THE PEMBROKESHIRE COAST AND SKOMER ISLAND

June 16-21st 2025

(5 nights, 5 walking days).

Grade 2: Easy to Moderate*

Highlights:

Glorious coastal walking visiting one golden beach after another, interspersed with picturesque sailing harbours and thatched villages.
Walking holiday hosted and guided by a qualified walk leader, with taxis and buses to and from our walks all arranged for the group.
Small group size – ten people maximum.
An unforgettable day on Skomer Island, home to puffins, guillemots, Shearwaters and kittiwakes.
Fill your lungs with energising, invigorating, briny air and enjoy spectacular seaward vistas all week – big, bright skies and blue seas!
Fascinating historic sites including abandoned forts, bunkers and gun placements.
5 nights in the very comfortable Lord Nelson Hotel.

* We will walk around 11-15km ( 7-9 miles) in a full walking day on tracks which have some ascent and descent, occasionally on rough steps.

The Holiday cost for single occupancy double with garden view is £1050 and £1200 sea view.

If you are travelling with a friend or partner and would like to share a room this please contact us for cost.

A great chance to get sand between your toes and feel energised by a week walking by the sea. Expect summer sunsets, Atlantic breakers on the shore, rich bird life, and unblemished beaches that stretch for miles. If train travel is your preference, this trip could be for you as Milford Haven is well connected by rail.

Pembrokeshire brings has own special atmosphere, with traditional villages and harbours and dramatic cliff scenery thanks to the resilient volcanic rocks that make up this peninsula.

What's Included: 5 nights single occupancy (5 x bed, breakfast and packed lunch), and the services of our walk leader who will host this holiday and lead all walks. Also included is the cost of any taxi / minibus transfers to the start or end of our day's walk.

What's Not Included: Evening meals are not included, although the trip leader will offer to organise a group table for those who wish.

ITINERARY

DAY 1:

Join us by 2 pm if you can for the first leg of our westward coastal journey. We leave town to soon discover scenic, easy cliff-top paths that take us via Gelliswick Bay to the nearby South Hook headland with impressive views out to the 1850s fortress on Stack Rock. A few miles on, we come to Sandy Haven, a beautiful, sheltered inlet with a pleasant beach and yacht moorings. Our transport collects us from here to deliver us back to our hotel. (3 hours walking, 7 km)

DAY 2

Starting our walk at the previous day’s end-point, we cross the stepping stones at Sandy Haven to strike out along the famous Pembrokeshire Coast Path, passing the quaint village of St Ishmaels and the stunning sandy beach at Lindsway Bay. Continuing west and crossing another set of stepping stones, we arrive in the beautiful harbour of Dale, where the sailing school is often busy teaching the basics of handling dinghys and the beach shop offers sustenance in the form of ice creams and teas. After a picnic lunch, we set off to round the headland of St Ann’s Head, stopping off at Watwick Bay, an arc of white sand and turquoise water - perhaps the most idyllic beach in the UK? Our day ends at West Dale, where our transport awaits to return us to indoor comforts. (6 hours walking, 14 km)

DAY 3

Continuing from Dale, we soon reach the famous sands at Marloes. Here, beneath a traditional thatched village, lies a stretch of perfect sand over 3 km in length with a backdrop of dark, craggy cliffs. This is the perfect place for a paddle and a sandwich! When we reluctantly move on, we pass Gatesholm Island and follow the cliff-top track round Wooltack Point with views out to Skomer Island. A further stretch of stunning, scenic wandering brings us back to Marloes Village and to the Lobster Pot public house where we await our pick up. (6 hours walking, 14 km)

DAY 4

A day on Skomer Island. Our walks are shorter on this day, but that leaves plenty of time to explore this amazing gem of an island where ground-nesting sea birds thrive and the remnants of ancient settlements are discernable, hinting at a unique, isolated life once lived by the island’s inhabitants. Our boat departs from and returns to Martin’s Haven, a miniature sheltered harbour. From here, our transport returns us once more to the hotel. (6 hours visit, walks approx. 7 km) Please note that in the event of the Skomer boat service being unavailable due to weather conditions or due to service issues, a refund of £50 per person will be made, equivalent to the cost of this return crossing.

DAY 5

Once again we pick up at our previous end-point and continue along the coast path, past Musselwick Sands, and eventually to St Brides Haven and the nearby castle which cuts a dramatic figure on the landscape. A few miles on, we reach the attractive hamlet at Little Haven, with its clean, sandy beach. Only a little further, we find the adjacent, much larger beach at Broad Haven which faces out west and is well known for its thriving surf scene. Here our day ends with the option of an ice cream or a cold beer as we relax on the beach and wait for our taxi ride back to base. (6 hours walking, 13km).

DAY 6

This day is left clear for you to begin your onward travel, or to visit the shops and harbour of Milford Haven.

Please note that the above itinerary is subject to weather conditions being favourable. Our aim, above all, is to make the right choice each day so that we enjoy the most appropriate route for the conditions.

ACCOMMODATION

Our base is the Lord Nelson Hotel. This is a comfortable hotel overlooking the harbour at Milford Haven. Accommodation is in single occupancy, en-suite rooms and meals are provide in the residents' dining room. The hotel has a welcoming, cosy atmosphere and bedrooms are spacious and very comfortable.

You can view the hotel website HERE.

Hotel postcode: SA73 3AW

To reach Milford Haven train station: Frequent trains run between Swansea and Milford Haven.