Pembrokeshire Coast Path

The first 1.2 km are flat at about 24 m along Amroth. The climb then gains 53 m to 77 m at km 1.8, and the ground holds 48 to 75 m to km 2.5 before dropping to Wiseman's Bridge at km 2.8. From km 3.2 to km 4.1 the path is flat at sea level between Wiseman's Bridge and Coppet Hall. Saundersfoot has a Spar at km 4.9 and a Tesco Express at km 5.1, both within 40 m. After the Cliff Restaurant at St Brides Hotel at km 5.3 there is no food within reach of the path for 5.3 km, until Teife Cafe at km 10.6; the nearest shop is New Hedges, 750 m inland at km 9.3. Beyond Saundersfoot the walking is wooded cliff with repeated pulls, rising to 75 m behind Trevayne at km 7.6. The last climb tops out at 86 m at Allen's View, km 10.0, the section's highest ground, then loses 68 m in a kilometre into Tenby.

Navigation: Rock falls after Storm Ciaran closed the path between Wiseman's Bridge and Coppet Hall; Pembrokeshire County Council's notice of 5 December 2023 reported it shut, and it reopened in August 2024. A further slip between the Coppet Hall and Wiseman's Bridge tunnels closed the lower path again: the council's notice of 16 January 2025 kept the top path open and shut the lower path to Coppet Hall beach, so as of that notice the beach was not the way round. Check the council's current position before relying on either line. Monkstone Point is a spur; the line stays behind the headland.

Out of Tenby the path runs behind South Beach and The Burrows, km 12.3, to Penally, then climbs onto Giltar Point, km 14.5, with Caldey and St Margaret's Island offshore. Past Proud Giltar, km 17.0, and Lydstep Haven, km 18.2, it reaches Skrinkle Haven, km 20.2, and a shoulder of 68.1 m at km 21.1, then bends inland around Old Castle Head, km 21.4, which is not the headland of the same name at the St Dogmaels end, km 285.3. Past Presipe it drops to the beach under Manorbier Castle, km 23.6. From Freshwater East, km 29.0, the line reaches 70.3 m at km 32.7, the section's high point, and loses all of it into Stackpole Quay, 1.8 m at km 33.7. Beyond it a limestone shelf runs past Barafundle Bay, Stackpole Head, km 35.7, and Broad Haven South, km 38.1, the beach and not the village at km 153.3. From St Govan's Head, km 40.4, the line runs above Huntsman's Leap, Bullslaughter Bay and the Green Bridge of Wales, then turns inland at Stack Rocks, km 45.6, for the road past Merrion to Warren, km 48.7.

Logistics: Range East, from St Govan's to Stack Rocks, is normally open throughout August, at weekends, on bank holidays, and after about 16:30 on many firing days, but walkers must check the current firing notice before relying on it.

Navigation: From St Govan's, km 40.4, to Stack Rocks, km 45.6, the Coast Path crosses Castlemartin Range East. The range is not always open, so check the current firing notice before you rely on it; firing times are on 01646 662367. When it is shut you leave the coast and walk east on the inland road line. Range West, west of Stack Rocks, is never open to the general public except on guided walks, so the turn inland at Stack Rocks is the route and not a diversion.

From Warren, just outside the boundary at km 48.7, the Coast Path follows the official inland line through Castlemartin at km 50.6, 32 m off, because Range West, the army ground, carries no coast path and no public right of way. The section high point is 63.5 m at km 49.1, and the line is near 49 m by km 53.2, then drops to 8.5 m at km 54.0 and 3.1 m by km 54.3, running behind Freshwater West, a National Trust beach 245 m off the path, with Dobby's Grave at km 54.5, 43 m off. It stays flat at 3.7 m to km 55.2, then climbs back to the coast, and the steepest step of the section, about 1:5, comes between km 59.6 and 59.7. Past West Angle Bay at km 63, Thorne Island at 63.7 and Chapel Bay Fort at 64.7, the path reaches Angle at km 67.5, 295 m off, then Fort Popton at km 73.3, Bullwell Bay at 74.4 and Pwllcrochan at 77.1.

Logistics: Range West, from Stack Rocks to Freshwater West, is never open to the general public and has no public right of way. Follow the official inland Coast Path unless taking an authorised guided crossing.

Navigation: Range West is not normally accessible to the public and has no public right of way. The Ministry of Defence gives unexploded ordnance as the reason and says access is only through guided walks organised by the National Park Authority. No firing programme changes that, which is why the inland line through Castlemartin is the Coast Path here.

Pavement out of Monkton, past Pembroke Castle and the head of the Mill Pond, then farmland rising from 7.9 m at km 86.0 to 52 m at km 88.8, the section high point, matched again at km 100.9. The Defensible Barracks stands 249 m off at km 89.1. On the Pembroke Dock waterfront the Northern Martello Gun Tower is 74 m off at km 89.7; then the dockyard town, its station and supermarkets, and the crossing of the Cleddau Bridge. North of the water: Brunel monument at Neyland, the seafront at Hazelbeach, then higher ground above the waterway. Milford Haven comes in along its dock and marina front, with its museum. West of it, Hakin Point, Hubberston Fort 236 m off, Gelliswick Bay, South Hook Fort, Stack Rock Fort offshore, and the shore at Kilroom to the section end above Sandy Haven.

Navigation: Street walking is the norm from Pembroke through Pembroke Dock and again through Milford Haven, so carry the map. The Sandy Haven crossing lies just past this section, at km 111.1, and is passable roughly 2.5 hours either side of low tide; there is a high-tide bypass route for when it is not.

Two tidal inlets bracket the first eight kilometres. Sandy Haven at km 111.1 and the Gann at km 119.4, below Dale, are both low-water crossings with no bridge. Between them the path follows the sheltered north shore of the Milford Haven waterway past Monk's Haven at km 116.7, the industrial waterfront in view across the water. From Dale at km 120.4 the trail rounds the peninsula, past Mill Bay at km 124.8 to the St Ann's Head corner at km 126.0, then turns north into open Atlantic exposure. The Marloes plateau beyond is mainly level clifftop cut by steep stepped valleys. The easiest going is the approach to the Gann, 21 m of climbing in two and a half kilometres. Km 145 to 150 holds the steepest climbing of the section, 202 m in five kilometres, in and out of Mill Haven at km 146.2 and over Borough Head at km 149.3 above Goultrop Roads, where the section ends. Little Haven is 2.3 km on at km 152.3.

Navigation: The National Park gives different windows for the two: Sandy Haven can be crossed for sure two and a half hours each side of low water, and the Gann three and a half hours each side. The gap between them is 8.3 km, about two hours' walking, so cross Sandy Haven early in its window rather than at the end of it, to clear both on one tide. Miss either and the choice is to wait or to take the National Park's high-tide bypass inland. At Martin's Haven, km 136.5, the circuit out to Wooltack Point is off the waymarked line and extra.

Opens above Goultrop Roads at km 150.0, 50 m, dropping into Little Haven at 152.3, then Broad Haven at 153.3, with shop, hostel and bus. A sawtoothing cliff top of roughly 40 to 70 m runs to Druidston Haven at 157.4, then lower ground to Nolton Haven at 159.4 and 65 m at 160.8. From 162.5 the profile holds under 15 m for 1.6 km behind Newgale. Beyond Newgale the cliffs rise again, reaching just under 79 m near 168.5 past Dinas Fach at 167.5, into Solva at 172.0. West of Solva the ground falls past Caerbwdy at 176.6 and Caerfai at 178.3 and stays under 35 m round the peninsula: St Non's at 179.2, Porthclais at 181.0 with its lime kiln ruins, Treginnis, carrying the trail's oldest rock at about 600 million years, and St Justinian at 188.2. Past Whitesands at 191.8 the path rounds St David's Head at 193.5, with its hillfort and Coetan Arthur dolmen, and climbs to 61 m at 194.1. The last three kilometres run at 10 to 40 m to 198.0. About 1000 m of ascent.

Navigation: From km 162.5 the trail is the roadside behind Newgale for 1.6 km. At Solva the path turns inland up the east side of the harbour, reaches the head about half a kilometre in near km 171.3, then comes back down the west side before climbing out past the village at 172.0. St Davids is off the path too, a kilometre inland at 179.1, so the city is a deliberate detour rather than somewhere you walk through.

From 9 m at km 198.1 the path gains about 83 m in half a kilometre below Penberry, whose 167 m summit stands 74 m above the line. That is the only sustained climb: from km 199.2 the ground stays below 55 m for the rest of the section, and the rest of the ascent over these 24 km comes as short pulls in and out of coves. The slate pit at Abereiddy was deliberately breached to let the sea in, making the Blue Lagoon (km 204.1). A tramway carried slate over the hillside to Porthgain (km 206.9); the path takes the cliff line between the two. At Porthgain the red brick hoppers stand over the harbour. The Ship Inn and Caffi Y Ragna, about 300 m off the line at km 209.7 below Trefin, are the last food in this section. Beyond Abercastle (km 213.9) the ground stays low past the shingle at Abermawr (km 218.5) and Aberbach (km 219.2) to the climb out at km 222.3.

Navigation: The path does not enter Trefin. The village sits at km 210.9, 426 m off the line, though its pub and cafe stand closer to it, at km 209.7 by the ruined Melin Trefin Mill (km 209.8). Mathry, which names this section, lies 2.2 km inland at km 216.0 and is never passed. Traeth Llyfn (km 205.2) and Carreg Samson (km 213.5) are off the route, 147 m and 305 m from the line, with a second Carreg Samson at km 234.2.

The path climbs from 35 m at km 222 to 118 m at km 223, onto the cliff line above Pwll Deri, where YHA Pwll Deri sits 47 m off the path at km 224.7. The section's high point, 123 m, is here at km 224.6. Strumble Head lighthouse stands off the point on Ynys Meicel, about 230 m off the path at km 228.8. The path then tops 100 m above Harbour Village at km 237.9 before the drop to Goodwick at km 239.1. Fishguard Fort follows at km 243.0. From 11 m at Pwllgwaelod at km 250.4 the path gains about 110 m to 121 m at km 252.3, then falls to Cwm-yr-Eglwys at km 254.3. Aberfforest Beach follows at km 255.9, with the path under 35 m from there into Parrog at km 259.6 and Newport at km 260.7.

Navigation: At Pwllgwaelod, km 250.4, the Coast Path turns round Dinas Head, 3.9 km to Cwm-yr-Eglwys at km 254.3. Past Parrog at km 259.6, Newport is a detour: the town sits about 469 m off the path at km 260.7. Newport Sands follows at km 262.4.

For the first two kilometres from km 264 the profile saws between 1.6 m and 68.3 m. The sustained climb starts near km 266 and reaches 130.9 m at km 267.4, then holds above 108 m all the way to km 270.0, 2.6 km with its high point of 143.4 m at km 268.6, before the drop to 28.7 m by km 270.4. Castell Treruffydd stands 43 m off the path at km 271.7, 400 m short of Pwll y Wrach, the Witch's Cauldron, at km 272.1. Ceibwr Bay at km 273.3 is the low point of the section at 1.4 m, and its cliffs put the folds and faults of this coast on open display. The path climbs and drops again past Pen Castell promontory fort at km 274.1 and below Foel Hendre, a 113 m top 105 m off the line, down to 10.9 m near km 277 and back up to 122.9 m by km 278.

Navigation: Trewyddel / Moylgrove is not on the path. It is mapped about 1.3 km off the line near km 273.6, measured straight across, so the walk in is longer than that. Two names here look alike and are not the same place: Castell Treruffydd, 43 m off the path at km 271.7, and Pen Castell promontory fort at km 274.1. Ceibwr is likewise two mapped points, the bay at km 273.3 and the beach at km 273.5.

The section opens at about 123 m and tops out at 158 m by km 278.4, the highest ground on the whole Coast Path. Grey seals pup on the beaches below, and white pups can be seen from August to November, with Cemaes Head, km 279.7, among the best places on the trail to look down on them. Alltycoed farm and campsite stands at gate one of the coast path at km 280.4. The route loses 111 m in the 1.8 km from km 281.0 down to Poppit Sands. The last 2.5 km are estuary walking past the Teifi Waterside Hotel at km 283.6 and on by road to the finish at St Dogmaels.

Navigation: The path passes 316 m inland of the point of Cemaes Head, so the cape is a detour. The finish marker stands by The Moorings at km 285.0 while the route runs on to km 285.31; from the marker it is about 780 m to the Premier shop, 840 m to the White Hart Inn and 950 m to Abaty Llandudoch, straight-line and longer by road.