Photo: Tony Grant (CC BY-SA 2.0)Things to do in Stackpole
Within about 5 miles of Stackpole we list 18 places to go — 2 castles, 5 attractions, 2 museums and galleries, 2 nature reserves and viewpoints, plus 6 beaches and 6 walks.
The ones we've written up in full are Bosherston Lily Ponds, St Govan's Chapel, Lamphey Bishop's Palace — start there if you only have a day.
For a wet day there are 2 indoor options nearby: Pembroke Museum, Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre. Opening hours shrink hard out of season.
Everything below is ordered by distance from Stackpole, with the places we've written about in full listed first. Nothing on this page is paid for.
Castles and ruins near Stackpole
Pembrokeshire has more castles per mile than almost anywhere in Britain, because for four hundred years it was a frontier. Some are ticketed and roofed; some are a gatehouse in a field with nobody taking money.
Photo: Tony Grant (CC BY-SA 2.0)4 miles from Stackpole
Photo: Gordon Hatton (CC BY-SA 2.0)Defensible Barracks
Castle5 miles from Stackpole
Attractions and days out near Stackpole
The paid days out — the ones that fill a whole morning and have a car park and a café.
Bosherston Lily Ponds
AttractionFlooded limestone valleys of water lilies (best in June) winding down to Broad Haven South — otters at quiet hours.
Dogs welcome
1.9 miles from Stackpole
St Govan's Chapel
AttractionA hermit's chapel wedged into the sea cliff — count the steps down and up; the totals famously never match.
2.7 miles from Stackpole
Photo: Vale Holidays (CC BY 2.0)3 miles from Stackpole
Photo: Monkeyrustler at English Wikipedia (Public domain)Pembroke Castle
AttractionWest Wales's mightiest fortress and birthplace of Henry VII — huge round keep, wall-walks and Wogan's Cavern beneath.
Dogs welcome
3 miles from Stackpole
Green Bridge of Wales & Stack Rocks
AttractionWales's grandest natural arch and the guillemot-packed Elegug Stacks — on the Castlemartin range road (check opening).
4 miles from Stackpole
Museums and galleries near Stackpole
Mostly indoors, which on this coast is a category of its own. Opening hours narrow sharply out of season, so ring before you drive.
3 miles from Stackpole
Photo: Jaggery (CC BY-SA 2.0)5 miles from Stackpole
Nature reserves and viewpoints near Stackpole
Free, open whenever you turn up, and where a lot of the best of Pembrokeshire actually is.
Stackpole National Nature Reserve
Nature reserve1.2 miles from Stackpole
Elegug Stack Rocks
Viewpoint4 miles from Stackpole
Ancient and historic sites near Stackpole
Burial chambers, standing stones, holy wells and iron-age forts. Most are on open land with no gate and no charge; a few sit on working farms, so use the marked access.
Greenala Point Iron Age Fort
Ancient site- Website
- coflein.gov.uk
0.9 miles from Stackpole
cowshed
Historic site1.4 miles from Stackpole
Harold Stone
Ancient site1.6 miles from Stackpole
King Henry VII
Historic site3 miles from Stackpole
Photo: Waterborough (CC BY-SA 3.0)Kings Quoit Burial Chamber
Ancient site4 miles from Stackpole
Compass
Historic site5 miles from Stackpole
Activities, golf and the water near Stackpole
Coasteering, surf schools, kayaking, boat trips, and the two things everyone forgets to book until it's too late.
5 miles from Stackpole
Beaches near Stackpole
Stackpole Quay
Reputedly Britain's smallest harbour, with a National Trust car park, café and toilets — and the start of the walk to Barafundle.
Dogs all yearBarafundle Bay
The golden cove with no road — half a mile's clifftop walk from Stackpole Quay, and regularly voted among Britain's best beaches.
Freshwater East
A sheltered, dune-backed crescent facing south — easy parking, safe paddling and far fewer people than Tenby.
Dogs all yearBroad Haven South
White sand, Church Rock offshore and the lily ponds behind — Bosherston's beautiful back door to the sea.
Swanlake Bay
A sandy bay between Freshwater East and Manorbier with no road access at all — usually empty, and entirely tide-dependent.
Manorbier Bay
Red-tinged sand, a proper castle backdrop and a dependable beach break — the south coast's most characterful bay.
Compare every beach near Stackpole — dogs, lifeguards, parking →
Walks from Stackpole
Barafundle Bay and the Bosherston Lily Ponds
The best short walk in south Pembrokeshire: a cliff path to Barafundle, then inland along three flooded limestone valleys full of lilies.
5 miles · 2½–3½ hours · Moderate
Freshwater East to Manorbier
A short, sharp stage between two good beaches, taking in a bay you can only reach on foot and finishing under a Norman castle.
4.5 miles · 2½ hours · Moderate
Pembroke Castle and the Mill Pond
A short, level loop round the water beneath one of the great castles of Britain, good for an hour with a pushchair or a dog.
2 miles · 1 hour · Easy