Skip to content
PembrokeshireGuide
Menu
Manorbier Bay, PembrokeshirePhoto: Chaosdruid (Public domain)

Manorbier Bay

Red-tinged sand, a proper castle backdrop and a dependable beach break — the south coast's most characterful bay.

Manorbier's bay earns its fame on setting: the Norman castle fills the valley mouth behind the beach, the King's Quoit burial chamber crowns the eastern headland, and the sand — reddish, pebble-fringed at high water — picks up enough swell for surfers and bodyboarders most weeks. Families use the stream, rockpools and the sheltered corners; the village's Castle Inn and tearoom are a short stroll. Parking is in the beach car park below the castle. At high spring tides the sand shrinks, so check times for bucket-and-spade days.

Where to eat and drink near Manorbier Bay

The nearest pubs, cafés and restaurants, closest first. Walking times are rough estimates on lane and cliff path — check opening hours before you rely on one.

500m away · about 10 min walk

1.7km away · about 25 min walk

1.7km away · about 25 min walk

2.8km away

Things to do near Manorbier Bay

Everything to do in Pembrokeshire →

The next few hours

Nearest forecast point: Tenby

dry for the next few hours, around 12°C, gusting to 26 mph — hold on to the windbreak.

  • 01:00

    12°

    Clear

    W 26 mph

  • 02:00

    12°

    Clear

    W 25 mph

  • 03:00

    12°

    Clear

    W 25 mph

  • 04:00

    12°

    Clear

    W 23 mph

  • 05:00

    12°

    Clear

    W 23 mph

  • 06:00

    12°

    Clear

    W 23 mph

  • 07:00

    11°

    Clear

    W 22 mph

  • 08:00

    11°

    Clear

    NW 23 mph

Forecast from MET Norway, used under CC BY 4.0. It's a forecast for the nearest of six points across the county, not for this exact spot — on a coast this shaped, one headland can be in sun and the next in rain.

Light today at Manorbier Bay

Sunrise
07:33
Sunset
18:41
Daylight
11h 8m

The light goes gold from about 17:56.

Calculated for these coordinates, accurate to a minute or so. A cliff or a headland to your west will take the sun sooner than this suggests.

Tides near Manorbier Bay

Stackpole Quay · about 4 miles away

  • High water

    06:57

    Sat 10 Oct · 7.9m

  • Low water

    12:47

    Sat 10 Oct · 1.0m

  • High water

    19:15

    Sat 10 Oct · 8.1m

  • Low water

    01:09

    Sun 11 Oct · 1.0m

Predicted times from the UK Hydrographic Office. Wind and pressure shift real water levels, and the tide at a specific cove can run earlier or later than its port. Never plan a tidal crossing on this alone.

Bathing water quality

Natural Resources Wales

ExcellentLatest annual classification for the designated bathing water at Manorbier

NRW notes water quality here can be affected by heavy rain — worth remembering the day after a downpour.

This is a designated bathing water, sampled by Natural Resources Wales through the May–September season. Official record (Open Government Licence v3.0, © Natural Resources Wales). Classification as published when we last checked, 2026-08-21 — the official record always has the latest.

Before you go

The practical answers, from the people responsible for them, checked 2026-08-23.

Parking: Manorbier

First 30 minutes free, then £1.50 for an hour, £4 for two hours, £6 for four hours, £8 all day.

Charged 9am–7pm from 1 March to 31 October, and free from November to February. Machines take cash; PayByPhone works where there's a signal. Blue Badge holders get an extra hour but pay the standard rate. Season tickets for 2026 are £50 for a single car park or £140 for all of them.

Run by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.

Source: Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority car park tariff, 2026

Lifeguards

Manorbier Bay is not on the RNLI’s list of patrolled beaches, so there is no lifeguard service at any time of year. Judge the water yourself, and if you are at all unsure, swim somewhere that is patrolled.

Source: RNLI, 2026 patrol dates

Getting onto the sand

Level path to the beachhead platform and seat.

Source: Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, Easy Access Beaches

Parking at Manorbier Bay

OpenStreetMap

2 car parks within a mile of the sand, 1 of them free. The nearest is about 550m away — roughly a 10-minute walk if you park there and carry everything in.

  • Unnamed car park, Manorbier

    Charges apply

    550m

  • Unnamed car park, Manorbier

    Free · about 5 spaces

    600m

All parking around Manorbier →

Distances are straight-line from the beach, so the walk is usually longer — and on this coast it is often downhill on the way there. Charges and space counts come from OpenStreetMap contributors and can go out of date; we don’t print prices, because the map records whether a car park charges, not how much. In July and August the popular ones fill by mid-morning.

Visitor reviews

No reviews yet — been to Manorbier Bay? Tell people what it was actually like.

Write a review

Reviews are read by a person before they appear and are published verbatim or not at all. We never pay for reviews, and being reviewed costs venues nothing. Your email address is used only if we need to check something and is never shown.

Manorbier Bay: common questions

Can I take a dog to Manorbier Bay?

Dogs welcome all year — this beach carries no seasonal restriction under Pembrokeshire County Council's summer beach bans.

Where do you park for Manorbier Bay?

The nearest car park we map is Car park, about 550m away (charges apply). There is one more within a mile.

Are there toilets at Manorbier Bay?

Yes — public toilets are mapped about 450m from the beach. Seasonal opening is normal on the Pembrokeshire coast, so treat winter as uncertain.

Answers are generated from what we actually hold in our database and refreshed as it changes. Opening hours, dog rules and prices move — check with the venue before you travel.

Stay near Manorbier Bay

Hand-picked places to stay in and around Manorbier, nearest first. Our picks are data-driven — we haven’t stayed — and we earn a commission when you book through a partner link. How that works.

Find a stay to fit your trip →