Pembrokeshire Coast
Pembrokeshire is a county in the far south-west of Wales. Its coastal area affords walkers some of the most breathtaking ocean and coastal hinterland scenery in Britain. Given that, it’s unsurprising that the Pembrokeshire Coast Path became the first National Trail in Wales in 1970. More recently, in 2012, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path became a part of the more extensive Wales Coast Path which is the world’s first uninterrupted route along a national coastline.
The Pembrokeshire Coast and varying strips of its accompanying hinterland fall within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. This is the only UK National Park based predominantly on the environmental values and appeal of the coastline.
There are all sorts of maritime landscapes on offer. The rugged coastline features steep limestone cliffs, volcanic headlands, red sandstone bays, sandy beaches, estuaries, woodlands and rolling hills. The area is home to an array of coastal flowers as well as local wildlife including seals and dolphins.
Aside from exhilarating walking, the Pembrokeshire Coast is also home to many charming towns and fishing villages such as St Davids, Tenby, Solva, Little Haven and Porthgain Harbour. History abounds with Neolithic tombs at St David’s Head and castles at Manorbier and Pembroke.
The Pembrokeshire Coast region offers many day and multi-day walks and there are a number of tour operators offering a variety of walking trips.
The most well-known of the multi-day walks in the Pembrokeshire Coast region is the lengthy Pembrokeshire Coast Path, a National Trail that follows the Pembrokeshire coastline for 299 kilometres from Poppit Sands to Amroth Castle.
Most people experience the Pembrokeshire Coast Coast Path through carefully selected segments. The path is easily accessed at many points, so there’s an endless array of portions you can choose from. We all have our views as to the best stretches and who’s to say who’s right?
The southern section of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path between Amroth Castle and Pembroke is 95 kilometres in length and generally takes about five or six days; it’s the stretch we would opt for with that sort of time available.