Introduction
Pembrokeshire is the coastal national park in southwest Wales, and the coast here is genuinely extraordinary, sea stacks, rock arches, hidden coves, clifftop paths above the churning Celtic Sea. It gets less attention than Cornwall or the Lake District partly because it's harder to reach and partly because Wales doesn't market itself well. Both of those things work in its favour.
Tenby is the main town and earns its reputation: colourful, historic, lively in season, dramatically positioned above a harbour with an offshore island. Beyond it, the coast path runs north past Freshwater West (the beach in Deathly Hallows) and west to Porthgain, a tiny harbour village with a lobster restaurant that has no business being as good as it is.
Getting There
Tenby and Pembroke Dock are served by trains from Cardiff (about 2.5 hours). Haverfordwest, the main inland town, is also rail-served. A car is strongly recommended for exploring the coast path, beaches, and inland areas, public transport coverage is thin outside the main towns. From the M4, allow around 2.5–3 hours from Cardiff.
Neighbourhoods to Know
Tenby and South Coast. Tenby, Barafundle Bay, Stackpole, Freshwater West. The most visited and most spectacular section.
St Davids and the Far West. Britain's smallest city, Whitesands Bay, Ramsey Island, the western headlands.
North Pembrokeshire. Fishguard, Porthgain, Newport, the Preseli Hills inland. Quieter, wilder, less visited.
Inland Pembrokeshire. Carew Castle, Narberth, the Daugleddau estuary. Often overlooked, genuinely worth the detour.
