Starting with arguably one of the most iconic views on the Pembrokeshire Coast, we began our journey at Strumble Head Lighthouse and worked our way west towards Abermawr Beach. There is a large stony car park at Strumble Head plus a layby just before this for extra parking. You can explore down the steps down toward the lighthouse or you can enjoy the view from the start point. This is a great location for bird watching and seal spotting, you may even be lucky enough to see porpoises.
The lighthouse looked as beautiful as ever and we had amazing views of it for the most part of the beginning of our journey.
The beginning of this section is very rugged and quite difficult if you are not used to this type of walking, especially in winter when there are some marshy grassland areas you need to cross. There are some tricky parts where the Pembrokeshire Coast Path seems to disappear and you have to climb over rocks to continue to the path on the other side. However, once you get about halfway there is less rock climbing, although still steep inclines/declines as is typical of the coastal path. Although it is quite a tough walk, the panoramic views on top of the rocks make it all worthwhile.
After approx. 3 miles you will come to Pwll Deri, where you will find the youth hostel. Here you walk along a little bit of road to get to the next part of the path or you can take a detour through the old farm on the left to go to the summit of Garn Fawr, where there is an Iron Age fort. As it is a steep climb, we decided to carry on with our walk (my knees had already had enough!) but if you do decide to make the climb, the views over the Pencaer Peninsula are spectacular.
As you walk along the road section, you will also pass this memorial of the poet Dewi Emrys (1879-1952) who has a pretty perfect resting place.
We met a few ponies along the way and were mesmerised by the birds gliding through the strong winds.
With Abermawr finally in sight, we approached the beautiful pebbly Aberbach beach before our final destination. Realising we could not cross the river running through the pebbles down to the sea, we had to take an alternative route via the woods and past some quaint traditional cottages. This part is an easy walk, although a little muddy at this time of year. After about an extra mile, we finally got back on track and arrived at the car park above Abermawr Beach. If you want to go further, there are a few different trails through fields and woodland that bring you back to the road.
You might want to call into the nearby Melin Tregwynt Woollen Mill at Abermawr here, where you'll find a wonderful little cafe offering delicious refreshments and a shop selling quality Welsh woollen fabrics. You may also get to see the mill at work too!
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