Pembrokeshire Walks
As the summer months draw to a close, and the weather gets mellower, it’s a perfect time to go walking in Pembrokeshire. Not too hot, not too busy, and the scenery is still wonderful !
Whether you’re looking for a week-long walking holiday, or just a gentle stroll as part of a weekend away, we’re blessed to have a great variety of different walks in this corner of West Wales, and it’s certainly an activity which a lot of our guests enjoy.
Here are two quite different walks within a short drive from Croft Farm, to whet your appetite!
Dinas Island Coastal Path
Whilst not strictly speaking an island, this is a great circular walk which will give you some stunning views of the North Pembrokeshire coast and its seabirds. If you do the circular walk the distance is approximately 3 miles and incorporates the steep coastal path as well as a flat inland section. You have the choice of starting either at Pwllgwaelod (which is the Fishguard side of Dinas Isand) or at Cwm-Yr-Egwlys (which is the Newport side of Dinas Island). The two are joined by a pleasant flat path along the small valley.
The coastal path section of the walk above Pwllgwaelod offers you fabulous views across Fishguard Bay, and beyond to Carreg Wasted, the site of the last French Invasion of Britain in 1797. Farther round the headland you’ll pass the Ordnance Survey Trig Point, where you can take in views across to Newport, with the backdrop of the Preselis and Carn Ingli rising up behind it.
Pwllgwaelod has a sandy beach with car parking and toilets, and the excellent Old Sailors pub if you want to pause for refreshments or a delicious pub meal (you may need to check opening times if you’re visiting in low season).
The tiny quaint hamlet of Cwm-Yr-Egwlys with its small sandy beach and rock pools is the site of the iconic remains of the church destroyed in the Royal Charter Storm of 1859 – one of a series of storms around the coast of Britain over several weeks at that time, in which 325 ships were wrecked. There is also car parking and a toilet.
You can find out more details of this delightful stretch of the Wales coastal path through the National Trust.
Ty Canol National Nature Reserve
This is a wonderfully historic and atmospheric inland walk not far from Croft Farm, near Brynberian. Ty Canol itself is a National Nature Reserve comprising ancient woodland, with boulder strewn heathland and towering rocky outcrops from which you can look across the sea towards Newport and Dinas Island.
The tremendous sense of history of Ty Canol is underpinned by the presence of an iron age fort within the site, plus the stunning Pentre Ifan Cromlech with its views across to Carn Ingli and the Preselis. Pentre Ifan is widely regarded as one of the best examples of such a burial chamber in Wales.
The lower part of the reserve comprises ancient woodland with sessile oaks, birch, mountain ash and hazel, as well as small fields with walled bank surrounds. There are also tors, small cliffs and boulder outcrops which make it an almost dreamlike landscape. It has great ecological significance as there are nearly 400 different species of lichen identified in the reserve, many of which are extremely rare, as well as a number of different ferns and mosses.
Depending upon the time of year you walk here you might see Ravens, Buzzards, Pied Flycatchers and Redstarts. There are also known to be dormice and polecats inhabiting Ty Canol.
What better than to enjoy one of these fascinating walks – each with uniquely different scenery – and both stunning in their own way!
Better still – to return to a cosy wood-burning fire in one of our luxury cottages at Croft Farm, where you can relax for the evening, and enjoy a fresh home-cooked meal delivered straight to your cottage by Patrick our cook!
