The Pembrokeshire Coast Path
The Pembrokeshire Coast Path runs 186 miles from St Dogmaels in the north to Amroth in the south — the National Park's figure, and the one the waymarks are measured against. We hold 16 stages covering 121.5 miles, about 65% of it, with 6,240 m of ascent measured across them. Those totals are ours and they only add up the sections below; where the path continues and we do not yet, the table says so rather than quietly closing the gap.
That ascent figure is the one worth staring at. 6,240 m over 121.5 miles averages 51 m of climbing per mile, because this path drops into every valley it meets and climbs straight back out. People plan it on distance, then discover on day two that Pembrokeshire miles are not flat miles. Plan on ascent and hours, not mileage.
The steepest going per mile is Ceibwr Bay to Newport — 7 miles with 560 m of ascent, about 80 m per mile. The longest single stage is Fishguard to Pwll Deri via Strumble Head at 13 miles.
5 sections of path we have not written up yet. They are marked in the table below with the distance between the two points, so you can see exactly where our route notes stop. The path itself is continuous and waymarked throughout — the gap is in our coverage, not on the ground, and it would be dishonest to present a plan that skipped those miles without saying so.
Every stage, north to south
The path is conventionally walked north to south, which keeps the prevailing wind behind you and the sea on your right. Cumulative figures run from the first stage below.
| Stage | Miles | Ascent | Grade | Cumulative | Getting back |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Dogmaels → Poppit Sands car park | 2.5 | 60 m | Easy | 2.5 mi · 60 m | The seasonal Poppit Rocket bus links Cardigan, St Dogmaels and Poppit Sands, and there are year-round buses between Cardigan and St Dogmaels — check current timetables before relying on either. |
| ~3.4 km of path here that we have not written up yet | |||||
| Ceibwr Bay → Newport Parrog | 7 | 560 m | Strenuous | 9.5 mi · 620 m | The seasonal Poppit Rocket serves Moylegrove and Newport, which is what makes this workable as a one-way walk. Check the current timetable — it does not run every day of the year. |
| Newport Parrog → Lower Town Fishguard | 12 | 620 m | Strenuous | 21.5 mi · 1,240 m | There are regular buses along the A487 between Newport and Fishguard, which makes the one-way walk straightforward. Check current timetables. |
| Lower Town Fishguard → Pwll Deri | 13 | 700 m | Strenuous | 34.5 mi · 1,940 m | The seasonal Strumble Shuttle runs along this stretch and is the usual way people get back to their car — check the current timetable and don't assume a late one. |
| Pwll Deri → Trefin | 10 | 580 m | Strenuous | 44.5 mi · 2,520 m | The seasonal Strumble Shuttle covers this stretch. Outside the season there is very little — check current timetables before planning a one-way walk. |
| ~1.9 km of path here that we have not written up yet | |||||
| Porthgain harbour car park → Whitesands Bay car park | 8 | 450 m | Moderate | 52.5 mi · 2,970 m | The seasonal Strumble Shuttle and the Celtic Coaster serve the ends of this stage — check current timetables, and note the service is much reduced out of season. |
| Whitesands Bay car park → Solva lower harbour | 13 | 560 m | Strenuous | 65.5 mi · 3,530 m | The seasonal Celtic Coaster loops around the St Davids peninsula and the Puffin Shuttle runs on towards Solva and Newgale — both are seasonal, so check current timetables. |
| Solva lower harbour car park → Newgale beach | 5 | 380 m | Strenuous | 70.5 mi · 3,910 m | The Puffin Shuttle and the 411 run between the two in season, which makes this a good one-way walk. |
| Newgale beach → Broad Haven | 7 | 400 m | Moderate | 77.5 mi · 4,310 m | The seasonal Puffin Shuttle links Newgale, Nolton Haven, Druidston and Broad Haven — check the current timetable, and note it is a seasonal service. |
| Broad Haven car park → St Brides Haven | 5.5 | 330 m | Moderate | 83.0 mi · 4,640 m | The seasonal Puffin Shuttle serves Broad Haven, Little Haven and St Brides — check current timetables. |
| ~6.0 km of path here that we have not written up yet | |||||
| Dale seafront → Sandy Haven | 7 | 300 m | Moderate | 90.0 mi · 4,940 m | The seasonal Puffin Shuttle serves Dale; the Sandy Haven end is poorly served. Check current timetables and have a plan for getting back before you start. |
| ~3.1 km of path here that we have not written up yet | |||||
| West Angle Bay car park → Freshwater West | 6 | 300 m | Moderate | 96.0 mi · 5,240 m | The seasonal Coastal Cruiser serves Angle, West Angle Bay and Freshwater West and is the usual way to make this a one-way walk. Check current timetables. |
| Freshwater West → Stack Rocks | 7 | 150 m | Moderate | 103.0 mi · 5,390 m | The seasonal Coastal Cruiser links Freshwater West, Castlemartin, Bosherston and Stack Rocks — this is genuinely useful on this stage. Check current timetables and note that it doesn't run when the range road is shut. |
| ~10.6 km of path here that we have not written up yet | |||||
| Freshwater East car park → Manorbier Bay | 4.5 | 250 m | Moderate | 107.5 mi · 5,640 m | The seasonal Coastal Cruiser serves Freshwater East, and there are buses between Manorbier and Tenby; Manorbier also has a railway station about a mile inland from the beach. Check current timetables. |
| Manorbier Bay car park → Tenby South Beach | 7 | 300 m | Moderate | 114.5 mi · 5,940 m | Buses run between Manorbier, Lydstep, Penally and Tenby, and the Pembroke Dock–Tenby railway line has stations at Manorbier and Penally. That makes this one of the easiest one-way walks in the county — check current timetables. |
| Tenby North Beach → Amroth beachour notes run the other way — south to north | 7 | 300 m | Moderate | 121.5 mi · 6,240 m | Regular buses between Tenby, Saundersfoot and Amroth make this an easy one-way walk. |
Distance, ascent and grade are recorded per stage from our own route notes. Grade reflects ascent rather than distance — a five-mile Pembrokeshire stage can hold more climbing than ten miles of flatter country, which is the single most common planning mistake on this path.
How many days?
These splits are computed, not suggested. Stages cannot be reordered or broken in half, so for each day-count we take the arrangement whose longest day is as short as possible — the most even walk available for the number of days you have. The daily ascent is shown alongside, because that is what actually decides whether a day is hard.
5 days
longest day 26.0 mi- 1St Dogmaels → Lower Town Fishguard21.5 mi · 1240 m
- 2Lower Town Fishguard → Trefin23.0 mi · 1280 m
- 3Porthgain harbour car park → Newgale beach26.0 mi · 1390 m
- 4Newgale beach → Freshwater West25.5 mi · 1330 m
- 5Freshwater West → Amroth beach25.5 mi · 1000 m
7 days
longest day 21.5 mi- 1St Dogmaels → Lower Town Fishguard21.5 mi · 1240 m
- 2Lower Town Fishguard → Pwll Deri13.0 mi · 700 m
- 3Pwll Deri → Whitesands Bay car park18.0 mi · 1030 m
- 4Whitesands Bay car park → Newgale beach18.0 mi · 940 m
- 5Newgale beach → Sandy Haven19.5 mi · 1030 m
- 6West Angle Bay car park → Manorbier Bay17.5 mi · 700 m
- 7Manorbier Bay car park → Amroth beach14.0 mi · 600 m
9 days
longest day 18.0 mi- 1St Dogmaels → Newport Parrog9.5 mi · 620 m
- 2Newport Parrog → Lower Town Fishguard12.0 mi · 620 m
- 3Lower Town Fishguard → Pwll Deri13.0 mi · 700 m
- 4Pwll Deri → Whitesands Bay car park18.0 mi · 1030 m
- 5Whitesands Bay car park → Solva lower harbour13.0 mi · 560 m
- 6Solva lower harbour car park → Broad Haven12.0 mi · 780 m
- 7Broad Haven car park → Sandy Haven12.5 mi · 630 m
- 8West Angle Bay car park → Manorbier Bay17.5 mi · 700 m
- 9Manorbier Bay car park → Amroth beach14.0 mi · 600 m
12 days
longest day 13.0 mi- 1St Dogmaels → Poppit Sands car park2.5 mi · 60 m
- 2Ceibwr Bay → Newport Parrog7.0 mi · 560 m
- 3Newport Parrog → Lower Town Fishguard12.0 mi · 620 m
- 4Lower Town Fishguard → Pwll Deri13.0 mi · 700 m
- 5Pwll Deri → Trefin10.0 mi · 580 m
- 6Porthgain harbour car park → Whitesands Bay car park8.0 mi · 450 m
- 7Whitesands Bay car park → Solva lower harbour13.0 mi · 560 m
- 8Solva lower harbour car park → Broad Haven12.0 mi · 780 m
- 9Broad Haven car park → Sandy Haven12.5 mi · 630 m
- 10West Angle Bay car park → Stack Rocks13.0 mi · 450 m
- 11Freshwater East car park → Tenby South Beach11.5 mi · 550 m
- 12Tenby North Beach → Amroth beach7.0 mi · 300 m
Before you book anything on the strength of this
These splits balance walking, not beds. Some of the points a day lands on have no accommodation at all — the path runs through a lot of nowhere, which is rather the point of it. Check each end has somewhere to sleep before committing, and expect to shuffle a day or take a taxi inland at least once. Baggage transfer services operate along the route and are worth their cost on the strenuous northern stages.
Where our coverage stops
The path is continuous and waymarked all the way. These are the sections we have not written up, computed from the distance between the end of one stage and the start of the next. Listing them is the only honest way to publish a planner that does not cover the whole trail.
- ~3.4 kmbetween Poppit Sands car park and Ceibwr Bay (National Trust), near Moylegrove
- ~1.9 kmbetween Trefin (Aber Draw) and Porthgain harbour car park
- ~6.0 kmbetween St Brides Haven and Dale seafront
- ~3.1 kmbetween Sandy Haven and West Angle Bay car park
- ~10.6 kmbetween Stack Rocks (Elegug Stacks) car park and Freshwater East car park
Planning the rest of it
Much of this path crosses unfenced clifftop and grazed land. Dogs on leads, children close, and in an emergency anywhere near the coast dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard — not the mountain rescue, and not the local police.