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We are off to a part of Wales I haven’t been to before so was after some pointers and guides, maybe off the beaten track places and beaches? No bikes and one dog coming too. Staying around ten minute drive from Fishguard.
Thanks
Newport is just up the road and has a lovely sandy beach. Another decent spot would be Aberfforest which you get to by parking on the roadside just before you get to Newport and then following the coast path. This spot should hopefully be quiet. Take the opportunity to head inland to the Gwaun Valley for decent walks and also a visit to Bessie's pub which is err, a bit different from your conventional pub.
Fishguard itself is nice to walk round - there's a cliff edge walk that takes you from just above Goodwick to Lower Town in Fishguard which is worth doing but bare in mind the hill to get out out of Lower Town is a very steep walk. Strumble Head lighthouse is worth a visit if you like exposed coastal path style walking.
Porthgain is a very nice old fishing harbour but again, this will probably be very busy. Whitesands is probably the busiest beach in the area but is lovely. I'd probably avoid this though and head to Newgale beach as it's so long you can always find a relatively quiet spot. Solva has a pretty harbour but will be rammed.
Final tip is if you like coffee and cake then go to Hilton Court Gardens. This is a great place to visit if you have children as there's plenty of places to explore and play hide and seek. Did I mention the cake?
If you need any specific information then just ask.
As above really. White sands is lovely but often busy. Although I'm usually there on Xmas Day, so don't know about summer, but I'd expect busier.
Just back from a week there. It was busy! 😀
Loads of beaches - worth asking around which ones are quieter. Generally anything with slightly restricted parking or a shlep to get to the beach means the flumps will avoid. I love Freshwater West. Free parking but Get. There. Early! Good for surfing/bodyboarding but be careful with youngsters - rips form fairly regularly there. Great rockpooling if swimming’s not on. Barrafundle also lovely and safer for swimming. This requires a fifteenish minute walk from the car park so make sure you can carry all you need for the day in one trip. Both beaches very dog friendly.
Make sure and take a bag of pound coins in the car for parking - most machines don’t have card payment.
Avoid Tenby and Saundersfoot. Both heaving. Although, Coppet Hall at the end of Saundersfoot has a separate car park and is generally a bit nicer and dog friendly at either side of a middle section.
Casual dining and boozing not quite that simple in towns - queues for a lot of stuff. Harbwr Brewery in Tenby has some nice beers but with the weather this week, it’ll be crazy busy there.
Finally, Newgale is good for surfing and is a lovely long sandy stretch. I haven’t been there for years though so not sure what parking etc is like there these days.
Have a great time - it’s a lovely part of the world. We’re back there again, in Solva for the last week of Aug.
There used to be a great tapas/deli place in Narberth if you find yourself inland.
You're a bit light on beaches up that end, but if you fancy a day trips these are my favourites...
• Manorbier
• Barafundle Bay
• Broadhaven South
• Angle is a quirky little place
Food - book a couple of restaurants before you go! Even before this lock-down madness you often struggled to get an evening meal in the busy places.
As has been said before - Wiseman's Bridge will be busy at any time. Big surfing beach and it's busy even when raining.
Barafundle is great - I wonder whether it never gets completely rammed because the car park size at Stackpole Quay determines the max number of day trippers. You can walk across from Broadhaven though. Food at the Stackpole Inn is great if you can get an outside table.
Broadhaven is much bigger, but very popular.
If the tides are in your favour, Marloes Sands might be an option.
Basically, the further you can walk, the better life is going to be.
If you fancy a walk, and the ranges are open, then park at Bosherton and wander along past Huntsman's Leap and the other crags.
Pembroke knocks the spots off Cornwall, IMO.
Just come back from campsite near Castlemartin. Quick tips.....visit Angle beach, avoid Tenby at all costs, The tapas bar in Narberth is closed. Pembroke castle is awesome. Book evening meals in advance, its very busy. the cafe van on Freshwater west beach does amazing crab rolls.
Too much to write on a phone but.... have a look at Tregoes Camping website as they have the best list of beaches close to Fishguard. Our top are Cym yr Eglws, Porthgwaelod, Aberreidy (for the blue lagoon cliff jumping) and Whitesands/ Newgale for surfing.
For Pubs then check out the Sloop in Porthgain, the Golden Lion in Newport, Bessies in the Gwaun valley, and The Ship in lower fishguard ( the horror of the gents loos in the ship is legendary). Enjoy!
Abereiddi is a nice little cove
Melin Tregwynt - last remaining wool mill in the area making Welsh blankets, throws etc Has a nice cafe too
Lots of nice quiet lanes between Fishguard and St David's. Ideal for a hybrid bike to do some exploring
Going next week and staying in Angle. We’ve been lots of times over the past 20years but not been back for 3 years so really looking forward to it.
As the other posters say - aim for a beach with a walk to reduce the numbers of people and go early. Some lovely beaches.
Pembroke knocks the spots off Cornwall, IMO.
I love both, but crowds are a problem. Worse since Brexid19. Social media has also the unwanted ‘benefit’ of all and sundry suddenly descending on formerly quiet and much-respected locations and turning them into something very different.
I would cheekily say "stay away! Don't ruin our holiday". 🙂 We have been going to Pembrokeshire quite regularly now for over 10 years and love it. Once you are past Tenby it is relatively unspoilt and has some gorgeous beaches, many of them mentioned above. We especially love Whitesands which, yes, does get busy at high tide but when tide is out it is a fabulous beach. Newgale also is a great becj but will feel more exposed than many of the others so if it is a bit breezy you will feel it. Also a bit more prone to weever fish at low tide. A bit further along and much harder to get to is Druidstone which is another beautiful beach.
A couple of places to eat in Porthgain (The Sloop and there's also another very nice fish restaurant there). There are fabulous coast walks all around Pembrokeshire. There's a lovely little cafe in Trefin (The Mill) which does a lovely breakfast, the Penrallt Garden Centre near Cardigan (another great little cafe), St David's is great - especially the ice creams at what used to be Gianni's (think it's now The Bench). St David's deli is always nice to look in and a couple of great restaurants (Cwch and St David's Kitchen). Newport (as also mentioned above) is a pretty little town and you can easily escape from there up to the Preseli Hills (great view over Cardigan Bay and Dinas Head, donor of stone for Stonehenge) or down to the Porag for the beach or a coastal walk. Walk around Dinas Head. There's an ecological type centre just outside Cardigan and some lovely riverside walking from Cardigan out towards the castle at Cilgerran.
There really is a lot to see and do there and it is a beautiful part of the country. Feels faintly Cornish but without the hordes of tourists. Be careful though - it is addictive. 🙂
this. A lot quieter (away from the obvious honeypots) and more interesting. We rode up the Preseli hills & through the field of bluestones which was really cool. Very quiet up there. You could easily hike up without a bike.Pembroke knocks the spots off Cornwall, IMO.
Will you lot stop it!
There’s nothing to see, nothing to do, the beaches are horrible. Go to Cornwall instead.
😉
Most of what I was coming on to post has been mentioned, but here would be my top tips.
1. The Sloop in Porth Gain
2. Caerfai Bay near St Davids is quieter than Whitesands because there is a short walk down.
3. The refectory in the cathedral is a nice cafe
4. St David's Farmers Arms is nice out the back on the terrace
5. AVOID The Bench - pretty unpleasant owner (Gianni)
6. TYF for coasteering and watersports.
Enjoy!
ecological type centre just outside Cardigan
The visitor centre at the Wildlife Centre was shut last week and one of the paths from the river to the centre closed.
Another place to visit is Castell Henllys (if it's open)- an Iron Age village just along the A487 from Newport.
Lovely area, jealous.
If you want quiet, because the Skomer Island boat trips and watersports at Dale are closed I would expect the St Anns Head / Dale / Marloes peninsula to be quiet. But it is a bit of a schlep from Fishguard area. Marloes sands are a walk from the car park with a steep section down and also a bit exposed to westerlies, but the cliff top walks are very nice there. Similar to the south between Bosherston and Freshwater.
What a coincidence - just back from a week in a cottage not far from Fishguard, Not much more to add regarding beaches - strumble head a good call - lots of seals about. Gwaurm valley well worth visiting ,drop in at the very micro brewery for beer and a chat .Rosebush just up the road - park behind the pub and walk/bike up past the bluestone quarry into the Preseli hills on returning visit the cheese farm.Away from the coast/main towns the roads are very quite.Enjoy.
All the above. I liked the walk round Dinas Head is its rare to get a circular coastal walk.
Keep your eyes peeled for the Cardigan Bay dolphin pod
Keep your eyes peeled for the Cardigan Bay dolphin pod
Didn't have to try hard last week at New Quay- they were very active.
2. Caerfai Bay near St Davids is quieter than Whitesands because there is a short walk down.
+1. We camped near there last year - very nice. An easy walk to the beach and an easy walk into town. As others have said, a Cornish vibe without the crowds - I liked it a lot. We did a wildlife RIB trip from St Justinians out and around the island, which was great, and there's good walking along the coastal path. A good local bus service meant that I barely used the car and could have a lunchtime pint.
I should caveat all this by saying that we were blessed with a week of good weather.
I liked it a lot. We did a wildlife RIB trip from St Justinians out and around the island
Have you got a link to or can you remember a name for who you used? TIA.
DD
We did a RIB trip last October and saw dolphins and seals from a distance. Last week at New Quay we saw more dolphins just from the harbour and with a decent set of binoculars it didn't seem any less spectacular. Any time boats/SUPs/kayaks got close they submerged for longer, re-appearing once the vessels moved off.
Not sure if it applies to Fishguard but at Cardigan and New Quay, some roads are closed in the centres to allow people to social distance walking narrow pavements and some council car parks are free. There are a lot more people than when we were in Cardigan same time last year- I heard a lot more English accents than last year too.
^ think it was this: https://www.ramseyisland.co.uk/boat-trips/ramsey-island-voyage/
We bought tickets in the office in St David's, and departed from the old Lifeboat station at St Justinians. There's a bus stop and I think there was a cafe/ kiosk nearby.
We bought tickets in the office in St David’s, and departed from the old Lifeboat station at St Justinians. There’s a bus stop and I think there was a cafe/ kiosk nearby.
Thanks. Matched up with what I found out when I decided not be a lazy arse and google it. 😀
some great recommendations on here. off to st davids for the last week in August. Wen there a ew times about 15 years agao and was blown away by how nice it was....kept meaning to go back and covid encouraged us! juts booked a boat tour with ramsey islands tours. Looks good!
The Sloop Inn is very nice from memory! Blue Lagoon was also fun. just take wetsuits and water shoes for jumping in!!
Staying (sort of) nearby at the moment. Did the Ramsey Island trip with Voyages of Discovery yesterday, we should have been on their Dolphin and Whale watching trip but sea fog meant we had to switch to the Ramsey Island trip. It was a great trip, saw loads of seals. We also did the coasteering at Abereiddi/Blue Lagoon in the morning, we went with Muuk-adventures, first time I have ever done coasteering and really enjoyed it, the focus was more in jumping in than climbing on the rocks. Worth doing if you enjoy that sort of stuff. Activities seemed to be getting booked up at the moment so sensible to book in advance if you can. Off on a kayaking trip at Fishguard tomorrow, hopefully that is a good as the other stuff we have done.
Worth getting the jet boat around Ramsey, better clearance, increased maneuverability and more power means they can pick you up from the beach at Whitesands, get close to shore, right into the caves and surf the Bitches at mid-tide.
Better than Cornwall? Don't think so ;), but I go because it reminds me of home (Cornwall) and is closer now I live in Mid Wales.