The Sloop Inn
Pub1743 quarrymen's pub in Porthgain's harbour hollow — the finish line of the north coast's best short walk.
Dogs welcome
Photo: Cleopatra Browne (CC BY-SA 3.0)Abereiddi to Porthgain and the Blue Lagoon
A short, spectacular cliff walk between two abandoned quarry harbours, past the flooded slate pit everyone photographs.
- Distance
- 3 miles / 4.8 km
- Time
- 1½ hours each way
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Climbing
- about 120m
- Type
- There and back
- Dogs
- On a lead
The Blue LagoonPorthgain harbourRuined quarry buildingsThe Sloop Inn
The route
This is the walk to do if you only have an afternoon on the north coast.
Start at Abereiddi, where the beach is dark grey slate shingle and the cliffs behind are full of fossils. Follow the path north for five minutes to the Blue Lagoon — a slate quarry that was deliberately breached to let the sea in when the workings closed in 1910. The colour is real: it comes from the mineral content of the slate. It has hosted Red Bull's cliff diving series, and on most summer days there'll be a coasteering group in the water.
Above the lagoon are the ruins of the quarrymen's cottages and the tramway that ran the slate down to the harbour.
Carry on north along the cliff. The path is well made and the climbs are short. You pass Traeth Llyfn, a fine beach reached by a steel staircase, then round the headland into Porthgain.
Porthgain is the point of the walk. A harbour the size of a large garden, hemmed in by brick hoppers that once held crushed granite for road-building, with the quarry buildings still standing above. It was a working industrial port until 1931 and looks like almost nowhere else in Wales.
Where to finish. The Sloop Inn has been there since 1743 and is the obvious stop. The Shed, forty metres away, is a seafood bistro in the old machine shop. Both get busy — in August, eat early or late.
Getting back. Either retrace the path, which is no hardship, or use the Strumble Shuttle bus in season. There's no sensible inland shortcut.
Getting there
- Start
- Abereiddi beach car park (SA62 6DT)
- Finish
- Porthgain harbour
- Parking
- Pay and display at Abereiddi and at Porthgain. Both are small and fill in summer.
- Buses
- The Strumble Shuttle serves both ends in season, which makes the one-way walk easy.
The next few hours
Nearest forecast point: St Davids
dry for the next few hours, around 14°C, gusting to 27 mph — hold on to the windbreak.
01:00
14°
Clear
W 27 mph
02:00
14°
Clear
W 27 mph
03:00
14°
Clear
W 27 mph
04:00
14°
Clear
W 27 mph
05:00
13°
Fair
W 26 mph
06:00
13°
Clear
NW 25 mph
07:00
13°
Clear
NW 25 mph
08:00
13°
Clear
NW 26 mph
Forecast from MET Norway, used under CC BY 4.0. It's a forecast for the nearest of six points across the county, not for this exact spot — on a coast this shaped, one headland can be in sun and the next in rain.
Light today at Abereiddi beach car park
- Sunrise
- 07:35
- Sunset
- 18:42
- Daylight
- 11h 7m
The light goes gold from about 17:57.
Calculated for these coordinates, accurate to a minute or so. A cliff or a headland to your west will take the sun sooner than this suggests.
Tides near Abereiddi to Porthgain and the Blue Lagoon
Porthgain · about 1 miles away
Low water
01:33
Sat 10 Oct · 0.7m
High water
07:30
Sat 10 Oct · 4.5m
Low water
13:44
Sat 10 Oct · 0.7m
High water
19:46
Sat 10 Oct · 4.6m
Predicted times from the UK Hydrographic Office. Wind and pressure shift real water levels, and the tide at a specific cove can run earlier or later than its port. Never plan a tidal crossing on this alone.
Before you go
The Blue Lagoon is a working coasteering and cliff-jumping site with deep, cold water and no lifeguard. Go with an operator or don't jump. The cliff edge here is unfenced.
Where to eat and drink on this walk
The nearest pubs, cafés and restaurants to the start and finish. Check hours before you count on one.
2.2km away · about 35 min walk
Photo: Alan Thomas (CC BY-SA 2.0)Porthgain, SA62 5BN
1743 quarrymen's pub in Porthgain's harbour hollow — the finish line of the north coast's best short walk.
- Phone
- +441348 831449
- Opening hours
- Today 09:30–23:00
2.2km away · about 35 min walk
The Shed Bistro
RestaurantFish-and-chip bistro in a Porthgain harbour shed — best enjoyed after the Abereiddi clifftop walk.
2.3km away · about 35 min walk
The Shed Bistro
RestaurantPorthgain, SA62 5BN
Fish-and-chip bistro in a Porthgain harbour shed — best enjoyed after the Abereiddi clifftop walk.
- Phone
- +44 1348 831518
- Opening hours
- Today 10:00–17:00, 17:30–00:00
2.3km away · about 35 min walk
Beaches on the way
Stay near this walk
Hand-picked places to stay in and around Porthgain, nearest first. Our picks are data-driven — we haven’t stayed — and we earn a commission when you book through a partner link. How that works.
Porthgain · Sleeps 2 · 1 bed
Walk to beach
- 1 mile away
- Best for: Couples · kayakers
from £439/week
View stay →Bookable via holidaycottages.co.uk
Porthgain · Sleeps 6 · 3 beds
Log burner
- In Porthgain
- Best for: Families with small children · dogs
from £740/week
View stay →Bookable via holidaycottages.co.uk
Trefin · Sleeps 4 · 2 beds
- 3 miles away
- Best for: Couples · two couples sharing
from £767/week
View stay →Bookable via cottages.com
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Other walks nearby
Porthgain to Whitesands Bay
From an industrial harbour past the Blue Lagoon and round the wild north side of the St Davids peninsula to the county's most popular beach.
8 miles · 4½–5 hours · Moderate
Trefin to Porthgain
Two easy miles linking two of the best small stops on the north coast — the ruined mill and beach at Aber Draw to the harbour, brickworks and famous fish and chips at Porthgain.
2 miles · 1 hour each way · Easy
Solva to Newgale
A relentlessly up-and-down stage between a drowned-valley harbour and a two-mile shingle beach. Short on paper, hard on the legs.
5 miles · 3 hours · Strenuous
Distances and times are approximate. Conditions on the Coast Path change with the weather and the season — take a map, and check tide times and firing times where they apply.