Pembrokeshire National Park is a special place. I am not ashamed to admit I am less than two years away from turning forty and have only just discovered it for the first time. I can’t believe I am that old, nor can I believe that I left it this long to make it there. That old saying that some of the best things are worth waiting for comes to mind. Discovering the best beaches in Pembrokeshire was certainly was.
A Bit About Pembrokeshire National Park
There is a good reason I probably took so long to visit Pembrokeshire. It is located in the far south west of Wales and seems a long way from anywhere else when you’re driving it. I was actually quite taken back at how far it was to this part of the country when crossing the Severn Bridge. Wales in general isn’t that wide and it doesn’t take too long to reach places like Snowdonia or The Cambrian Mountains once you’ve crossed the border. This isn’t the case with Pembrokeshire. I remember my heart sinking just a little when at Newport my phone announced there was still 105 miles to go. Be prepared for the long drive, but one which is worth it. What waits at the end is worth every mile.
The National Park itself was created in 1952 and is unusual in that it is focused almost entirely on the coast line. Nowhere within the park boundary is more than ten miles from the sea. You can read more about the park itself here, but from here on in I will focus exclusively on the best beaches of Pembrokeshire. This is after all why many visit and why you’re reading this article in the first place!
My Beach Rating System
I have thought long and hard about which information you might find most useful. On the back of this, I have created my own little rating system. Hopefully it will prove to be useful as I describe each beach. Here are the details:
Legs and Lungs = How challenging it is to reach the beach. This will factor in climbing, descending, distance and steepness.
Belly Buster = How easy it is to buy food and water at or near the beach.
Ease of Wees= How available public toilets are.
Take to the Water=What is swimming and surfing like at the beach in question.
Castles In The Sand= What can be found on the beach. Is it mostly sandy, pebbly or a mix of both.
0= very hard up to 10 which will be very easy. Hopefully that makes sense.
Freshwater West
This was the first beach I visited in Pembrokeshire and surely one of the best beaches in Pembrokeshire, so thought this was a good place to start.
Legs and Lungs = 10. There is ample free parking at Freshwater West. From here it is no more than a thirty metre walk across the quiet lane onto the sand below. The beach is lovely and long so a good walk up and down its length or even an early morning or early evening run will help burn off any calories you didn’t use in getting to this slice of heaven.
Belly Buster= 6. There are no permanent shops here, but when we visited in summer there were several portable kitchens serving fish and chips, burgers and drinks. These probably aren’t there in the off season though hence the lower score.
Ease of wees= 0. You won’t find any public toilets here I’m afraid. There are plenty of sand dunes you could hide behind in an emergency, but it’s far from ideal.
Take To The Water= 5. I have given this a five, because it is excellent for surfing, but dangerous for swimming. The day we visited, there were many surfers enjoying great waves, but nobody was swimming. Strong rip currents means this really isn’t the place to take a gentle dip.
Castles In The Sand= 10. Freshwater West is almost all sand and beautiful sand at that. It is the perfect exfoliator and is at its best as the tide is going out. Your feet sink slowly into its cooling surface and you can’t help but feel great afterwards. It’s also a great place to half bury a child or partner if you see fit. An excellent area of rock pools do reveal themselves at low tide at the southern end of the beach. Perfect if you like searching for crabs and other wildlife.
Skrinkle Haven/ Church Door
This place is incredible and probably my favourite beach of the lot. The scenery on offer here is great and you may well find yourself wanting to return at least once during your trip. Even better is that you have three separate beaches on offer, separated by cliffs. Travel between each is great fun and an adventure in itself.
Legs and Lungs = 3. Parking is free up near the youth hostel, but it is a more challenging route down than many others. It isn’t a long walk, however some steep stairs need to be taken, which might prove challenging for those scared of heights. It may well get you puffing on the way back up too, but at least it offers a good workout for the legs and lungs. On a hot day you may well crave the cool waters of the sea again by the time you reach the top.
Belly Buster= 6. There is a good cafe attached to the youth hostel. This offers good quality food and drink, but is obviously a bit of a pain to reach once down on the beach. If you stock up and visit before or after your time on the sand, then it works well.
Ease of Wees= 6. This gets the same rating as the food and drink category, as the toilet can be found in the same place. Once down on the beach it is very tricky to find a sheltered place to relieve oneself. A couple of shallow caves are your best option.
Take To The Water= 8. This is a great spot to swim, but you must be careful of some rocks close to the surface in places. Gaining access to the sea at high tide is trickier too as two of the beaches become almost impossible to reach. Make sure you know when high and low tide occurs at this location. The beaches are stunning, but nobody wants to become stranded.
Castles In The Sand= 10. This one gets top marks because it offers a great mix of pebbles, rock pools and pristine sand. There is even a small area of shallow quick sand, but this is obviously best explored with caution.
Barafundle Bay
Perhaps the most famous beach in Pembrokeshire, this stretch of sand is often voted the most stunning in Great Britain. You have to visit to appreciate why. It certainly is a beautiful place, but it seems everybody has heard this too. It was without doubt the busiest one we visited on our August trip. I’m sure it is nearly deserted out of peak season though and still as stunning.
Legs and Lungs= 6. A walk of a kilometre or so is required if leave your car in the nearest car park. This one is a pay and display as you might expect in such a busy spot. On the walk itself, there are some gentle undulations, but nothing too steep or long to worry about. The climb up the stairs on your return will probably prove the toughest test.
Belly Buster= 6. There is a small cafe near the main car park, offering most food and drink options you would need for a beach day. It would be quite a long walk back though from the beach itself, so plan or eat in advance with this one.
Ease Of Wees= 6. A toilet can be found next to the cafe, but once down on the sand there are no facilities. The many sand dunes behind the beach offer some privacy should you be caught out.
Take To The Water= 9. This is a perfect place to take a swim. It is sheltered from strong currents and the bottom shelves gently away from the shore. Visibility is not great though, which is why it didn’t score a ten.
Castles In The Sand = 9. If you’re looking for an all sandy beach, then Barafundle Bay is the perfect beach for you. It is clean soft and safe as you don’t need to worry too much about the tide here. Rock pool enthusiasts will be disappointed though, hence the one mark taken off.
Marloes Sands
A gorgeous beach on a dramatic stretch of coastline. If you love cliffs and yearn for some peace and quiet, then I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed with Marloes.
Legs and Lungs= 4. It is a bit of a walk down to the beach and a slog on the way back up if you’re not particularly fit. There is never anything particularly steep though and the amazing scenery proves a great distraction.
Belly Buster= 6. There is a great cafe near the main car park, which is a great place to stop at on a sunny day.
Ease of Wees= 5. Like many other beaches, there is a toilet next to the cafe, but you wouldn’t want to be hiking but up this once down on the beach. I couldn’t see any secluded spots down on the beach, so relieving onself down there could prove either tricky or embarrassing.
Take To The Water= This beach is affected by the tides and it could be easy to become cut off from the main exit point if not careful. There are some reported strong currents, but as this article suggests, it is still a popular spot among the wild swimming community.
Castles In The Sand= 8. The sand here is great and is at its best during low tide. There are also some pebbly and rocky sections too should you crave these instead.
In Conclusion…..
I am very aware that I’ve only included details about four beaches. This seems inadequate when there are well over fifty to choose from in the National Park. We explored many others and every one was lovely in its own right. For the sake of your eyes and sanity though, I have kept it to the very best ones myself and Louise visited during our week in Pembrokeshire. Others such as the one at Tenby and Broad Haven were also incredible, but didn’t quite have the wow factor for us that those above did.
I will certainly be back at some other point to explore more of the coastline and maybe hike some of the famous coast path. There is over a hundred miles of it to explore, which is very exciting indeed. If you have never been, then hopefully this article has inspired you to make the effort and head west. We live on a beautiful island and Pembrokeshire helps showcase it at its best.
