Ah, Pembrokeshire. Beautiful coastline, gorgeous towns and villages and plenty of things to do. We’ve put together a list of the top five things to do in Pembrokeshire. Trust us, you won’t get bored…
Walk the coast path
The first national trail in Wales, Pembrokeshire’s coast path is 186 miles of jaw dropping scenery. Discover the beautifully rugged cliff tops, secret coves, the 58 beaches and 14 harbours. Interestingly, the coast path’s 35,000 feet of ascent and descent is equivalent to climbing Mount Everest! The whole path can be walked in 10-15 days but if you prefer a shorter walk, there’s trails for all abilities to enjoy.
Go wildlife watching
Go for a walk along the coast path and keep your eyes peeled for an abundance of wildlife. From dolphins, sea birds, seals, puffins and otters, there’s plenty to keep a wildlife enthusiast entertained. In autumn, you may spot seal pups visible from the coast path and it’s also one of the best times for bird watching! Go dolphin, whale and porpoise watching, with the summer months bringing hundreds of bottle nosed dolphins and their calves, particularly in Cardigan Bay. The lucky ones might even see an orca or a minke or fin whale! Take a specialized boat trip for your chance to see one of these. Cemaes Head is great for seal spotting, with Grassholm and Skomer Island being prime locations for bird watching and puffin spotting, just a short journey from the pretty little village of Dale.
Visit a castle
Pembrokeshire is well known for its multitude of fascinating castles, each with their own intriguing history. Visit Carew Castle, which overlooks a 23-acre millpond and has a history spanning over 2000 years, Pembroke Castle, which is the only castle to be built over a natural cavern, and Picton Castle, a stately home based in forty acres of woodland and gardens. There are plenty of other castles to choose from should you wish to delve into a little slice of Welsh history.
Discover the gorgeous towns and villages
Pembrokeshire boasts many lovely towns and villages. There is one city, the smallest city in Britain, St Davids, based in the heart of Pembrokeshire National Park and with its very own cathedral. The charming fishing village of Little Haven, a picturesque conservation area with a lovely beach and a wonderful selection of places to enjoy local food and drink. There’s also the lovely Dale, with a sand and shingle beach perfect for watersports and wildlife watching and Fishguard, a pretty little town well known for its music festivals. Each year, they hold a Classical and a Folk music festival and there are also many live music events happening throughout the year. The ideal place for music lovers!
Try a new watersport
With its miles of coastline and beautiful scenery, Pembrokeshire National Park is the perfect place to discover a new watersport. As the pioneer of coasteering, there’s no better spot to try it out, plus you can also have a go at surfing, whitewater rafting and sailing from one of the many beaches. Don’t forget to save some time for an afternoon of kayaking and canoeing along the clear waters and discovering secret coves.
Simon Tregoning is the Chairman at Classic Cottages. Classic Cottages have an exclusive portfolio of places to stay, handpicked in the best locations from the tip of far west Cornwall across the south of England and over on the Isle of Wight.If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
Simon Tregoning is the Chairman for Classic Cottages. Classic Cottages has an exclusive portfolio of places to stay, handpicked in the best locations from the tip of far west Cornwall across the south of England and over on the Isle of Wight. Classic Cottages find holiday cottages that make you say wow. From bijou fishermen’s cottages on a harbour’s edge, to sprawling country pads, we’re picky about what we offer so you can be sure you’re always getting the best. Holidays with hot tubs, properties that welcome four-legged friends and homes set up with babies in mind all feature in our eclectic mix of home-from-homes.
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7 Comments
I was really getting into the idea of walking the coastal path. Then you put in the fact about the ascent and descent being the same as climbing Mount Everest. That was the point at which I realised that my fitness wouldn’t be up to the challenge.
OK, the height of Everest sounds intimidating though you don’t have to do it all. Last time I was down that way I either did mornings or afternoons of walking, dipping into short legs of the walk. And I had some days off between the walks. Yes, there are some steep hikes and when you get to the top of a headland the views are definitely worth the effort. Don’t be intimidated.
It will probably be a good year for Pembrokeshire and other British seaside resorts. You don’t need a crystal ball to predict that the staycation will be back. Whatever happens with the Coronavirus it’s likely that people will be less adventurous and there’ll be quite a stay at home spirit this year.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is wonderful. Carew is particularly worth visiting with a thousand years of history in a small village.
I love Pembrokeshire, an absolutely beautiful place. I fully agree with you Simon, you can’t get bored there because there’s so much to appreciate. It’s a bit of a trek for me but I hope to return again this year. For castles, I’d also recommend Carew as it’s a great location for a stop off with parking and there are toilets available. Manorbier is an interesting one too overlooking the beach, not a bad place if you fancy taking a picnic on a nice day.
I don’t tend to associate Pembrokeshire with watersports, not sure why not. I guess I think straight away of the Cornwall area. There were a few boats and surfers out on the water the last time I was there, and there’s definitely enough accessible coastline and good tides that even during peak season you should find a good spot. Tenby always seems to get busy each summer with lots of positive reviews for its beach. We managed to go to the Colby Woodland Garden last time we went, that’s really pretty and I’d say it’s also worth a visit in spring if you like woodlands and flowers.
When you put it on a list like this with pictures to match, Pembrokeshire really seems like a magical place where the sea meets the sky and land. And then you begin to wonder why you never heard of such a place before, or why people aren’t flocking to this amazing destination.
Go wildlife watching
Go for a walk along the coast path and keep your eyes peeled for an abundance of wildlife. From dolphins, sea birds, seals, puffins and otters, there’s plenty to keep a wildlife enthusiast entertained. In autumn, you may spot seal pups visible from the coast path and it’s also one of the best times for bird watching! Go dolphin, whale and porpoise watching, with the summer months bringing hundreds of bottle nosed dolphins and their calves, particularly in Cardigan Bay. The lucky ones might even see an orca or a minke or fin whale! Take a specialized boat trip for your chance to see one of these. Cemaes Head is great for seal spotting, with Grassholm and Skomer Island being prime locations for bird watching and puffin spotting, just a short journey from the pretty little village of Dale.
Go wildlife watching
Go for a walk along the coast path and keep your eyes peeled for an abundance of wildlife. From dolphins, sea birds, seals, puffins and otters, there’s plenty to keep a wildlife enthusiast entertained. In autumn, you may spot seal pups visible from the coast path and it’s also one of the best times for bird watching! Go dolphin, whale and porpoise watching, with the summer months bringing hundreds of bottle nosed dolphins and their calves, particularly in Cardigan Bay. The lucky ones might even see an orca or a minke or fin whale! Take a specialized boat trip for your chance to see one of these. Cemaes Head is great for seal spotting, with Grassholm and Skomer Island being prime locations for bird watching and puffin spotting, just a short journey from the pretty little village of Dale.
Visit a castle
Pembrokeshire is well known for its multitude of fascinating castles, each with their own intriguing history. Visit Carew Castle, which overlooks a 23-acre millpond and has a history spanning over 2000 years, Pembroke Castle, which is the only castle to be built over a natural cavern, and Picton Castle, a stately home based in forty acres of woodland and gardens. There are plenty of other castles to choose from should you wish to delve into a little slice of Welsh history.
Discover the gorgeous towns and villages
Pembrokeshire boasts many lovely towns and villages. There is one city, the smallest city in Britain, St Davids, based in the heart of Pembrokeshire National Park and with its very own cathedral. The charming fishing village of Little Haven, a picturesque conservation area with a lovely beach and a wonderful selection of places to enjoy local food and drink. There’s also the lovely Dale, with a sand and shingle beach perfect for watersports and wildlife watching and Fishguard, a pretty little town well known for its music festivals. Each year, they hold a Classical and a Folk music festival and there are also many live music events happening throughout the year. The ideal place for music lovers!
Try a new watersport
With its miles of coastline and beautiful scenery, Pembrokeshire National Park is the perfect place to discover a new watersport. As the pioneer of coasteering, there’s no better spot to try it out, plus you can also have a go at surfing, whitewater rafting and sailing from one of the many beaches. Don’t forget to save some time for an afternoon of kayaking and canoeing along the clear waters and discovering secret coves.
Simon Tregoning is the Chairman at Classic Cottages. Classic Cottages have an exclusive portfolio of places to stay, handpicked in the best locations from the tip of far west Cornwall across the south of England and over on the Isle of Wight.
If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
I was really getting into the idea of walking the coastal path. Then you put in the fact about the ascent and descent being the same as climbing Mount Everest. That was the point at which I realised that my fitness wouldn’t be up to the challenge.
OK, the height of Everest sounds intimidating though you don’t have to do it all. Last time I was down that way I either did mornings or afternoons of walking, dipping into short legs of the walk. And I had some days off between the walks. Yes, there are some steep hikes and when you get to the top of a headland the views are definitely worth the effort. Don’t be intimidated.
It will probably be a good year for Pembrokeshire and other British seaside resorts. You don’t need a crystal ball to predict that the staycation will be back. Whatever happens with the Coronavirus it’s likely that people will be less adventurous and there’ll be quite a stay at home spirit this year.
I’ve kept in the back of my mind the idea of wanting to visit Wales. This just boosted that thought for me, plenty.
It seems like the perfect poetic place for a writer. The 10-15 days of trekking sounds like the trip of a lifetime.
I don’t think too many people know about Wales. So I’m sure that adds to the beauty of the place.
The 23-acre millpond at Carew Castle sounds like a highlight, as well as the live music at Fishguard. I would love to check that out sometime.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is wonderful. Carew is particularly worth visiting with a thousand years of history in a small village.
I love Pembrokeshire, an absolutely beautiful place. I fully agree with you Simon, you can’t get bored there because there’s so much to appreciate. It’s a bit of a trek for me but I hope to return again this year. For castles, I’d also recommend Carew as it’s a great location for a stop off with parking and there are toilets available. Manorbier is an interesting one too overlooking the beach, not a bad place if you fancy taking a picnic on a nice day.
I don’t tend to associate Pembrokeshire with watersports, not sure why not. I guess I think straight away of the Cornwall area. There were a few boats and surfers out on the water the last time I was there, and there’s definitely enough accessible coastline and good tides that even during peak season you should find a good spot. Tenby always seems to get busy each summer with lots of positive reviews for its beach. We managed to go to the Colby Woodland Garden last time we went, that’s really pretty and I’d say it’s also worth a visit in spring if you like woodlands and flowers.
When you put it on a list like this with pictures to match, Pembrokeshire really seems like a magical place where the sea meets the sky and land. And then you begin to wonder why you never heard of such a place before, or why people aren’t flocking to this amazing destination.