Wild Wales: 5 ways to explore Pembrokeshire's rugged coast

In Pembrokeshire, cliffs nosedive to castaway fantasy coves, with tempetuous waters, ravishing sweeps of dune-fringed beach and fishing villages straight from the pages of an Enid Blyton book. Iron Age hillforts and standing stones keep watch on lonely headlands, just as they have for millennia, and offshore islands reverberate with the trill and warble of seabirds — razorbills and guillemots, puffins and shearwaters. The area’s connecting thread is the 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path, which takes you through wildflower-freckled meadows and over gorse-clad cliffs. But there’s plenty more worth exploring, too.

1. Try coasteering 

Coasteering is everything your parents told you not to do as a kid: leaping into choppy waters, swimming into caves and scrambling over boulders to stretches of the coast few get to see. An exhilarating encounter with waves and wild shores, this activity was born in Pembrokeshire in the 1980s. Alongside an expert, you’ll soon be grappling with ragged, barnacle-clad rocks and pencil diving off rocky ledges into the Atlantic. During the experience, make sure to look out for razorbills and guillemots in spring and seals and their pups in autumn. No prior experience is necessary — helmets, wetsuits and professional guiding are included. Stay overnight at an eco lodge to make a real weekend of it, combining coasteering with other activities.

2. Stargaze in the national park

Wales has some of the world’s darkest skies — and the Pembrokeshire coast is no exception, with fiery sunsets giving way to inky nights lit by a brilliant frieze of stars. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park has eight Dark Sky Discovery Sites, including Broad Haven South, Newgale Beach and Martin’s Haven car parks. Gazing up to the heavens, you can often spot shooting stars, distant planets and constellations like the Plough and Orion with the naked eye. Bring binoculars, a telescope or an SLR camera to see planets, nebulae and meteor showers (in August, November and December) in sharper detail. A red-light torch helps your eyes adjust to natural darkness. 

3. Go coastal foraging  

To tune into the natural rhythm of wind and waves and channel your inner hunter-gatherer, explore the coast on a foraging walk. Rambling along the shore and dipping into rock pools at low tide, experts can teach you how to tell sea lettuce from laver, and bladderwrack (nice to pop into the bath) from pepper dulse (the truffle of the seaweed world). Afterwards, pop into the city of St Davids for homemade teas, seaweed brownies and wild food lunches.

4. Spot puffins on Skomer Island  

Rain or shine, Skomer is magic. Board the little boat in Martin’s Haven to bump across the sea and gasp as cliffs soar above you and the island rises from the deep like a lost Atlantis. And oh, the puffins. There are many places in Britain where you can glimpse these loveable birds, but it’s hard to get closer or spot them in greater numbers anywhere else. The island is hollowed out with burrows housing 42,000 of them. On the four-mile circular walk via the Wick, you’ll see (and hear) these comical little birds as they dash across wildflower-cloaked cliffs, bring in sand-eels for their pufflings and groan in their burrows. Book tickets online as visitor numbers are restricted.  Bed down at a hotel and join the midnight birders. The island is home to the world’s largest breeding colony of Manxies — 350,000 pairs — who fly here every spring from South America. 

5. Hit the water in St Davids  

The cliff-flanked, wave-bashed coast around the city of St Davids was made for aquatic adventure. For an in-depth exploration of the coast’s craggiest corners and chances of spotting seabirds, dolphins and Atlantic grey seals, book a sea kayak session — options range from introductory courses to overnight paddle-camp trips. If that’s not enough, other activities include wild swimming, paddleboarding, coasteering and surfing.