Walking in Pembrokeshire
Canaston Wood
You can see these magnificent woods from Canaston Oaks and they are well worth the time to explore and enjoy them.
Canaston Wood is classed as an 'ancient woodland' indicating that it has been in existence for at least 300 years. Originally part of the Slebech Estate, the woods have a wealth of history and were once used for hunting deer and wild boar which were introduced into the forest in 1834.
There are no deer or wild boar left in the woods, and the only mammals you are likely to see are grey squirrels and foxes.
The woods are however abundant with birds and insects, and wild flowers abound alongside the forest tracks and paths.
Ask us for maps, we have a series of walks for you to enjoy of varying levels of effort and time.
The Pembrokeshire Coast Path
(Information courtesy of Pembrokeshire Coastal National Park)
We have taken the 4 closest walks as examples, but there are many more along its long expanding coast line.
Skrinkle to Lydstep Beach
There is level walking on the two headlands, with opportunities for wheelchair users, split by a very steep stretch down and up in between.
There are some fine examples of limestone features from here to Tenby, with some huge caves on The Caverns Beach, although this beach is accessible only at low tide.
Lydstep head is not designated as National Trail, but is well worth walking around with good views of Caldey and Giltar.
113 steps.
Points of interest
Skrinkle Haven
For many years this part of the coast was a military area and closed to the public. Old Castle Head is still in use as a firing range, so you may hear loud bangs as you walk past, but the Coast Path is permanently open. The National Park Authority bought some 18 hectares (45 acres) of former army land in 1982. The strikingly-designed Youth Hostel was converted from a military building. The bay contains a sandy beach and a rocky cove, separated by a narrow rib of limestone known as the Church Doors, because of its great arched cave entrances. Skrinkle Haven marks the reappearance of the boundary between the Old Red Sandstone and the Carboniferous Limestone. The cliffs here are very unstable and access to the beach may be restricted.
Lydstep Head
The official route cuts across the neck of this headland, but a well-defined path follows the cliff-tops and makes an interesting detour. The headland has been owned by the National Trust since 1936. The imposing cliffs on the southern side show limestone beds up-ended to a vertical position. This happened when drifting continents collided about 290 million years ago. Some of the beds have resisted erosion and stand out as rocky pinnacles, separated by inlets which have formed along fault lines. On the north side of the headland is a platform where sailing ships moored to take on limestone from the nearby quarry. The stone was shipped to ports along the Bristol Channel.
Presipe to Skrinkle
There are some stiles but the gradient is not too steep.
A fairly level field-edge path with a series of stiles passing inland of the MOD compound, with its high fence. The descent to Presipe Beach is very steep, with many steps. This is a secluded beach, fun to swim at, as the beach bed has deep hollows. Maps show a path heading towards Conigar Pit - this goes nowhere, as the remainder was extinguished when the Range was built. 5 stiles, 4 steps.
Points of Interest
Skrinkle Haven
For many years this part of the coast was a military area and closed to the public. Old Castle Head is still in use as a firing range, so you may hear loud bangs as you walk past, but the Coast Path is permanently open. The National Park Authority bought some 18 hectares (45 acres) of former army land in 1982. The strikingly-designed Youth Hostel was converted from a military building. The bay contains a sandy beach and a rocky cove, separated by a narrow rib of limestone known as the Church Doors, because of its great arched cave entrances. Skrinkle Haven marks the reappearance of the boundary between the Old Red Sandstone and the Carboniferous Limestone. The cliffs here are very unstable and access to the beach may be restricted.
Manorbier to Presipe
No stiles and the gradient is kind. A long steadily-rising path up from Manorbier, there are three short hills (two are stepped) that may be steeper than 1:6. After the first headland the path becomes quite narrow. Beware of deep fissures close to the path. A sudden wild and remote feeling to this section as soon as the beach is out of sight. Grand views of the Bay and across towards Stackpole, then towards the Range and Caldey Island. There is a Cromlech with an impressive capstone right on the path, half-way to the first headland. The MOD Range ahead is one where they fire guided missiles towards model planes, if you hear a faint drone of a plane circling out to sea, be prepared for a very loud double bang.
Points of Interest
Manorbier
Manorbier was the home of the great 12th-century churchman, traveller and writer Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales). One of his books, The Journey Through Wales, is still in print today. The castle, where he was born, is perched on a spur of rock with streams on either side. The north-western stream was dammed to create fish ponds and mill leats. The oldest part of the castle, overlooking the beach, dates from the 12th century and was built by Gerald’s family, the de Barris, who lived here until 1336. Described by Gerald as “the pleasantest spot in Wales”, the village is a perfect example of a Norman manor, complete with church, mill and dovecote. South-east of the beach, the Coast Path passes the King’s Quoit, a Neolithic burial chamber dating from around 3,000 BC.
