Pembrokeshire has everything that makes Wales unique. Here you’ll find vast, lonely beaches, hidden coves overlooking the stormy sea, and hedge-lined streets that wind towards one-pub hamlets and ridiculously beautiful port towns. Inland moors and hills are dotted with medieval castles, Iron Age hillforts and standing stones.
St Davids, the birthplace of the patron saint of Wales, makes a great base for a strikeout. And when you’ve had enough of the road or trudging along the coastal paths, you can ramp up the adventure by coastal cruising and kayaking around wild headlands, or seeing how many puffins, seals and dolphins you can spot on excitingly remote islands.
For more inspiration, explore our Pembrokeshire guide to the best hotels, restaurants, nightlife and more.
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St. Davids and surroundings
Jump off a cliff on a Coasteering tour
Coasteering is everything your parents told you not to do at the beach as a kid: we’re talking throwing yourself off cliffs, drifting into caves, and clambering over boulders. As well as being great fun, it’s also a brilliant way to experience Pembrokeshire’s rugged coastline. Just put on a wetsuit and helmet and dive into the shockingly cold Atlantic Ocean.
Insider tip: Get dressed at the environmentally conscious TYF in St Davids, one of the early pioneers of short sea shipping in the 1980s. Pros will take you to the best hidden spots along the coast.
Contact: tyf.com
Price: ££
Discover the huge medieval cathedral in a small town
St Davids, Britain’s smallest town, has been a place of pilgrimage since the Welsh hero St David was born in the sea-facing chapel of St Nun in the 6th century. It has a huge medieval cathedral disproportionate to its size. The cathedral is a riot of tall pillars with purple stones and intricate coffered ceilings. Within the walls you will find a shrine that is said to contain the saint’s bones.
Insider tip: Stop at the cathedral refectory café in the atmospheric ruins of St Mary’s College Chapel for a coffee and freshly baked MamGu welsh cake (flavours range from cheese and leek to chocolate and chilli).
Contact: stdavidscathedral.org.uk
Price: £ (suggested donation of £5)
St. Brides Bay
Hang out with puffins on Skomer
You can see puffins in other remote parts of Britain, but rarely as close as at Skomer, the breeding ground for 6,000 pairs of these adorable clown-like birds. Take a bumpy boat to this rugged islet during breeding season (April to July) and you will be spoiled for choice. Keep your eyes peeled for puffins (on the water, in burrows and floating above the cliffs) and their adorable pufflings. Come later in the season (September and October) to catch a glimpse of the Atlantic gray seal pups being dragged onto the rocks.
Insider tip: Book well in advance to stay overnight at the Old Farm for a backstage pass to nature. As the sun sets over the cliffs, you’ll see Manx Shearwaters rafting out to sea, waiting for the cover of darkness before returning to the island. Skomer is home to the world’s largest population (some 350,000) of these remarkable birds, which migrate to South America in winter.
Contact: welshwildlife.org/visit/skomer-island
Price: ££
Enjoy a prehistoric walk in the Preseli Hills
Pembrokeshire becomes even wilder and more remote in the lonely Preseli Hills which ripple northwards into a vast expanse of rocks, bogs and heather-strewn moors. The must-do hike is the seven-mile, west-east Golden Road trail. Starting at Bwlch Gwynt on the B4329, it includes the standing stones of Carn Bica (believed final resting place of King Arthur), the tors of Carn Menyn (believed to be the source of the bluestone for Stonehenge) and an Iron Age hillfort. at Foeldrygarn. Take a map with you as the trail is not fully signposted. Do not hurry. Set in beautifully converted barns, Preseli Hills Cottages provide a cozy base for the night, with wood-burning hot tubs and wood-burning stoves.
Insider tip: Detour to Pentre Ifan, an impressively intact burial chamber and one of Wales’s most famous megalithic sites.
Price: £
Walk on the wild side of the coast to St Govan’s Chapel
The rugged coastline at the southern tip of Pembrokeshire, which bears the brunt of the Atlantic Ocean, is Wales at its wind and wave best. For seaside drama, nothing beats the walk along the coastal path to St Govan’s Chapel, a small hermitage carved into the gnarled limestone cliffs at Bosherston. Saint Govan hid here in the sixth century, and a chambered chapel was built to mark the spot in the 13th century. Count the steps up and down; legend has it that they are never the same twice. And while you’re here, make sure you walk a few minutes west to the Huntsman’s Leap, a breathtakingly steep coastal gorge.
Insider tip: Park in Bosherston and start your walk by taking a gentle, wooded walk past the village’s lily ponds. Eventually you’ll arrive at Broad Haven South, a beautiful crescent of sand surrounded by dunes, where Church Rock rises from the water.
Contact: visitpembrokshire.com
Price: Free
Go wild foraging along the coast
You’ll see Pembrokeshire in a whole new edible light on an enlightening coastal foraging tour. Julia and John from the Real Wild Emporium head to beaches with bountiful harvests near St. Davids. Their courses range from family rock pool discovery sessions to foraging walks followed by a wild picnic. You’ll comb the coast for everything from mussels, periwinkles and razor clams to samphire, dulse, sea spaghetti and – the Welsh love-it-or-hate-it specialty – laver.
Insider tip: Of course, foraging is seasonal, so what you find will vary. Check dates online and book ahead (courses can fill up quickly). The exact meeting points will be agreed one week in advance.
Contact: reallywildemporium.co.uk
Price: ££
Rewind to Norman times in Carew
Castles are everywhere in Pembrokeshire, but top billing perhaps goes to Carew Castle, originally a Norman motte-and-bailey, later an Elizabethan country house, now very romantic ruins. The fort, complete with Celtic cross and medieval bridge, sits on a beautiful tidal river, and a mile-long circular walk leads to a restored tidal mill (crab sets available in the shop).
Insider tip: If you love Carew, you’ll also appreciate other highlights such as Pembroke Castle (birthplace of Henry VII), Norman Manorbier Castle, Picton Castle & Gardens (now a stately home with woodland gardens) and 13th-century Cilgerran, which will capture the imagination of Turner spoke.
Contact: pembrokeshirecoast.wales/carew-castle
Price: £
Gorgeous on fresh shellfish in Solva
The little honeypot on the coast of Solva is one of the most idyllic villages in Pembrokeshire, overlooking a narrow cove where fishing boats bob. A 3.5 mile path runs through forests and over cliffs to the wide sands of Newgale, offering breathtaking views all the way to Ramsey Island. Back in Solva you can relax in the pub (the Harbor Inn) or with an ice cream at 35 Main Street, right on the seafront.
Insider tip: Order a fish dish with juicy crab, lobster and shrimp from Mrs Will the Fish and take it with you to the beach of your choice.
Price: £
Go for a walk with a llama
If walking with a llama sounds like a fun afternoon activity, then you’ll love this low-key, eco-conscious farm in Llandissilio. Surrounded by beautiful oak and ash woodlands, this is a wonderful piece of remote wilderness. And what better way to explore this than on a llama walk? With shaggy-haired friends in tow, enjoy fantastic views of the valley and Preseli Hills as you follow a zigzagging path along the Black Cleddau River. Keep an eye out for buzzards and red kites circling overhead. Rain boots or walking shoes are recommended, as it can get muddy.
Insider tip: More llama drama, you say? Spend the night in the cozy, wood-clad Llama Lodge, where you can cuddle up by a fire and listen to the gurgling of the Cleddau River and the hooting owls. Wake up to llamas grazing outside your window.
Contact: llamas.wales
Price: ££
Go hiking on Dinas Island
A peninsula to quietly whisper about, the Dinas Island peninsula between Fishguard and Newport is as delightful as Pembrokeshire can be, with its steep, gorse-clad cliffs, smugglers’ coves straight out of a Famous Five novel, woodlands on the coast and a headland with bracing sea views. In spring the island is awash in blossom and you can see the first puffins returning to these shores via Needle Rock.
Insider tip: Join the National Trust’s three-mile circular walk for some of the best views in Pembrokeshire. Pack a picnic or round off your walk with a pint and a Pembrokeshire crab sandwich at The Old Sailors on Pwllgwaelod beach.
Contact: nationaltrust.org.uk
Price: Free
How we choose
Every attraction and activity in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to bring you their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from world-class museums to family-friendly theme parks – to best suit every type of traveler. We update this list regularly to stay informed of the latest vacancies and to provide current recommendations.