22Pembrokeshire St Davids to Whitesands
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PEMBROKESHIRE PEMBROKESHIRE 21 NEWGALE TO ST DAVIDS 22 ST DAVIDS TO WHITESANDS WALES WALES A A uDistance: 11 miles/17.5km uTime: 6 hours uGrade: Moderate B uDistance: 12 miles/19km uTime: 6 hours uGrade: Moderate B Cwm-bach and the view PLAN YOUR WALK PLAN YOUR WALK towards Dinas Fach. PHOTO: PHOTO: FIONABARLTROP FIONABARLTROP ROUTE ROUTE Start/parking Newgale, Porth Lleuog and Start/parking Oriel y Parc bus stop by café, grid ref Whitesands beach. car park near Visitor SM847223. Oriel y Parc Centre, St Davids, car park near Visitor grid ref SM757252 CHOSEN BY… Start Centre, St Davids CHOSEN BY… Justinian’s or Whitesands Bay Is it for me? Fairly easy Is it for me? Well signed walking along well-signed FIONA BARLTROP Alight from the bus at the FIONA BARLTROP – one of the finest stretches 1 cliff-top coast path – cliff-top coast path, mostly In the Middle Ages, café at the bottom of the hill almost all National Trust Britain’s smallest city, of sand in West Wales and a National Trust owned land. two pilgrimages just before the bridge. Walk owned land. Some ups St Davids – in reality favourite of surfers – and you Quiet lanes to/from coast to St Davids were said to back up the hill a short distance and downs. Options little more than a large village can also make use of the Celtic (or bus). Options to be equal to one to Rome and and turn L onto the Coast Path. to shorten route in size – makes an ideal base Coaster bus when it’s running shorten route three the equivalent of one to Look back to enjoy the views Stiles None for exploring its peninsula’s to drop you off at/pick Stiles None Jerusalem. Today’s wayfarers of Newgale Sands, especially PLANNING magnificent coastline. you up from the coast. PLANNING can make their way on foot impressive when the tide is Nearest town St Davids A variety of lanes and paths, Nearest town St Davids along Pembrokeshire’s well out. The headlands of Refreshments Newgale, radiating spoke-like from this Start Refreshments Porth Clais glorious Coast Path to the city Dinas Fach and Dinas Fawr Solva and St Davids popular hub, lead to the coast 1From the car park near the (kiosk), Whitesands Bay – Britain’s smallest. The walk are notable features along the Public toilets Newgale in almost every direction. This Visitor Centre, head along the (café) and choice in St from Newgale to St Davids coast. After crossing one last Sands, Solva, Porth Clais walk takes you round the flat, main road into the centre and Davids (inc Cathedral via picturesque Solva is one of valley you climb up onto the & St Davids windswept south-western tip fork R at Cross Square. The Refectory & Visitor Centre) Public transport 411 bus Public toilets the finest stretches along the Gribin from where there are (daily/hourly except Sun) of the peninsula, alongside main road turns R but keep Porth Clais, Whitesands Pembrokeshire coast. It’s well excellent views over Solva’s from St Davids to Ramsey Sound, with its strong ahead down a side road, Bay & St Davids served by regular buses, so splendid sinuous harbour, Haverfordwest via Solva tidal currents and hazardous The Pebbles. Go through Public transport Celtic you can leave the car behind, a favourite with yachties. and Newgale. Also Puffin rocks. Across the Sound is the impressive entrance gate Coaster bus 403 serves take the bus out and enjoy a Once down by the harbour Shuttle from St Davids to Ramsey Island, renowned for (the Tower Gatehouse is the the St David’s area from Newgale - daily in summer, Mar-Sep (daily/hourly; leisurely walk back. It’s easy itself you’ll pass a number its birds and seals (boat trips only surviving one of the four 2 days a week in winter half hourly in summer) to shorten or extend this route of 18th/19th century lime kilns. Maps OS Explorer OL35; available April-Oct). It’s easy gatehouses in the 14th century Maps OS Explorer OL35; since there are several access The lime was used to fertilise Landranger 157 to shorten the route by wall that enclosed the original Landranger 157 points along the coast. the poor soils of the area. ➥ heading inland from St cathedral city). You have a ➥ GRADIENT PROFILE GRADIENT PROFILE 600 600 400 400 200 200 metres metres 0 0 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 ✁ WALES PEMBROKESHIRE WALES PEMBROKESHIRE 22 ST DAVIDS TO WHITESANDS BAY 21 NEWGALE TO ST DAVIDS uOS Explorer map OL35 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop uOS Explorer map OL35 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop superb view of the magnificent cathedral and the nearby 2 ruined Bishop’s Palace (also an impressive sight) from up here. Steps lead down to the cathedral and the South Porch main entrance. It’s well worth 4 a look inside. Turn L and follow the paved path leading away from the South Porch, keeping ahead at a fork to the road. MEDIA001/17 ORDNANCESURVEY. 2017 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN Cross diagonally L and bear START 1 R at the next junction and follow the road to Porth Clais, MEDIA001/17 ORDNANCESURVEY. 2017 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN once the port of St Davids. 3 1 Note the old lime kilns. FINISH START 1¼ miles/2km 2Follow the Coast Path down the west side of the 2 3 harbour and westwards along 4 the coast, keeping the sea on your L. It’s quite easy walking with splendid views. The path leads you round Porthlysgi Bay and thence round the 4 miles/6.5km Davids if you want to shorten fork L down to a T-junction. south-western tip of the 2Walk down the west side the walk. Carrying on, the next Cross the road to a gap in peninsula, Pen Dal-aderyn. of the harbour and follow the bay is St Non’s, named after St the wall and follow the paved Ramsey Island (RSPB reserve) Coast Path signs that direct David’s mother. David is said to path to the magnificent lies 1km offshore on the other Porthselau. There are fine Porthmelgan and retrace you uphill past a few houses have been born on the site of cathedral, which, like the side of Ramsey Sound. The views across Whitesands Bay, your steps to the car park. It’s and back onto the cliff top. the ruined chapel here. There is nearby ruined Bishop’s Palace, Bitches are submerged rocks Carn Llidi in the distance. around two miles by road back Once again, there’s an excellent also a ‘holy well’ and modern is built into a hollow below through which the tide runs to the start. At the first road view of Solva’s harbour. As you chapel and retreat. You can the houses and shops. with tremendous force: a 7¼ miles/11.6km junction fork R along a path, head west, there are good take a footpath or lane into St Facing the cathedral, challenge for thrill-seeking 4At Whitesands Beach continuing along a minor views towards distant Ramsey Davids from here. The final leg head R then up the kayakers! Now heading north, car park you could omit the road back to St Davids. Island. On the headland along the coast takes you to steps to St Davids. the Coast Path leads to St extension to St Davids Head, between Caer Bwdy and historic Porth Clais harbour. Justinian’s and its two lifeboat thereby shortening the route GET THIS WALK Caerfai Bays is an Iron Age hill When the Celtic Coaster GET THIS WALK stations, new and old. (Boats to by c.2½ miles/4km. But it’s fort. The purple sandstone service is operating you can ON YOUR PHONE: 2017 May Walking © Country ON YOUR PHONE: 2017 May Walking © Country Ramsey from here.) worth making the effort. From lfto.com/cwroutes used for St Davids Cathedral catch a bus from here to St lfto.com/cwroutes the Head continue NE a short comes from the cliffs here. Davids. 5⅓ miles/8.5km way (look out for Coetan IN ASSOCIATION WITH IN ASSOCIATION WITH 3Continuing on the Coast Arthur burial chamber), then 8¼ miles/13km 9¾ miles/15.5km Path you round Point St John turn R down to the valley and 3From Caerfai Bay it’s about 4Turn R along the lane back and reach the beach at back to the coast at OS MAPS ½ mile/1km by road into St to St Davids. As you near it, OS MAPS ✁.