Photo: Paul Farmer (CC BY-SA 2.0)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.
After the Dale peninsula, the Coast Path turns inland-ish and follows the northern shore of the Milford Haven waterway. It's flatter, greener and less dramatic than what came before — and the tides make it more complicated than any other stage on the path.
Get the timing right first. Leaving Dale, the path crosses the Gann on stepping stones a few hundred metres out of the village. Behind them lie the Pickleridge lagoons, old gravel pits now full of brackish water, and a shingle spit that is one of the best wader spots in the county — greenshank, whimbrel, little egret, and in autumn a decent chance of something unusual. If the tide is in, the alternative is a road walk round by Mullock Bridge, which adds a couple of miles and no pleasure.
Beyond the Gann the path climbs gently through fields and woodland edge to Monk Haven, a small stony cove with a startlingly high stone wall across the back of it — an estate wall from the 19th century, with the ruined tower of St Ishmael's church in the trees nearby. It's a good shady lunch stop.
Next is Lindsway Bay, a wide sandy beach below the cliffs with a steep path down, and then Great Castle Head, which carries the ramparts of an Iron Age promontory fort and one of the navigation lights that lines up ships coming into the waterway. Below you, the tankers heading for the terminals are close enough to read the names off.
The stage finishes at Sandy Haven, where a wooded tidal creek — Sandy Haven Pill — cuts inland. The Coast Path crosses it on stepping stones, again only around low water, and the detour if you miss them is a long one inland via Herbrandston. Even if you're finishing here rather than continuing, be aware the lane on the eastern side floods on spring tides.
Where to finish. There's nothing at Sandy Haven itself. Dale has the Griffin on the water, and Herbrandston and Milford Haven are the nearest options at the eastern end.
Shorter option. Dale to Monk Haven and back is about five miles round trip, uses only the Gann crossing, and is the pleasantest part of the stage.
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.
This stage has two tidal crossings and they are the whole planning problem. The stepping stones over the Gann just north of Dale and those over Sandy Haven Pill at the far end are each passable for only a few hours around low water. Miss either and the inland detour by road adds several miles. Work backwards from the low-water time for the day and start accordingly. The stones are slippery and uneven — don't attempt them with a rising tide behind you. Elsewhere the walking is easy but the cliffs above Lindsway are unfenced.
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
Brookside, St Ishmaels, SA62 3TE
Village pub at St Ishmaels on the Dale peninsula — hygiene score shown as published.
1.7km away · about 25 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 Dale to Sandy Haven? Tell people how it went: conditions, parking, how long it really took.
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.
8 miles · 4–5 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.