MARLOES SANDS AND ST ANN'S HEAD

Marloes Sands can be reached via a 10 minute walk from the car park at the edge of Marloes Village.  The bay here is strewn with the most extraordinary volcanic rocks with layers  that were once horizontal but as a result of past geological upheavals have ended up almost vertical.  The Sands are overlooked at one end by the vertiginous slopes of the small tidal island of Gateholm where archaeologists have found traces of human habitation in the form of rectangular dwellings surrounding a courtyard.  The dwellings, estimated as being from the 6th century, are thought to have been an early Christian monastic settlement.  Marloes Mere, just inland from the beach, is home to wetland birds.   During the 18th century leeches were gathered here for medical use.

St Ann's Head, which dominates the mouth of the vast Milford Haven inlet, is home to a few whitewashed cottages, a coastguard station and a lighthouse.  Approaching the headland via the coastal path from the village of Dale, the path passes a bay called Mill Bay.  This bay assumed great historical significance in the 15th century: in 1485 Henry Tudor, having previously fled to Brittany to begin a 14-year exile, sneaked back into the country at Mill Bay and shortly afterwards defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, a victory which led to him being crowned King Henry VII of England.

Map of the area.

Marloes Sands from the top of the footpath - geograph.org.uk - 658216. Photo by Paul Mercer, via Wikimedia Commons.

SKOMER ISLAND AND SKOKHOLM ISLAND

Skomer Island and its smaller sister island Skokholm, just off the southern end of St Brides Bay, are important 'Sites of Special Scientific Interest', chiefly for their diverse birdlife and the rich marine environment surrounding them.  Skomer's claim to fame in birding circles is that it houses around half the world's population of Manx Shearwaters.  Also sharing this patch of land are razorbills, guillemots and chough among others.  Added to which there are around 6,000 breeding pairs of puffins, and gull varieties including herring, greater black backed and lesser black backed gulls.  There is limited overnight accommodation from April to September, and the island can be reached on day trips from Martin's Haven on the mainland.

The red sandstone Skokholm Island gets its name from the Norse for 'wooded island'.  In fact, nowadays the vegetation on the island consists mostly of maritime grassland, its growth kept in check by the numerous rabbits living on the island.  It was the Normans who were responsible for this, having built a rabbit farm there in the 14th century.  The rabbits of Skokholm are said to have been the inspiration for Richard Adams' novel Watership Down.  Another interesting fact about Skokholm is that it was here in 1933 that the first ever British bird observatory was founded by Ronald Lockley who, when not scanning the island for interesting birdlife, set about selling the resident bunnies to make money from their skins. Like Skomer, Skokholm is also reachable from Martin's Haven.

Map of the area.

South-eastern coast of Skomer - geograph.org.uk - 1434332. Photo by John Rostron, via Wikimedia Commons.

THE HAVENS OF ST BRIDES BAY

The southern half of St Bride's Bay is dominated by a string of havens: Nolton Haven, Druidston Haven, Broad Haven, Little Haven, St Bride's Haven and Martin's Haven.   Broad Haven is the largest and most resort-y of them, with a wide sandy beach backed by a small esplanade.  Nolton Haven once earned its living from the coal industry, and there are tunnels running out to sea from the abandoned mines.  Druidston Haven has a magnificent sandy beach, good for surfing, which is reached by means of a path and this, combined with limited parking, has kept it unspoilt, though there is a hotel with a bar and restaurant overlooking the beach.  The cliffs are partly formed from slate, which harbours graptolite fossils.  St Brides Haven is a sandy cove with rock pools overlooked by the Church of St Bride.  The remains of early Christian graves are visible in the cliffs.  Finally, at the southermost tip of the bay is Martin's Haven, where keen birders may spot choughs and other rare species.  Martin's Haven is the departure point for boat trips to the islands of Skokholm and Skomer.

Just round from Broad Haven is the picturesque fishing village of Little Haven, another former coal port.  At low tide it is possible to walk between the two.  I have saved this one until last as Little Haven is home to one of the most haunted pubs in Pembrokeshire which, this being the month of Halloween, merits a mention.  The Castle Inn, formerly the Castle Hotel, is frequented by a variety of ghostly visitors.  The main one is the White Lady, thought to be the ghost of a woman who owned the property in the 18th century.  She died under mysterious circumstances, her body washed up on the beach with head wounds, whether from murder or other means nobody knows.  Other ghostly occurrences in the building include a dark, heavy-set man who materialises in the bar from the feet up, a tall, thin man who appears at the top of the stairs, and an invisible cat which leaps onto people's beds.  Voices have also been heard, along with the sounds of a poker in an open fire, possibly resurrecting fireside chats from the past.

Live streaming webcam view of Broad Haven beach, from Haven Sports.

Map of the area.

Little Haven from the path leading to The Point - geograph.org.uk - 236629. Photo by Tudor Williams, via Wikimedia Commons.

NEWGALE

The most salient feature of the south-west corner of Wales is a large, semi-circular bay with Ramsey Island just off the northern end and Skomer Island just off the southern end, giving it a pleasingly symmetrical appearance.  This is St Bride's Bay, and towards its mid-point is Newgale with its 2-mile Blue Flag beach pounded by surf, making it a magnet for surfers, windsurfers and swimmers alike.  The beach is backed by a shingle bank which was thrown up by violent storms in 1859.  During the more recent storms which lashed the country earlier this year, Newgale made the news when the passengers of a bus hit by a giant wave had to be rescued.  Accommodation options at Newgale are dominated by the caravan and camping sites, and there are some shops and a pub.  The west-facing aspect of the beach makes for some fabulous sunsets on sunny summer days.  

On the approach to the bay from the south there is a roadside viewpoint with lovely views of the bay.  Also near this road down to the bay is Roch with its 12th century castle rising up from a rocky outcrop.  Once upon a time Pembrokeshire was divided into two distinct areas, the Welsh area and the English or 'Landsker' area.  Castles such as the one at Roch were built on the borders between these areas for defensive purposes.  During the Civil War in the mid-1600s the castle was passed between the two sides like a parcel, and it fell into neglect after the Civil War, but in 1900 Viscount St David undertook extensive restoration work.  The castle is now an elegant hotel, where in addition to its sumptuous facilities guests may get more than they bargained for in the form of a white-clad figure passing through closed doors.  This is thought to be the ghost of one Lucy Walters, former mistress of Charles II, who was born at the castle and who, with Charles, bore an illegitimate son who would become the Duke of Monmouth, leader of the 1685 Monmouth Rebellion, a role which was to lead to his execution.

Live streaming webcam showing surf conditions at Newgale.

Map of the area.

Newgale beach from the cliffs - geograph.org.uk - 1524893. Photo by Andy F, via Wikimedia Commons.

SOLVA

The main street of the village of Solva leads down to an inlet which has been likened to a mini Norwegian fjord, due to its steep sides and the extent to which it penetrates into this stretch of the Pembrokeshire coastline.  This topography makes for a delightfully sheltered haven for the leisure craft that call in here.  During the 19th century there was a fleet of 30 ships based here, and there were scheduled departures for America from the harbour.  However, the village's last steamship came to an unfortunate end, torpedoed by a U-boat in 1915.  Solva is the kind of place which was beloved by pirates and smugglers, and as was usually the case where these activities were rife, many of the houses had concealed cubby-holes which were used to hide contraband.  Even the local chapel was not immune to being linked to the smuggling trade: its candles were made from tallow smuggled into Solva.  The story goes that the excise officer got wind of this, and confiscated the candles, leaving the congregation fumbling in the dark.  

SolvaHarbor(Garethrees). Photo by Garethrees, via Wikimedia Commons.

Solva is divided into two parts, Upper Solva and Lower Solva.  Lower Solva wends its way through a deep valley, and its main street has a pleasant mix of pubs and shops and leads down to the harbourside, where there is a pub and a cafe.  The village makes an ideal starting point for walks along the Pembrokeshire coast path.  Solva Woollen Mill, on the banks of the River Solfach, was established in 1907 and is still making carpets and rugs.  There is a shop and tea room for visitors, who can also see some of the old mill workings.  

Colourful Lower Solva

Map of the area.