Cardiff the journey is roughly two and a half to three hours. The Pembroke Dock branch line serves Tenby, Saundersfoot and Manorbier and is genuinely useful for coast path walkers wanting to get back to their car.
By road, most drivers follow the M4 to its end at Pont Abraham, then the A48 and A40 through Carmarthen to Haverfordwest, or the A477 across the Cleddau Bridge for the Tenby and Pembroke side. From London reckon on around five hours without stops; from Birmingham roughly four; from Bristol about three. The last thirty miles are single carriageway and slow behind caravans in high summer, so allow more in July and August.
Parking is the practical constraint. Popular beaches such as Broad Haven South, Whitesands and Barafundle rely on a small number of car parks that fill by mid-morning in the school holidays. The seasonal Puffin Shuttle, Coastal Cruiser and Strumble Shuttle bus services run along the coast road network and are the sensible answer for linear walks. Cardiff Airport is roughly two hours away by car and is the nearest with scheduled flights; Bristol is around three hours. Irish Ferries and Stena Line sail into Pembroke Dock and Fishguard from Rosslare, which makes the county an easy first stop coming from Ireland.
Best time to visit Pembrokeshire
Spring is arguably the best season here. From late April the cliff tops turn yellow with gorse and then pink and white with thrift and sea campion, the seabird colonies are noisy, and the coast path is dry underfoot without being crowded. May and June are the driest months on average, and the puffins are on Skomer. Sea temperatures are still cold, so bring a wetsuit if you plan to swim.
Summer brings the warmest water, usually peaking in late August, and the fullest programme of boat trips, festivals and lifeguarded beaches. It also brings the crowds, particularly to Tenby, Saundersfoot and St Davids, and accommodation prices roughly double. If you visit in July or August, get to beaches before ten or after four and use the northern coast, which absorbs visitors far better than the south.
Autumn is underrated. September often holds warm settled weather with the sea at its warmest and the schools back, which is the best combination the county offers. Grey seal pups appear on the beaches below the cliffs from late August through October, and the coast path is at its quietest while the days are still long enough for serious walking. October brings the first Atlantic storms.
Winter is for people who like weather. Gales come in off the Atlantic, many seasonal cafes and boat operators close, and daylight is short. What you get in return is empty beaches, dramatic surf on the west-facing coast, and low winter light on the cliffs that photographers travel for. Book somewhere with a fire and treat walking as the main event.
Where to stay in Pembrokeshire
Tenby is the obvious base for families. It has the beaches, the ice cream, the harbour boat trips and enough shops and restaurants to fill a rainy afternoon, and you can reach it by train. Neighbouring Saundersfoot is quieter and better for a young family who want less walking between car and sand. Both are busy and expensive in August.
St Davids suits walkers and couples. It is tiny — a cathedral, a handful of streets and some very good places to eat — but it sits within reach of Whitesands, Porthclais, the St Davids Head circuit and the Ramsey Island boats. Prices are high for what you get, but the location earns it.
Pembroke and Pembroke Dock are cheaper and more workaday, with easy access to the Stackpole coast and Bosherston lily ponds. Narberth, inland, has become the county's food and shopping town and works well if you want a base you can drive out from in several directions. Newport and Dinas Cross on the north coast are for people who want the quiet version, with the Preselis behind and a mostly empty coast path in front. Broad Haven, Little Haven and Solva along St Brides Bay are middle ground: proper villages, good pubs, decent beaches, less pressure than Tenby.
Food and drink in Pembrokeshire
The county's produce is genuinely good. Look for St Brides Bay crab and lobster, hand-dived scallops, sewin (Welsh sea trout) in early summer, salt marsh lamb, and Pembrokeshire early potatoes, which have protected status and appear from late May. Laverbread — boiled and minced seaweed, often rolled in oatmeal and fried with bacon — turns up at breakfast and is worth trying once. Caerfai Farm near St Davids makes organic Caerphilly and cheddar on site, and Pant Mawr near Rosebush produces a range of soft and blue cheeses.
For eating out, Narberth is the strongest small town: independent delis, butchers and the Ultracomida shop and tapas bar. Tenby has Plantagenet House in a medieval building off Tudor Square and a run of good harbour cafes. In St Davids, the Blas restaurant at Twr y Felin holds three AA rosettes, while Sh'mae and the Bench are dependable for casual meals. The Grove at Narberth serves the county's most ambitious kitchen if you want a serious dinner.
Drink is well covered too. Bluestone Brewing near Newport and Tenby Brewing Co both distribute locally, In the Welsh Wind distillery at Tanygroes produces gin using coastal botanicals, and Cwm Deri near Martletwy makes fruit wines and liqueurs. Farmers markets run at Haverfordwest and Fishguard, and Narberth holds a food festival each September that is the best single day for grazing your way round local producers.
