Gelliswick Bay

Gelliswick is the beach for the town of Milford Haven, a shallow bay on the north shore of the waterway a mile or so west of the docks. It's shingle at the top with sand and mud flats exposed at low water, sheltered from swell by the geography of the estuary, and used far more by local families, dog walkers and sailors than by holidaymakers. If you want an Atlantic beach, this isn't it; if you want calm water within five minutes of a supermarket, it does the job well.

The sailing and watersports club based here runs dinghy and windsurf activity in the bay, and the flat water makes it a sensible place to learn. Swimming happens, but it's unguarded, the waterway carries substantial commercial shipping, and there are tidal streams to consider — stay well inside the bay. There's parking above the beach, a promenade walk, and the Coast Path passing through, which continues west towards Sandy Haven and east into the town.

The view is industrial and, depending on your taste, either a drawback or part of the interest: tankers and LNG carriers moving up and down one of Britain's deepest natural harbours, with the terminals along the far shore lit up at night. Birdwatching on the flats is decent — waders in winter especially. It's a useful bad-weather or short-notice option if you're staying around Milford, Neyland or Haverfordwest and don't fancy the drive to the open coast.