Newgale Beach

Set in the centre of the curved West Pembrokeshire coastline overlooking the stunning St Brides Bay, Newgale Beach is one of Pembrokeshire’s largest and most popular beaches. Spanning two miles in length, this beach is best recognised for its iconic high pebble bank separating the beach from the coastal village behind.

Drive over the brow of the hill into this village from Haverfordwest and more often than not, you’ll find vehicles parked up in both of the laybys near the top of the hill as the viewpoint here is second to none – well unless you’re going to hike to the top of the Coast Path on the northern end of the beach.

Newgale is in a great position to explore the full western region of Pembrokeshire, just minutes away from Nolton, Broad Haven and Solva with St Davids, Haverfordwest and Marloes within a twenty-minute drive.

Activities

This west-facing bay offers superb conditions for watersports and so you’ll see locals from all across the county gather here to take advantage of the great waves. It’s not often you’ll find this beach empty, there is almost always someone paddling in the shore or walking on the sand.

Newgale Beach is a top choice for surfing, both for beginners and seasoned locals. The vast expanse of sand and the lengthy bay means this is also a favourite amongst power kiters, so expect to see kitesurfers using their kites to steer their boards whilst riding the waves and kiteboarders creating dust clouds of sand as they wheel across the land.

That being said, this beach sees its share of calmer days with flat seas and no waves, but that doesn’t stop people strapping on their wetsuit and heading into the sea. On these tranquil days, you’ll find stand up paddleboarders paddling up and down the length of the beach and kayakers in abundance rowing out to explore the otherwise unreachable sea caves here.

There are also plenty of activities at Newgale Beach to keep families occupied. If you have little ones who perhaps aren’t yet ready to move onto surfing, bodyboarding is an easier alternative which requires far less technique as you lie on the board rather than attempting to stand.

Families with older children may want to bring along cricket and rounders sets, or beach balls for afternoons packed with laughter and beach games whilst toddlers will be happy enough spending hours building and rebuilding sandcastles with their buckets and spades. Make way to either end of the beach where the bay comes to an end and you’ll find rock pools ideal for spotting sea creatures of all sorts.

The enormous sand space attracts beachgoers day in day out, whether you simply want somewhere scenic for your daily run or love to end your day with a leisurely walk along the shore. Bring along your picnic blanket, deck chairs and windbreakers as you’re likely to want to spend the whole day here.

Facilities

Everything you could possibly need for a day at the beach is on hand in the village behind the beach. There is one pub, The Duke of Edinburgh, which offers meals daily at lunch and in the evening plus two cafes, Sands Café at the northern end and Pebbles Café at the southern end.

Next to the pub on the main seafront of the village is Newsurf, a surf shop offering watersports lessons, equipment sales and hire as well as clothing and gifts. You will also find hire equipment and lessons available at Pebbles Café along with typical beachside items such as buckets and spades for sale.

Around the corner next to the hardware store by Sands Café, you will find the Big Blue Experience office and shop which operates a number of watersports sessions and specialises in power kiting equipment.

As the beach is an impressive 2 miles long, you’ll be pleased to know that the RNLI lifeguards here patrol not just one but two sections of this beach with clear coloured flags outlining where you should swim.

You’ll find three main car parks along the 2 mile stretch, all of which are Pay and Display throughout the summer months. There is also a very small car park at the north end of the beach, plus there is private parking for patrons of Newsurf and The Duke. In the main car park nearest the junction at the main road, you will find a much-welcomed ice cream van parked up on nice days.

There are three sets of public toilets along this stretch of the coast, including disabled facilities.

Local Top Tips

If you see this beach at low tide, you’ll notice a vast sandy section backed by a high pebble bank - don’t underestimate just how much the tide comes in though. It’s really important to check your tide tables when planning a visit to this beach as high tide means there will be no sand visible, the water comes right up to the pebbles.

As watersports here are so popular, you might want to try and book surfing lessons a couple of days in advance. Equipment hire is often not available to pre-book so if you’re on a tight schedule, aim to get here in the early morning before the rush allowing you to have your pick of the activities on offer.

Access

Regular visitors to the beach will know that the pebble bank here is high, making access tricky for some with walking difficulties. Every few months or so, the council come to tidy up the bank which can then make it a little steeper for a while.

However, don’t let that put you off paying a visit to this magnificent beach. There are three wooden walkways along the pebble bank; one just opposite Newsurf, another in the furthest north of the main car parks (the one with the ice cream van) and another opposite Pebbles Café. At both of the first two, you’ll have to walk up the walkway on one side and down the other so those likely to struggle might want to head for the walkway at Pebbles, where the access to the pebble bank is flat and you only have to tread downhill to the sand.

Is Newgale Beach Dog Friendly?

Yes, all year round!

Although there is a partial restriction banning our four-legged friends from a middle section of the beach (map available here) so just be aware that during the summer months, between 1st May and 30th September, that you cannot walk your dog the full length of the beach. Best to head straight for the southern end of the beach to be safe.

Award-Winning

Newgale Beach is a regular recipient of the Blue Flag Award, an accolade given to beaches throughout the UK identifying them as bays with top facilities, great conditions and clear water quality.

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