Amroth Guide

Located on Carmarthen Bay is the small coastal village of Amroth. This peaceful community is just 7 miles east along the coast from the popular seaside resort of Tenby. 

Home to a stunning Blue Flag Beach, Amroth has become a popular destination for families making them revisit year after year. Even though it’s a fantastic holiday destination, it still manages to remain quiet compared to its seaside neighbours of Tenby and Saundersfoot. Its long sandy and pebble beach stretches the entire length of the village and is known as being the south-to-north start of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path.

What is the History of Amroth?

Though Amroth is best known as being a seaside resort, the village is essentially split in two. There’s what is now the main hub which is by the beach, and there’s the part near the church which is half a mile from the beachfront. Amroth’s parish church, St Elidyr, was built in the 12th century on the site of a much earlier Celtic llan (old churchyard)  near the entrance to the National Trust’s Colby Woodland Garden. The original village of Amroth consisted of just a few farms and a small number of houses clustered around the church. The main part of the village by the beachfront, as it is known today, did not then exist.

On the very western side of the beachfront where Temple Bar Inn is, there was a hamlet known as The Burrows. During the 1850s, houses were being built along the seafront to create a village originally known as the Mead but is now known as Amroth. A row of five houses was built on the seaward side in the 1880s, where the promenade is today. These houses were destroyed by the sea in the 1930s. This prompted a new method of protection for the village, which meant that thousands of stones were imported to this section of the beach.

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In addition to the original village, there was also the hamlet of Earwear. The original castle of Amroth, Earwear Mansion, was built in 1455 near the church. This marked the southern end of the Landsker Line, a fortified Norman boundary designed to keep the Welsh from the fertile lowlands of south Pembrokeshire. Before the Normans, Viking raiders settled here and named the place ‘Earwear’ which means ‘sandbank’.

A tunnel led from the Earwear mansion towards the shore. It’s suggested that smuggling was a possible use of the tunnel. It wasn’t until about 1800 that Captain James Ackland extended and castellated the mansion to be later known as Amroth Castle. In 1851, the castle opened as an institute for psychiatric patients, but after only 5 years the licence was revoked. The army requisitioned Amroth Castle in the Second World War, using the old tunnel as toilet drainage. The castle was listed as Grade 1 in 1951, and eight years later it was converted into a holiday park.

Along with its seaside neighbour of Saundersfoot, Amroth was also an important mining centre for iron ore and high-quality anthracite coal. At one time, there was great activity in digging iron ore from the cliffs along the beach between Amroth and Wisemans Bridge. Before the building of the ironworks at Stepaside, this was exported in open boats from the beach.

Remains of a prehistoric forest are occasionally exposed on Amroth Beach when the tide is extremely low. This ancient forest was submerged when ocean levels rose more than 5000 years ago.

43363 Capel Swn y Mor

Ebenezer Chapel was the village's second place of worship other than the main church, set right on the Amroth seafront, with the beach just across the road. The Victorian chapel, which was originally built in 1867, closed its doors in 2009. The chapel was sold in 2011 and converted into a beautiful holiday home to what stands today, which is now called Capel Swn y Mor. Interestingly, the graveyard to the rear of the property is still in use.

What activities are there to do in Amroth?

Amroth Beach is popular with families during the summer months. The series of groynes that help protect the village from storms provide great shelter for families settling for a beach day. It’s a fantastic spot for sandcastle building and beach games. You could even try your hand at rock stacking using the pebbles on the beach.

The beach is also very popular for canoeing and kayaking, especially as it’s so easy to carry a canoe down the slipway into the water. You can venture over to the neighbouring coastal villages of Wisemans Bridge and Saundersfoot, stopping off at Coppet Hall Beach if you need a break.

As mentioned, at extremely low tides, the stumps and trunks of an ancient submerged forest are occasionally exposed on Amroth Beach. This is something to be aware of if swimming near here. It’s always best to swim or bodyboard at Amroth when the beach is patrolled by lifeguards between the red and yellow-flagged areas. When the tide is high, Amroth also becomes a haven for keen anglers with many different types of fish known to be there. 

Just a short walk away from the beach is Colby Woodland Garden. This 900-acre estate features a mixture of woodland paths through a colourful landscape where there was once an 18th-century coalfield. It’s a great place for dog walks through the valley, but it should be noted that all dogs must be kept on leads when going through the wildflower meadow. Close to the house is the formal walled garden with a fantastic flora display.

Amroth is also the starting point for the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, which follows the coast 186 miles to St Dogmaels. At very low tide you can even walk from Wisemans Bridge to Amroth on the large expanse of sand that gets revealed if you don’t fancy the clifftop walk.

Amroth Food and Drink

The New Inn is a 16th-century family-run pub that began life as a farmhouse. You’ll find this fantastic pub at the far eastern end of the beach, close to the mark of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. They serve local ales and spirits along with a delicious homemade menu that includes a generously sized Sunday lunch. 

Another great spot for a roast is at Amroth Arms, set along the promenade. When the sun is out, you can sit in the fantastic beer garden across the road right on the beachfront while soaking up the rays.

If holidaying with the dog, head to Temple Bar Inn which is completely dog-friendly. There’s a large patio area facing directly onto the beach, so you can take in the ever-changing scenery while enjoying a pub meal or local ale. Next door to Temple Bar is The Smugglers Bar & Grill which serves delicious home-cooked and locally sourced meals. There’s even a pirate-themed children's play area, making it the perfect stop for families.

There’s also The Pirate Cafe, which not only serves light lunches and coffees, but next door they have an ice cream parlour with a wide selection of flavours as well as doggie ice cream. You can also browse their well-stocked gift shop where you’ll find all the tools you’ll need for sandcastle building on the beach.

At Colby Woodland Garden you’ll come across the Bothy Tea Room where you’ll find a vast selection of homemade cakes, scrummy-filled rolls, clotted cream scones and much more to tempt the taste buds.

What events are there in Amroth?

The Wales Swimrun is a popular sporting event in mid-July. It’s a 7k swim followed by a 24k run that starts on the cliff tops above Freshwater East, moves east, taking in Manorbier, Lydstep, and Tenby, and ends in Amroth. You can show your support to the athletes as they cross the finish line on the beachfront near the New Inn.

For more local events, there’s Temple Bar Inn which is known for hosting weekly bingo nights and weekly quiz nights where all are welcome and donations are collected for local charities. Colby Woodland Gardens also holds many different small-scale events throughout the year.

Local Top Tips

There is a lot of free parking all along the main promenade, so if travelling by car, we’d recommend arriving in Amroth early as spaces fill up quickly. 

If visiting Amroth with your dog, it should be noted that the central and western areas of the beach impose dog restrictions during the summer months between May 1st and September 30th. The eastern end remains dog friendly all year round.

What facilities are there in Amroth?

Conveniently, Amroth is home to a small convenience shop on the western end of the beachfront. Just next door is a small ice cream shop to entice visitors inside.

There are two public toilets in Amroth. The ones at the western end of the beach have disabled and baby-changing facilities and are open 24/7 throughout the year. Near the other end of the beach, the toilets are open from dawn to dusk from the start of April until the end of October.

The main car park in Amroth can be found just behind the shops and cafes on the western end of the beach. There is a small charge from March 15th to November 7th. There are disabled spots, and blue badge holders receive an additional hour free. There are also some spaces next to the public toilets on the western end of the beachfront. These spaces are free, but it should be noted that they’re hard to get during the busy summer months.

Amroth Beach is patrolled by lifeguards daily between 10am-6pm from July 1st to September 3rd.

Is it easy to access Amroth?

The main car park of the village is just behind the shops on the western end of the beach where seasonal charges apply. There are further parking spaces dotted along the sea wall, with many spaces being for blue badge holders only.

If travelling by public transport, the nearest train station to Amorth is in Kilgetty, just over 2 miles away. You could also hop aboard the 351 Tenby to Pendine route from Kilgetty which includes stops at Saundersfoot.

You can also get to Amroth by bike, with the Celtic Trail passing through the village right by the beach. There are also some handy bike racks at this site.