Sandy Haven to Neyland

My stretch of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path for our Walk All Over Cancer challenge was approximately a ten-mile stretch between Sandy Haven and Neyland, a long stretch along the Cleddau estuary which gives incredible views of Pembrokeshire’s industrial side.

Accompanied by my mum, we started our day early by dropping off one car at Neyland; we had intended on parking in the free car park at Brunel Quay but the touring fair was in town. Thus we found a space outside Dale Sailing a little further down the marina and they were kind enough to let us park there for the day after we explained we hadn’t realised the main car park was going to be closed.

We then drove from here to Sandy Haven, the beginning destination for our hike. The road to Sandy Haven itself is a typical narrow country lane with no amenities at the end other than a caravan park and a fairly large free car park where we left our second car. This small estuary beach of Sandy Haven Beach is popular come the summer months and whilst we had no trouble finding a space (there was only one other car there), I would recommend an early start if doing this stretch in the summer to ensure a parking space.

Having left the house in beautiful sunshine, the weather had turned somewhat overcast and a little chilly as we started off unfortunately but that failed to deter us. With our walking boots on and a thin windproof jacket to beat the chill, we headed back to the main road and turned left towards the beach, taking a left through the wooden gate following the Coast Path sign.

You’ll briefly follow a grassy terrain between the caravans until you reach what resembles a more traditional coast path trail. To the left lies the water with a nice expanse of brownish-red sand where we saw a couple of walkers playing catch with their dog. Across the water, you’ll see the headlands of St Ishmaels and Dale in the distance, with St Anne’s Lighthouse visible on the landscape.

Soon enough, the signs of industry and the busy waterway begin to appear. You pass through land cared for by South Hook LNG here as Stackrock Fort becomes clearer in your eye line and as the coast curves further inland following the estuary, scenes of large ships become more and more frequent. You’ll pass by two long piers (even walking underneath one along a small sandy beach accessed by two sets of concrete steps) before joining a peaceful residential road. Follow this downhill to come to Gelliswick Bay. There’s a small space for parking along with several benches overlooking the seafront so we stopped off here for a quick drink whilst watching locals scouring the sand for sea glass.

Follow the pavement up the hill past the yacht club and keep an eye out to a Coast Path directional sign leading you up a set of steps to the right. Pass by a school and through a small section of a housing estate, there are direction signs which then lead you back to a well-kept tarmacked coastal path, again with plenty of benches for seating if you wish to take a stop. I suspect it might be a popular dog walk amongst locals.

Unfortunately for us, we met a barrier and a rather large “Path Closed” sign before we reached our next point of interest which resulted in a detour through Hakin (via the assistance of Google Maps!) until we reached the marina at Milford. Passing over the bridge, we followed the pavement up the hill and along the waterfront. After passing through the town for a short distance, keep an eye out for Cellar Hill (near the Social Centre) and turn right here. As you make your way down this hill, you’ll spot another handy Coast Path sign to the right; follow this wooded trail and you will come out at Blackbridge.

Note, there is some walking on the road here with no pavement so be wary of traffic as you pass through Blackbridge. There are also two signposts for walks around this waterway but we passed them by, following the main road uphill. Continue past the turning for the housing estate and soon you will see another Coast Path fingerpost pointing you right through farmland. Follow the driveway past the farm buildings turning left at the fork and then take the gates through two fields before reaching another footpath leading you back towards the water.

As you stroll through the greenery here on your way back to the water’s edge, you’ll see large domes and industrial buildings of the Valero Oil Terminal nearby at Waterston. For much of the next stretch as you pass through the refinery land, the surroundings are grassy and wooded in areas. Eventually, you’ll pass through three bridges, not for the faint-hearted if you have a phobia of heights! The first bridge is completely enclosed by metal sheets whilst the latter two were made up of metal-grid structures allowing you to see the distance beneath you. It’s safe to say this was not our favourite section of this Cleddau stretch on a somewhat blowy March day!

You’ll pass by another small sandy inlet and continue through a heavily wooded stretch before you begin to see Coast Path signs again. You’ll find a couple of benches on one side of the grassy path, continue straight ahead ignoring a sign to the right, and you will then emerge at Hazelbeach. The weather had warmed up significantly by this point and so we decided to head into The Ferry Inn at Llanstadwell for a cold drink before continuing on our journey. Walkers should take the door to the right when entering The Ferry Inn which will take you into the bar area with hard flooring, to the right is a carpeted restaurant – not ideal for muddy walking boots!

Upon leaving, we ventured along the road once again passing the car park and toilet block (closed during our visit) to the left and keeping the water on our right. From here onwards, the walk is relatively level and tarmacked making for an easy end to the hike. We followed the pavement along the waterway right into Neyland, with views of Pembroke Dock across the estuary. Pass by Neyland Yacht Club and take the next right to return to your starting point of Brunel Quay Car Park. We had another few strides to reach our car at Dale Sailing (behind which there is a handy toilet block – free & open during our visit).

Overall, it was an enjoyable walk and we completed some 12 and a half miles in total. It’s certainly not the most picturesque in terms of coastal views as the stretch along St Brides Bay or around Tenby might be, but it's certainly an interesting stretch highlighting one of Pembrokeshire’s busiest industry locations.