Cwm-yr-Eglwys

Cwm-yr-Eglwys is small, and on a summer afternoon it can feel very small indeed, but it's one of the loveliest places in Pembrokeshire. A handful of cottages, a slipway, a scrap of sand and shingle facing east into Newport Bay, and on the edge of the beach the west wall and bell tower of St Brynach's church — all that survived the great storm of October 1859, the same storm that wrecked the Royal Charter off Anglesey. The graveyard around it is still in use and worth a slow look.

Because it faces east into the bay and is shielded by Dinas Head, it's sheltered when the north-westerlies are blowing and the water is calm more often than not. That makes it popular with swimmers, paddleboarders and kayakers, and there are moorings just offshore. The beach itself largely vanishes at high tide, so check the times: mid-to-low tide gives you sand, high water gives you a wall to sit on.

The honest problem is parking. There is a small car park and the lane in is narrow with nowhere to turn; in July and August it's often full by mid-morning and there is no overflow. The sensible move is to park at Pwllgwaelod on the other side of the neck and walk the flat fifteen-minute valley path across, or take the Coast Path over Dinas Head. Either way you arrive in a better mood than the people circling in cars.