Lawrenny

Lawrenny sits on the Daugleddau, the inland waterway where the Eastern and Western Cleddau meet and wind between steep oak woods towards Milford Haven. Locals call it the secret waterway and the description holds — this is tidal, saltmarsh-and-woodland country with almost no development, a landscape closer to a Devon creek than to the open Pembrokeshire coast, and it is barely visited compared with the beaches twenty minutes away.

The village is small and estate-built, its church tower conspicuously tall for the size of the place, and it sits above Lawrenny Quay, where a yacht station, moorings and a waterside café make the obvious focus. Kayaks and paddleboards are the right way to see the creeks: on a rising tide you can drift up towards Garron Pill and Cresswell Quay with nothing but herons, egrets, curlew and the odd fishing boat for company. Lawrenny Wood, a National Trust holding of ancient oak, comes down to the water's edge and gives easy circular walks with views over the confluence.

Set expectations correctly. There is no beach, no shop and no coast path — this is a river-and-woods holiday, not a bucket-and-spade one, and the lanes in are narrow and unlit. But Pembroke is twenty minutes, Tenby thirty and the south coast beaches around half an hour, so it works well as a calm base for people who want the water without the crowds. In midsummer the quay gets busy for a few hours a day; by evening it is silent again.

Cottages in the village and around the quay put the water, the woods and the café within walking distance and suit couples and small families. Larger converted farm buildings in the surrounding lanes give gardens, hot tubs and space for groups, though you will drive to shops. A car is essential either way.

Narrow lanes from the A4075 near Cresselly, signposted through Yerbeston and Lawrenny village. No nearby station; Kilgetty and Pembroke are each around twenty-five minutes by car.