Camping in Pembrokeshire: The Coastal Sites, Area by Area

Pembrokeshire is the best camping county in Wales, and the reason is simple: the good sites are farm fields that run to the cliff edge. You wake up, unzip, and the Coast Path is at the gate. We hold a record for every campsite we can find in open data — around eighty — and every caravan and holiday park besides. This guide is the geography: what each stretch of coast is like to camp on, and which sites are where.

Two honest caveats. We haven't pitched at these sites, so nothing below is a review. And open data records where a site is and sometimes whether it takes tents, tourers or statics — not prices, not whether the shower block was rebuilt, not whether it's open this week. Follow the website link on each site's entry for that.

The St Davids peninsula: the classic clifftop fields

This is the Pembrokeshire camping postcard. A ring of farm sites sits on the cliffs around St Davids, each with its own cove at the bottom of the field. Caerfai Farm and Glan y Mor look down on Caerfai Bay, a mile from the cathedral. Porthclais Farm is above the little harbour at Porthclais. Nine Wells is between St Davids and Solva, a walk down to Caerbwdi. Round on the north side, Whitesands Camping, Lleithyr Farm and the Dunes at Whitesands are the sites for Whitesands Bay and its surf, and Pencarnan Farm and Rhosson Ganol are out towards St Justinian's and the Ramsey boats. Rhosgadw Farm is on the Whitesands road.

These sites are exposed. That's the point and the price: the views are enormous and so is the wind when it blows. Bring pegs that mean it. The full list is on campsites in St Davids; the YHA at Whitesands is the bail-out for a wet night.

Newgale and St Brides Bay

Newgale is the county's longest beach and the Newgale Camp Site sits right behind it, which makes it the obvious surf-and-tent base. South along St Brides Bay the sites thin out but there are fields at Druidston and around Broad Haven and Little Haven, and a YHA at Broad Haven a short walk from the beach. Fairview and Dunston Hill are inland of Newgale on the Haverfordwest side.

The north coast: Trefin to Poppit

Quieter, harder to get to, and for a lot of people the best of it. Trefin has a campsite and the Old School Hostel in the village, with Porthgain and the Abereiddi to Porthgain walk an evening stroll away. Round the corner at Fishguard, Tregroes on the Manorowen road takes tents and tourers and has glamping units, and Fishguard Bay Caravan and Camping Park sits above the town. Dinas Island Campsite is on the neck of Dinas Island between Pwllgwaelod and Cwm-yr-Eglwys. Newport has Tycanol Farm and Morawelon near the Parrog, and at the county's northern tip Alltycoed sits above Poppit Sands with the YHA Poppit Sands below it.

Tenby, Saundersfoot and the south: the family parks

The south coast is different country: flatter, warmer, busier, and the sites are bigger and better equipped. The land between Tenby, Saundersfoot and Amroth is the county's holiday-park heartland — most of what's here is caravan and lodge parks rather than tent fields, listed under caravan and holiday parks. For tents, Trefalun Park and Lodge Farm are on the Tenby side, Meadow Farm is right on the edge of Tenby above North Beach, and there's a cluster around Kilgetty and Begelly including Masterland Farm and Stone Pitt. Manorbier has Skrinkle Bay Camping above the coves and the YHA Manorbier next door, plus Beavers Retreat for glamping.

Stackpole and the Castlemartin coast

For Barafundle and Broad Haven South, the sites are around Bosherston: Trefalen Farm, Buckspool Farm and Stackpole Under the Stars. Further west, Gupton Farm is the National Trust's site behind Freshwater West, the surf beach. Check the Castlemartin range firing times before you plan the coastal walk from here.

Practicalities

Book. The coastal sites fill on summer weekends and many are small. The website link on each entry is the way to check.

Season. Most coastal sites open around Easter and close in October. A few of the parks stay open longer.

Wind. The peninsula sites are on cliffs facing the Atlantic. A cheap festival tent will not survive a westerly. Storm pegs, a low tent, and pitch with the door away from the sea.

Dogs. Where a mapper recorded it, the dog rule is shown on the site's entry. Where they didn't, ring.

Wet-weather fallback. The hostels and bunkhouses — YHA at Poppit, St Davids, Broad Haven and Manorbier, plus the independents — are the cheapest roof in the county when the forecast turns. Our rainy day guide is the other half of that plan.