Pembrokeshire Month by Month: When to Come for What

Pembrokeshire runs on a calendar most visitors only half know. Get the timing right and you see things people come back for years hoping to catch.

January and February

The quiet months. Many attractions, cafés and some restaurants close entirely; pubs stay open because pubs stay open. Big Atlantic swells hit the west coast, which makes Newgale, Freshwater West and Whitesands dramatic and the surf serious.

Dark skies are at their best — long nights, few people, and the Preselis away from any town lighting. Storms overtop the shingle bank at Newgale and close the road, which is worth knowing before you drive it.

March

Things start reopening around Easter. Seal pups born in autumn have gone; adults are hauled out. Migrant birds begin arriving on the islands. Daffodils, and the first properly warm days that fool everyone into swimming.

April

Puffins come ashore on Skomer, usually early in the month, and the island's boats start running. Coast Path wildflowers begin. School Easter holidays are the first busy fortnight of the year — and the first time you'll struggle to park at Barafundle.

May

Arguably the best month here. Bluebells on Skomer in late April and May, cliffs full of thrift and campion, seabird colonies at full volume, long light evenings, and the crowds still weeks away. Sea temperature is still cold.

The Bosherston lily ponds start flowering towards the end of the month.

June

Peak wildlife. Puffins feeding chicks, guillemots and razorbills packed on the Elegug Stacks, lilies out at Bosherston. Longest days — light until well past ten. Prices climb but the schools haven't broken up, so it's the sweet spot for anyone without children.

July and August

Hot, full, and expensive. Everything is open, every car park is full by mid-morning, and beach dog restrictions are in force at the resort beaches until 30 September. Sea temperature peaks in late August, not July.

Puffins leave, usually by the end of July, which surprises August visitors every year.

Book everything: tables, boats, car parking strategies. Go early or go late.

September

The month locals recommend. Sea is at its warmest, the crowds thin after the first week, everything is still open, and the light gets low and gold. Grey seals start pupping from late August into autumn — the coves below the cliffs at Ramsey, Marloes and Cemaes Head fill with white pups.

Ironman Wales takes over Tenby for a weekend, which is either the reason to come or the reason to avoid it.

October

Autumn storms return and the Coast Path empties. Seal pupping is at its peak and remarkably easy to see from the cliffs — stay on the path and keep dogs on leads. Half term is one busy week. Many seasonal cafés close at the end of the month.

November and December

Shortest days, biggest seas, best skies. Christmas markets in the towns, and the fewest people you'll ever share this coast with. Check opening days for everything — winter hours are short and often not posted anywhere online.

The two constants

Weather beats plans. Bring waterproofs in July. And check tides before you commit to a beach walk, whatever the month.