Photo: Llywelyn2000 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Porthclais Harbour

St Davids' medieval harbour inlet — lime kilns, kayaks and a sliver of low-tide sand in a rocky creek.

Porthclais is a fjord in miniature: a long narrow inlet that has served as St Davids' harbour since at least the age of the saints — tradition lands St David's own baptism here — with restored lime kilns at its head and small boats on moorings up the creek. At low tide a modest patch of sand and a great deal of rock pool appear at the head of the inlet.

Nobody comes for sandcastles; they come because this is the launch point for some of the best sea kayaking and coasteering water in Britain, and one of the loveliest short Coast Path sections anywhere — west to Porthlysgi and St Justinians, or east beneath purple sandstone cliffs to Caerfai. The National Trust car park, seasonal kiosk and toilets sit at the head of the creek. On a still evening it is as quietly perfect as Pembrokeshire gets.

Where to eat and drink near Porthclais Harbour

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.

Blas at Twr y Felin

Restaurant

Art-hotel restaurant in a converted windmill in St Davids — serious modern Welsh cooking.

More about Blas at Twr y Felin →

1.5km away · about 25 min walk

Photo: Jaggery (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Farmers Arms

Pub

14-16 Goat Street, SA62 6RF

Hygiene 5/5

Website: farmersstdavids.co.uk

More about The Farmers Arms →

1.5km away · about 25 min walk

The MamGu Welshcakes counter at the Cathedral Refectory, St Davids, with the café tables beyond

Photo: MamGu Welshcakes

MamGu's Kitchen, St Davids

Café

St Davids Cathedral Refectory, St Davids, Pembrokeshire, St Davids, SA62 6PE

Welsh cake bakers turned café — MamGu's Kitchen fills the fourteenth-century Cathedral Refectory in St Davids with rarebit, cawl, crempogs and a dozen kinds of Welsh cake.

Founding PartnerDogs welcomeOutdoor seatingcafe, light bites, cake

Phone: +44 1437 454369
Website: mamguwelshcakes.com
Opening hours: Monday - 9:30am till 4:00pm Tuesday - 9:30am till 4:00pm Wednesday - 9:30am till 4:00pm Thursday - 9:30am till 4:00pm Friday - 9:30am till 4:00pm Saturday - 9:30am till 4:00pm Sunday - 9:30am till 4:00pm Opening hours change seasonally

More about MamGu's Kitchen, St Davids →

1.6km away · about 25 min walk

Drifter Cafe

Café

18A Cross Square, St Davids, SA62 6SE

Café on Cross Square in the middle of St Davids.

Awaiting inspection

More about Drifter Cafe →

1.6km away · about 25 min walk

Pebbles Yard

Café

The Pebbles, St Davids, SA62 6RD

Hygiene 5/5

Opening hours: Today 10:30–23:00

More about Pebbles Yard →

1.6km away · about 25 min walk

Photo: Jaggery (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Bishops

Pub

22-23 Goat Street, St Davids, SA62 6SL

St Davids' pub on the square — an eighteenth-century building with a big beer garden looking out to Carn Llidi and the cathedral, fresh fish on the specials and food every day of the year bar Christmas.

Hygiene 4/5Dogs welcomeOutdoor seating

Phone: +44 1437 720422
Website: thebish.co.uk
Opening hours: Today 11:00–23:00

More about The Bishops →

1.6km away · about 25 min walk

Things to do near Porthclais Harbour

Clegyr Boia — 1.0km
Ring and Bailey — 1.0km
St Davids Cathedral & Bishop's Palace — 1.6km
Treasury of the Cathedral — 1.6km
Thousand Islands Expeditions — 1.7km
Mountain Warehouse — 1.7km
Voyages of Discovery — 1.7km
TYF Adventure — 1.7km
Castell Heinif — 1.8km
Aquaphobia — 1.8km
Caerfai Camp — 2.1km
Menapia Roman Station — 2.9km

Everything to do in Pembrokeshire →

The next few hours

Nearest forecast point: St Davids

dry for the next few hours, around 14°C, gusting to 27 mph — hold on to the windbreak.

01:00
14°
Clear
W 27 mph
02:00
14°
Clear
W 27 mph
03:00
14°
Clear
W 27 mph
04:00
14°
Clear
W 27 mph
05:00
13°
Fair
W 26 mph
06:00
13°
Clear
NW 25 mph
07:00
13°
Clear
NW 25 mph
08:00
13°
Clear
NW 26 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 Porthclais Harbour

Sunrise: 07:36
Sunset: 18:43
Daylight: 11h 7m

The light goes gold from about 17:57, and this beach faces the sunset.

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 Porthclais Harbour

Ramsey Sound · about 2 miles away

Low water
01:15
Sat 10 Oct · 0.7m
High water
07:12
Sat 10 Oct · 5.1m
Low water
13:27
Sat 10 Oct · 0.7m
High water
19:29
Sat 10 Oct · 5.2m

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.

Parking at Porthclais Harbour

OpenStreetMap

2 car parks within a mile of the sand. The nearest is about 150m away — roughly a 5-minute walk if you park there and carry everything in.

Unnamed car park (National Trust)
Charges apply · National Trust
150m
Merrivale
Not recorded · about 79 spaces · Pembrokeshire County Council
1.4km (0.9 miles)

All parking around St Davids →

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.

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Porthclais Harbour: common questions

Can I take a dog to Porthclais Harbour?

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

Where do you park for Porthclais Harbour?

The nearest car park we map is Car park, about 150m away (charges apply). There is one more within a mile.

Are there toilets at Porthclais Harbour?

Yes — public toilets are mapped about 100m 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 Porthclais Harbour

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.

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