Photo: Gordon Hatton (CC BY-SA 2.0)31-33 Main Street, Solva, SA62 6UT
Solva's harbourside local — outside tables by the boats at high tide.
Hygiene 5/5Dogs welcome
Photo: Gareth James (CC BY-SA 2.0)Whitesands Bay to Solva
Right round the tip of Wales past the Ramsey lifeboat station, Porth Clais and the cathedral's own quarry, finishing in a drowned-valley harbour.
- Distance
- 13 miles / 21 km
- Time
- 6½–7½ hours
- Difficulty
- Strenuous
- Climbing
- about 560m
- Type
- Coast Path stage
- Dogs
- On a lead
St Justinian's and Ramsey SoundRamsey Island and the Bitches tidal racePorth Clais harbour and lime kilnsCaerfai and Caer Bwdy baysSolva harbour
The route
This is the full circuit of the St Davids peninsula, and although it can be split into halves at Porth Clais or Caerfai, doing it in one is one of the best days on the whole path.
Leave Whitesands heading south past Porthselau and round Point St John to St Justinian's, where the lifeboat station sits on the edge of Ramsey Sound and the boats for Ramsey Island leave. Look across at the line of rocks running out from the island: that's the Bitches, and the tide pours through the gap at up to six knots, standing up in visible waves. Ramsey itself is an RSPB reserve with the largest grey seal breeding colony in southern Britain — several hundred pups born in the coves each autumn.
South of St Justinian's the path rounds Pen Dal-aderyn, the true south-western corner, and turns east into a series of small, steep coves: Porthlysgi, where the shingle is worth an hour on a warm day, then Porth Clais.
Porth Clais is a narrow tidal inlet with a stone quay and a row of restored lime kilns — this was St Davids' port, taking in coal and limestone and shipping out corn. There's a National Trust car park, and in summer usually an ice cream van. It's the natural halfway point.
From here to Caerfai the path is straightforward and busy, because both bays are within walking distance of the city. Caerfai has a car park, a beach and a campsite above it. Just east is Caer Bwdy, where the distinctive purple-grey sandstone for St Davids Cathedral was quarried straight off the shore and carried round by boat; stone from the same place was used in the modern restoration work.
The last four miles are the sting. The path climbs and drops repeatedly through Nine Wells and over the headlands to Solva, and by then you've done nine miles already. The arrival is good compensation: Solva is a drowned glacial valley, the harbour bending out of sight of open water, with a green hill on each side and boats sitting on the mud at low tide.
Where to finish. Solva has pubs and cafés along the lower village, all within two minutes of the harbour car park.
Splitting it. Whitesands to Porth Clais is about six miles and much the gentler half. Porth Clais to Solva is seven harder ones.
Getting there
- Start
- Whitesands Bay car park
- Finish
- Solva lower harbour
- Parking
- Large pay and display at Whitesands. Small car parks at St Justinian's, Porth Clais and Caerfai. Pay and display at Solva harbour.
- Buses
- The seasonal Celtic Coaster loops around the St Davids peninsula and the Puffin Shuttle runs on towards Solva and Newgale — both are seasonal, so check current timetables.
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 Whitesands Bay car park
- Sunrise
- 07:36
- Sunset
- 18:43
- 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 Whitesands Bay to Solva
Ramsey Sound · about 1 miles away
Low water
01:15
Sat 10 Oct · 0.7m
High water
07:12
Sat 10 Oct · 5.1m
Low water
13:27
Sat 10 Oct · 0.7m
High water
19:29
Sat 10 Oct · 5.2m
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
A long day with cumulative climbing and few facilities. Ramsey Sound holds one of the strongest tidal races in Britain — the Bitches — and the water off St Justinian's is not swimmable under any circumstances. The cliff edge is unfenced for most of the route and the descents into Porthlysgi, Porth Clais and Caerfai are steep. The last miles into Solva are the steepest of the day; don't leave them until you're empty.
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.
Photo: Gordon Hatton (CC BY-SA 2.0)0m away · about 5 min walk
50m away · about 5 min walk
250m away · about 5 min walk
250m away · about 5 min walk
Photo: Andy F (CC BY-SA 2.0)250m away · about 5 min walk
1.6km away · about 25 min walk
Beaches on the way
Stay near this walk
Hand-picked places to stay within about 2 miles, 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.
St Davids · Sleeps 4 · 2 beds
Walk to beach
- 2 miles away
- Best for: Couples and small families · walking into St Davids
from £598/week
View stay →Bookable via holidaycottages.co.uk
St Davids · Sleeps 4 · 2 beds
EV chargerLog burner
- 2 miles away
- Best for: Couples · walkers
from £917/week
View stay →Bookable via holidaycottages.co.uk
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St Davids · Sleeps 2 · 1 bed
Walk to beachEV chargerLog burner
- 2 miles away
- Best for: Couples · walk-everywhere stays
from £687/week
View stay →Bookable via holidaycottages.co.uk
Download the route
OpenStreetMap
A GPX track for this stage, traced from the Coast Path as mapped on OpenStreetMap — 12.3 miles of it. Load it into a watch, a phone app or a handheld GPS.
© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Traced from the mapped route, not a recorded walk, so treat it as a guide and not a substitute for a map and compass — and check tide and firing times before you set out. Route data checked 2026-10-09.
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Other walks nearby
St Davids Head from Whitesands Bay
Round the headland at the far west of Wales, past an Iron Age fort and a 5,000-year-old burial chamber, with Ramsey Island offshore.
4 miles · 2–3 hours · Moderate
Abereiddi to Porthgain and the Blue Lagoon
A short, spectacular cliff walk between two abandoned quarry harbours, past the flooded slate pit everyone photographs.
3 miles · 1½ hours 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.