Photo: Rob Purvis (CC BY-SA 2.0)A full-day circuit of the peninsula that guards the mouth of the Milford Haven waterway, past a lighthouse, three forts and the beach where Henry Tudor landed.
Dale sits on a sheltered anchorage and claims to be the sunniest place in Wales, which is the sort of claim best enjoyed rather than checked.
Walk south from the seafront past Dale Fort, one of the Victorian forts built to defend the Milford Haven waterway and now a field studies centre. The path continues round the eastern side of the peninsula, past a string of small bays — Castlebeach, Watwick, and then Mill Bay.
Mill Bay deserves a pause. On 7 August 1485, Henry Tudor landed here with about 2,000 men after fourteen years of exile, and marched to Bosworth. Two weeks later he was king. There's a small plaque and nothing else, which feels about right.
Round the tip at St Ann's Head, where the lighthouse and coastguard cottages sit above the mouth of the waterway. Every tanker heading for the refineries passes below you. On the western side the sea is open Atlantic and the cliffs take the full weather.
Come back along the western shore over Westdale Bay, a wide sandy beach that looks inviting and is genuinely dangerous to swim at, then take the short field path across the neck of the peninsula back into Dale.
Where to finish. The Griffin Inn is on the water at Dale and does crab and lobster from the bay. It's a five-minute walk from the finish.
Shorter option. Dale to Westdale Bay and back across the neck is about 2 miles and takes under an hour.
Nearest forecast point: The Haven
dry for the next few hours, around 13°C, gusting to 26 mph — hold on to the windbreak.
01:00
13°
Fair
W 26 mph
02:00
12°
Clear
W 26 mph
03:00
12°
Clear
NW 25 mph
04:00
12°
Clear
NW 24 mph
05:00
12°
Clear
NW 24 mph
06:00
12°
Fair
NW 23 mph
07:00
12°
Clear
NW 23 mph
08:00
12°
Clear
NW 24 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.
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.
Dale Roads · about 1 miles away
High water
06:37
Sat 10 Oct · 7.0m
Low water
12:49
Sat 10 Oct · 0.6m
High water
18:54
Sat 10 Oct · 7.2m
Low water
01:11
Sun 11 Oct · 0.6m
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.
Westdale Bay has strong currents and no lifeguard — it is not a swimming beach. The peninsula is exposed; there is no shelter and no water between Dale and the far side.
The nearest pubs, cafés and restaurants to the start and finish. Check hours before you count on one.
Dale, SA62 3RB
Three-hundred-year-old pub on Dale's sea wall at the mouth of the Haven — lobster from pots in the bay, Bluestone ales and its own amber beer, and the last pub standing of a village that once had fifteen.
200m away · about 5 min walk
250m away · about 5 min walk
Hand-picked places to stay within a mile or so, 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.
Dale · Sleeps 5 · 3 beds
Bookable via cottages.com
Dale · Sleeps 2 · 1 bed
Bookable via cottages.com
Dale · Sleeps 5 · 3 beds
Bookable via cottages.com
No reports yet — walked The Dale Peninsula and St Ann's Head? Tell people how it went: conditions, parking, how long it really took.
A gentle stage along the north shore of the Haven with two tidal stepping-stone crossings that will add four miles to your day if you get them wrong.
7 miles · 3½–4 hours · Moderate
Round the tip of the peninsula from one of Wales's best beaches to the boat slip for Skomer, with seals in the coves below.
6 miles · 3–4 hours · Moderate
The path changes character completely: an easy half-day along the north shore of the Milford Haven waterway, timed around the tide at Sandy Haven, ending among the marina and museums of the town.
6 miles · 2½–3 hours · Easy
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.