Photo: Humphrey Bolton (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Penally Beach

Tenby South Beach's quiet continuation — the same mile of golden sand, minus the deckchairs.

Penally is what Tenby South Beach becomes once it escapes the town: the same magnificent run of golden sand and dunes, walked back towards the village of Penally, with Caldey Island filling the horizon. Cross the railway by the footbridge from Penally village and you arrive mid-beach with the crowds a distant smudge towards Tenby.

Two practical notes. The dunes back onto Penally rifle range — when the red flags fly, keep to the beach and out of the marked danger area behind it (firing never closes the beach itself). And swimmers should know there are no lifeguards this end; the safest bathing is up towards the patrolled Tenby section in season. Otherwise this is the connoisseur's way to enjoy Tenby's sands: park (or take the train — Penally has a station) and walk in along the beach.

Where to eat and drink near Penally Beach

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.

New Overlander

Pub

Penally, Penally, SA70 7PS

Roadside inn and restaurant at Penally on the Tenby road.

Hygiene 5/5

More about New Overlander →

300m away · about 5 min walk

Cross Inn

Pub

SA70 7PU

Hygiene 5/5

More about Cross Inn →

400m away · about 5 min walk

The Paddock Inn

Pub

Tenby, SA70 7NR

Hygiene 5/5

More about The Paddock Inn →

1.1km away · about 15 min walk

Beach Shack

Café

Beach café by Tenby's sands — coffee and quick eats where the town meets the water.

More about Beach Shack →

1.5km away · about 20 min walk

Oasis Indian Restaurant and Take Away

Restaurant

1.5km away · about 20 min walk

Salty's Beach Bar and Restaurant

Restaurant

More about Salty's Beach Bar and Restaurant →

1.5km away · about 25 min walk

Things to do near Penally Beach

Guy Manning's Art Room — 2.0km
Llewellyn's Gallery — 2.0km
Millets — 2.0km
Trespass — 2.0km
The Naomi Tydeman Gallery — 2.0km
David J P Morgan — 2.0km
Tudor Merchant's House — 2.1km
The Habour Gallery — 2.1km
Caldey Island Boats — 2.2km
Tenby Museum & Art Gallery — 2.3km
St Catherine's Island & Fort — 2.3km
Caldey Island — 3.4km

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 Penally Beach

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

The light goes gold from about 17:55.

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 Penally Beach

Tenby · about 1 miles away

High water
06:30
Sat 10 Oct · 8.4m
Low water
12:41
Sat 10 Oct · 0.9m
High water
18:47
Sat 10 Oct · 8.6m
Low water
01:03
Sun 11 Oct · 0.9m

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 Penally

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: Penally

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

Penally Beach 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

Parking at Penally Beach

OpenStreetMap

3 car parks within a mile of the sand. The nearest is about 300m away — roughly a 5-minute walk if you park there and carry everything in.

Penally Station Car Park
Not recorded
300m
The Salterns Pay & Display Car Park
Charges apply · about 355 spaces · Pembrokeshire County Council
1.4km (0.9 miles)
South Beach Pay & Display Car Park
Charges apply · about 102 spaces · Pembrokeshire County Council
1.5km (0.9 miles)

All parking around Tenby →

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

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Penally Beach: common questions

Can I take a dog to Penally Beach?

Dogs welcome all year on the Penally stretch — the seasonal zoned restriction applies to Tenby Castle and South Beach's town sections; follow the marked zone boundary signs on the sand.

Where do you park for Penally Beach?

The nearest car park we map is Penally Station Car Park, about 300m away. There are 2 more within a mile.

Are there toilets at Penally Beach?

Yes — public toilets are mapped about 300m 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 Penally Beach

Hand-picked places to stay within a mile or so, 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 →