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Newport Sands to Pwllgwaelod

Coastal Cottages Walk All Over Cancer

It's rarely a good start to a walk by heading a mile in the opposite direction to where you want to be finishing, but the start point of Newport Sands meant backtracking along the picturesque estuary before reorienting in the right direction.

It's worth it because this is probably one of the prettiest parts of the route and the conditions were perfect. This part can be made even nicer if you decide to ditch the marked path and instead go via the beach itself (tide permitting).

Newport Sands

Whether you decide to stick to the path or head around the beach you'll eventually arrive at the bridge that crosses the estuary, just beyond this point is where we finally start heading in the right direction. This part of the path is always nice and it's flat and well kept enough to be accessible to all.

At the end of this short stretch along the other side of the estuary, you'll eventually emerge on Newport Parrog Beach, a pretty spot with a mix of marsh and boat moorings as well as pretty seaside cottages. There's an option for a quick cake and cuppa here at Morawelon if you fancy it. For me, it was before opening times so I had to plod on.

Newport Estuary

Depending on the tide you may need to take the high water route before rejoining the path that skirts the estuary all the way to where it meets the sea at the old Lifeboat House. Now we start on to some proper coast path along some cliffs, the view back over Newport Sands and the estuary here is worth enjoying at the viewpoint just beyond the Lifeboat House.

This section of the path was a little muddy in the winter and in parts runs close to some cliff edges so some care was needed. It was a very gentle climb up until coming around into Aber Rhigian where you'll realize how far you've climbed as you'll have to drop back down to sea level onto the beach.

Sharing Lunch

Aber Rhigian is a perfect spot for a quick stop for a snack if you've packed your own. I had to share my peanut butter and jam sandwich with a robin that was happy to keep me company whilst I stopped. The beach itself is a small, sheltered spot but with access mainly from the Coast Path, it's often a very quiet spot. Next up, you're confronted with the hard truth of the coast path - every time you go down, there's a hill just around the corner that you'll need to climb. Luckily this one is fairly short and quickly overcome.

Walk

Following a short flat leg around a small headland, it's back down again to another small beach, Aberfforest. This is a great hidden spot along the Pembrokeshire coast and we have a number of cottages in Aberfforest available to stay in, so this could literally be on your doorstep. If you're up for a short detour there's a very pretty waterfall less than 100 meters or so upstream from the small bridge you cross to continue. This spot is great in the spring where there's a carpet of wild garlic underfoot and well worth the detour.

Aberfforest

Another climb out of Aberfforest and back onto relatively flat (for the coast path) cliffside walking for a stint until you reach the narrow road down to the very pretty seaside village of Cwm Yr Eglwys, with its iconic storm ruined church overlooking the sandy beach below. Now the weather had typically decided to take a bit of a turn for me here and got very grey and windy. So it was time for a coffee from the flask on the seafront to warm up for me but on a sunny summer day, there is a little ice cream kiosk. This little beach comes into its own on a sunny day and the water is usually crystal clear and great for snorkeling.

At this point along the route, you have a choice to make. Wimp out and take the (very pretty) flat, wooded path along the valley floor to the finishing point or do the right thing and walk around Dinas Island. Despite the turning weather I didn't really have a choice, we're doing this for charity so it was the long way for me.

Dinas Head

Dinas Island is a popular short circular route in its own right and a worthwhile hour-ish long addition to the route, with one caveat. Half the route is a climb to one of the highest points along the coast path and the other half is right back down to sea level. The views back towards Newport and the Preseli Hills are worth it. One thing to keep in mind is the fork in the path on the way out of Cwm Yr Eglwys. Here you have a choice of the field boundary path (easier) or the cliff side path (a punishing climb joins this to the main path). I took the field boundary path because it speeds things up and the distance is pretty much the same. At the top of the climb, there are incredible panoramic views to enjoy spaning from Ceibwr all the way around to distant Strumble Head.

The good news is that it's all downhill from here, which was good news for me because it was getting very windy and the temperature had dropped substantially. The path back down is pretty straightforward until you get close to Pwllgwaelod where some parts get a bit steep and narrow but the view is very much worth it.

If you're lucky you can end your walk with some of the excellent food available at The Old Sailor. I was not and it was closed because it's out of season.

Dan enjoyed a solo hike from one of the best sandy beaches in Pembrokeshire to one of the smallest.
Distance / Time
Difficulty / Ascent
Leisurely
Author
Dan Morris
Author:
With an interest in photography, I am always exploring what Pembrokeshire has to offer!
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