Pembrokeshire North Coast: St David's to St Dogmaels

St David’s to Porthgain

This section begins in Britain’s smallest city, St David’s, with it’s beautiful cathedral. Make time to linger on the wild and rocky peninsular of St David’s Head which abounds with archaeology and has views across to Ramsey Island. Keep an eye out too for seals in the rocky coves below the path and gannets diving for fish out to sea; you may be lucky enough to see the grey dorsal fins of porpoises hunting for fish beneath the gannets. The section between Whitesands and Abereiddi feels wild and remote with hardly a building to be seen making the cafe at Whitesands or the refreshment van at Abereiddi a welcome sight for the weary walker! This is an exhilarating and in places rugged section of path above high cliffs and beneath the dramatic craggy volcanic outcrops of Pen Beri, Carn Lleithyr and Carn Llidi.

Porthgain to Fishguard

There are plenty of dramatic sheer cliffs on this section where coastal erosion is an obvious process. Every year Pembrokeshire is a little smaller than the year before and the route of the Coast Path has to be continually reviewed to ensure safety. Mostly 30 to 70m high, the cliffs are of volcanic origin – gently rounded cliffs where the rock is strong and hard, sheer where there are weak strata. There are infrequent steep hills with rocky outcrops and loose volcanic stone where heather and gorse abound in a dramatic blaze of colour in August.

Fishguard to St Dogmaels

The cliffs on the section from Fishguard to Newport are lower, mostly at around 40m. Although Pen Dinas rises to 142m, the level valley path (also National Trail) avoids this. Hills up from and down to the little beaches are steep but well spread out. Newport Town to St Dogmaels is the most challenging section of the Coast Path, 15.5 miles long with frequent very steep hills. There are no services between Newport Sands and Poppit. Walkers should ensure that they are properly prepared with adequate food, drink and clothing along this remote section.

Moderate

This is not a technically difficult walk and should be easy to tackle for most reasonably fit people. The paths are good, and there are no major route finding challenges. This northern section contains the hilliest parts on the entire route.

Terrain: A coastal path mainly through farmland and moorland on the cliff tops, with stretches along sandy beaches.

What’s it like underfoot? Generally good paths and tracks, although a few sections can get muddy after heavy rain.

How Much Up & Down? More than you'd think! Although you never reach more than 200m above sea level  there are many short steep sections. Most days involve ascents of 200-500m metres, although no section is very steep for very long.

Signposting: Good - the path is well waymarked.

Navigation: Pretty straightforward – good signposting, and generally well defined tracks.

Weather: You may be lucky enough to encounter warm, dry weather over the whole route and enjoy dry paths and tremendous views, but you must be prepared because the weather can change quickly. Good clothing and waterproofs are essential, but don't forget you sunhat, sunblock and shorts!

Good accommodation and friendly hosts are an essential part of any holiday. We understand this and go out of our way to find the best. We put a great deal of effort into hand picking our accommodation and matching it to individual customer requirements. As well as visiting the accommodation ourselves, we ask all our customers to complete a short evaluation on each night’s accommodation, which then gives us an insight into the day-to-day operation and lets us spot any potential issues before they become a problem.

We use a variety of accommodation. Over the course of your trip you might stay in a village inn, a bed and breakfast in a converted barn, a Victorian guest house, or on a working farm. In selecting the accommodation we look for helpful, friendly hosts with good quality, characterful accommodation close to the trail. Occasionally we may use a chain hotel.

We always try to arrange en suite accommodation, i.e. rooms with their own bathrooms for each night of your stay. However, in some of the more remote locations accommodation is limited and occasionally we may have to book rooms with shared bathrooms for one or two nights of your holiday, (especially if the booking is made at short notice), but we will always let you know if this is likely to be the case.

We are happy to book single rooms on our holidays but cannot normally book more than two for any one group. Single room bookings include a supplement.

Here are some examples of the accommodation we use on the Dales Way:

Richard and Sarah, Monti the Mongrel and Oscar the chocolate Labrador welcome you to St Katherine’s House bed and breakfast on the coast of Pembrokeshire. This is the perfect place if you’re looking forward to a break away from it all and especially so if birds, sea creatures, flora, fauna, breathtaking geology and natural history are your thing. Visit their website

Garn Isaf in Abercastle, hosted by the welcoming Anne, offers modern en suite accommodation in a charming 16th-century homestead. Nestled in Pembrokeshire National Park, just minutes from the Coastal Path, it’s perfect for exploring Abercastle Harbour, nearby St Davids, and local landmarks like the legendary Carreg Sampson. Visit their website

The award winning Manor Town House, hosted by Chris and Helen, offers boutique-style accommodation with stunning sea views over Fishguard Bay. Relax in elegant rooms or enjoy savouring the Preseli Hills and beyond from the private garden terrace. Centrally located, it’s perfect for exploring this lovely area. Visit their website

The Teifi Waterside Hotel & Restaurant in St Dogmaels, led by Manager Llyr and his dedicated team, offers stunning views of the Welsh coast and exceptional hospitality. Enjoy fresh, locally sourced dishes prepared in their new state-of-the-art kitchen and served in their recently extended restaurant, ensuring a truly memorable experience. Visit their website

General travel information for the Pembrokeshire Coast route will be in your holiday pack including train and bus timetables where available.

Detailed instructions on getting to your first night’s accommodation by car, or on foot from the nearest train or bus station, will also be included in the holiday pack on individual accommodation maps.

To view train times please visit trainline where you can also purchase tickets in advance. For information on bus timetables please visit traveline

If you require secure car parking whilst walking this route, please contact us for information.

Getting There:
By Air: The nearest airports are Cardiff and Bristol – International airports are London, Birmingham and Manchester. You can then travel by public transport to St David’s.
By Public Transport:
By train from London (6-7 hours) via Newport and Haverfordwest then bus to St David’s.
By coach National Express from London to Haverfordwest then bus (Provider:Richards Bros 342) to St David’s (16 miles).
By Road: M4 to Swansea, A48 to Carmarthen, A40 to Milford Haven.

Leaving from St Dogmaels:
By Public Transport: Bus (Provider: Richards Bros 407) to Cardigan then bus (Provider: Morris Travel 460) to Carmarthen for main rail links.
By Road: B4546 to Cardigan, A48 Swansea, M4 for all directions southeast.

St David's

St David's is the smallest city in Britain - granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II because of the presence of the cathedral, St David’s is in reality a small attractive village. The Cathedral has been a dominant presence since the 12th century and was a popular pilgrimage destination throughout the middle-ages and indeed remains so to this day attracting thousands of visitors every year. Adjacent to the cathedral stand the magnificent ruins of the medieval Bishops Palace. Boat trips can also be taken to Ramsey Island which is the most northerly of the Pembrokeshire islands and is a wildlife reserve managed by the RSPB.

Goodwick

Standing on an imposing headland commanding superb views of the bay, Fishguard is the main shopping centre of north Pembrokeshire with two small supermarkets and family-run shops and businesses. The area is famous as the location of 'The Last Invasion of Britain' when in 1797 French troops landed nearby. Local heroine Jemima Nicholas captured many of the invaders single handed and the Frenchmen later negotiated their surrender at the Royal Oak inn and laid down their arms on Goodwick Sands.