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Pembrokeshire in August

Sunrise, 15th
06:05
Sunset, 15th
20:46
Daylight
14h 41m

Mid-August in Pembrokeshire: sunrise around 06:05, sunset around 20:46, giving about 14h 41m of daylight. That is around 2 hours less than mid-July, and it is the evenings that lose most. Because the county sticks so far west into the Atlantic, the sun sets noticeably later here than in London — worth knowing if you are planning an evening on a west-facing beach.

Dogs: the seasonal window is open. Between 1 May and 30 September, 2 of the beaches we cover ban dogs outright — Tenby North Beach and Whitesands Bay (Porth Mawr). A further 11 are zoned: part of the beach welcomes dogs all year while another section does not, which is why "dog friendly" on its own tells you nothing. 50 are open across the whole beach whatever the month — far more than most people expect, and more than this site itself used to say.

That split comes from Pembrokeshire County Council's summer beach bans — the Public Spaces Protection Order, which is the actual law rather than a summary of it — cross-checked against a specialist beach guide for which end of each zoned beach is affected. The signs at the access points are still the authority on the day.

1 we have not been able to place either way, and we would rather say so than round them up into a number that looks more authoritative.

Peak season, and it shows: Tenby and Saundersfoot are genuinely busy, car parks fill by mid-morning at the popular beaches, and accommodation books a long way ahead. The trade is that everything is open, lifeguards are on the main beaches, and the water is about as warm as it gets here. Arrive early or go late, and use the beaches without a car park beside them.

Lifeguards. 13 of the beaches we cover are lifeguarded in season — Amroth Beach, Broad Haven, Coppet Hall, Freshwater West, Newgale Sands, Newport Sands (Traeth Mawr) and 7 more. Cover is seasonal and the RNLI sets the dates each year; we do not publish those dates because we cannot verify them from a feed, so check the RNLI listing for the beach before relying on it. Everywhere else, you are swimming unpatrolled.

Beaches and dogs in August

Restrictions run 1 May – 30 September. Where a beach is only partly restricted, the bathing area is the part that is closed — the ends are usually still open.

Open all year, whole beach (50)

Restricted right now (2)

  • Tenby North Beach — Dogs banned from the whole beach 1 May – 30 September; welcome the rest of the year. One of only two total bans in the county (Pembrokeshire County Council).
  • Whitesands Bay (Porth Mawr) — Dogs banned from the whole length of the beach 1 May – 30 September; welcome the rest of the year. One of only two total bans in the county (Pembrokeshire County Council).

Zoned — one end open, one end not (11)

  • Amroth Beach — Central and western areas restricted 1 May – 30 September; the eastern end welcomes dogs all year.
  • Broad Haven — Northern third restricted 1 May – 30 September; the rest of the beach welcomes dogs all year.
  • Coppet Hall — Northern section restricted 1 May – 30 September, and only between 10am and 5pm; dogs welcome elsewhere on the beach and outside those hours.
  • Dale Beach — Northern end restricted 1 May – 30 September; the rest welcomes dogs all year.
  • Goodwick Sands — Northern end restricted 1 May – 30 September; the rest of the sands welcomes dogs all year.
  • Lydstep Haven — Eastern end restricted 1 May – 30 September; the rest welcomes dogs all year.
  • Newgale Sands — Middle third restricted 1 May – 30 September; the northern and southern ends welcome dogs all year.
  • Poppit Sands — Western end restricted 1 May – 30 September; the estuary end welcomes dogs all year.
  • Saundersfoot Beach — Restricted 1 May – 30 September across the beach and promenade, except a small area at the Coppet Hall end. Welcome the rest of the year.
  • Tenby Castle Beach — Restricted 1 May – 30 September across the beach (Pembrokeshire County Council). Welcome the rest of the year.
  • Tenby South Beach — Restricted 1 May – 30 September; dogs must be on a lead in the restricted section. The southern stretch towards Giltar welcomes dogs all year.

We cannot tell you either way (1)

Policies are recorded per beach from the managing authority’s own signage and published rules. Grouped this finely because the underlying information genuinely has these states — a beach we have confirmed as restricted and a beach where a restriction merely might apply are different answers, and flattening them into one number would look more authoritative while being less true. If a sign on the day says otherwise, the sign wins.

What’s on in August

Annual fixtures we hold dates or timings for. Always confirm with the organiser before travelling — dates move, and we say when we last checked.

Pembrokeshire County Show

The county's agricultural show at Withybush: cattle lines, showjumping, food halls and a main ring, over two days in mid-August.

mid-August, midweek · Shows & agricultural

Cilgerran Coracle Regatta

Round hide-and-lath boats raced on the Teifi under a castle, in one of the last places in Britain where coracles were properly worked.

a Saturday in August · Community

Regatta and Raft Race Season

Free

Dinghy racing, rowing, swimming races and homemade rafts sinking in front of a crowd. Every harbour village has a version.

July and August, individual dates by village · Sport

RNLI Lifeboat Days

Free

Boathouse open, crew talking, and an all-weather lifeboat launched down the slipway in front of you.

through the summer, individual dates by station · Community

Heather on the Preseli Hills

Free

Late summer turns the Preseli ridge purple. Empty hills, Bronze Age cairns and the source of the Stonehenge bluestones.

August into September · Walking

Plan around it