Walk 39: Fishguard to Newport

Our penultimate walk on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path took us from Fishguard to Newport. We walked this one during our summer 2023 stay in Fishguard. Our parents had been staying with us but were heading home that day, so to help us with our transport, my dad and Liam both drove to Newport in the morning, Liam dropped off our car, and Dad drove them both back to the cottage, from which, after saying goodbye to Mum and Dad, we began our walk!

Our entire Pembrokeshire Coast Path walk had been gearing up for the final stage – from Newport to Cardigan – which is widely considered to be the most difficult of the entire Wales Coast Path. This walk served as good prep for what was coming next, as it was approximately three-quarters of the distance, and three-quarters of the ascent, of our upcoming final walk in Pembrokeshire.

We began our walk with a wander up the road, with pretty views of Fishguard to our left. After a short climb, we turned off the road onto a path, where we continued past Fishguard Fort, towards Fishguard Bay Resort.

We enjoyed lovely views as we walked, with a few ups and downs. At one point, we headed through a wooded section which took us out onto a pretty shingle beach.

The path took us towards Dinas Head (or Dinas Island, although it’s not actually an island!), a whale-backed sandstone headland which we would shortly be walking around.

We eventually reached Pwllgwaelod Beach, a small dark sand and shingle cove marking the beginning (or end) of Dinas Head, with views across the bay to Fishguard. From there, we began walking up the hill towards the summit of Pen-y-Fan, the highest point of Dinas Head, which is 142 metres above sea level.

The walk around Dinas Head was great, with a nice path throughout. There were some steep sections on the way up and it was very windy, but we enjoyed stunning almost 360-degree sea views from the trig point before heading back down the other side towards Cwm yr Eglwys.

Cwm yr Eglwys is a hamlet with a full-time population of only around ten people. It’s home to a sandy cove which is popular with boaters, and its distinctive chapel wall – the rest of which was washed away in a storm in 1859.

We stopped off for some lunch before making our way back up to the cliffs, with a steep road taking us back onto coastal path. We continued along with more views of pretty pebble beaches and more ups and downs as we went.

As we navigated this section of path, we passed another secluded shingle beach – Aberfforest Beach – which, although off the beaten track, still had quite a few visitors making the most of the calm waters.

The final section of the walk took us past Newport Parrog, a tidal harbour on the edge of Newport. At low tide, you can wade across the River Nevern to Newport Sands, but the Wales Coast Path takes you inland to cross at a bridge at the River Nevern Wildfowl Conservation Area.

The path here was lovely – flat with easy walking to finish the day – and we even met a dog who was celebrating their 15^th birthday! After having a little chat with their guardian, we continued along the path, taking in views of birds along the river, before finishing our walk at the bridge, where Liam had parked the car.

🥾 Distance: 12 miles.

⭐ Highlight: A lovely walk all-round, but the Dinas Head section and Newport Parrog were particularly good!

👎 Less Good: I don’t think we had any lowlights on this one.

🚗 Transport: Thanks to my dad, we were able to drop our car off at the end of our walk and then walked from our cottage to our car.

🛏️ Accommodation: We had a lovely two-week stay in a pretty cottage in Lower Fishguard.

🌱 Food: We had dinner at the Castle Inn in Newport, which was delicious – they had a No Catch Pie and Tofish and Chips which gave us a delicious taste of the sea without the seafood!

🗺️ Map: This route is featured in the official Pembrokeshire guide.

Still not convinced? Read my ten reasons to walk the Wales Coast Path. If you’re ready to start planning your walk, you can find lots of resources to help you on your way here. Please note, I collect a share of the sales from the links on this page.