Walk 37: Porthgain to Pwll Deri

My prevailing memory of our walk from Porthgain to Pwll Deri (or, actually, from Pwll Deri to Porthgain) is that we bumped into my parents several times along the way! We walked this one during our summer 2025 stay in Pembrokeshire, and, as with a few of the walks during this trip, we were lucky enough to have had lifts at the beginning and end of the walk.

We decided to walk this one ‘backwards’ – something haven’t often done on our Wales Coast Path adventure, although we have made the odd exception where there has been a logistical reason to do so. In this case, it was easier to be dropped off at Pwll Deri as there wasn’t an obvious place to stop, so it made more sense for my parents to wait for us to finish our walk in Porthgain.

I had heard (and received confirmation on our next walk) that Pwll Deri is a stunning spot. Unfortunately, we couldn’t really tell, as it was a very foggy morning! After walking along a quiet lane for a short distance, we headed onto a clifftop path, where we could hear – but not really see – the sea. This was a classic rugged, coastal area, and we had to be a bit careful where we stepped, as there was, at times, a big drop to our right, and the path was a bit soggy underfoot.

We enjoyed the lovely moorland paths as we walked, with the terrain feeling a bit mountainous, and we even had a couple of little scrambly sections. As we continued along the path, we began to get a bit more visibility, and started to be able to make out the sea alongside us!

After a while, we reached Aberbach, a small, rocky cove with a pebble beach that reveals sand at low tide. We didn’t get a glimpse of the sand, as we were walking too close to high tide. The Wales Coast Path takes you over a stream at Aberbach, which can be challenging during storms and wet weather, but wasn’t a problem on the day we walked.

After passing Aberbach, we continued along the path to Abermawr, Aberbach’s larger sibling, and another pebble beach revealing sand at low tide, as well as buried tree stumps – the remains of a forest which was drowned 8,000 years ago. As we reached the beach, we found my parents birdwatching. Aberbach and Abermawr are great spots to see a variety of bird species, and we watched as sand martins flew in and out of the cliffs, where they were nesting. We left Mum and Dad as they headed into the sea, and we watched them go for a swim as we walked out of the cove!

We continued along the clifftop path for a while, until we reached Abercastle, another small cove, this time with a shingle and muddy sand beach which is popular for fishing, diving, kayaking and sailing. We popped to the public loo and stopped off for some lunch on a bench with views of the cove. As we were eating, I spotted my parents’ car coming into the car park, so we used our second encounter with them as an opportunity to drop off some empty bottles and lighten our load.

After lunch, we headed back up onto the cliffs to continue along towards Porthgain. As we walked alongside the cove, we enjoyed some lovely views of Abercastle and Ynys-y-Castell, a craggy islet at the mouth of Abercastle Bay.

Further along the path, we passed the ruins of Aberfelin Corn Mill and headed onto the road briefly, before being navigated onto farmland. I had spotted a field of cows by the coast as we’d began our descent towards Aberfelin Corn Mill, and was hoping our walk wouldn’t involve passing them. We cautiously headed into a field, which we soon realised was connected to the field with cows in. They were covering the path, and one was clearly feeling a bit rambunctious, as they were humping one of their friends. After considering our options for a few minutes, we took the decision to take a different route. It was a real shame to miss the final section of coastal path, and there wasn’t an obvious detour, but we’ve learned to turn back if in doubt and we just weren’t feeling confident.

We decided to follow the road into Porthgain, and, as we continued up the road, who should drive towards us but my parents! Dad had explored the area a couple of days prior, and was able to give us an alternative route that, he assured us, didn’t involve walking through any fields of cows. Safe in the knowledge that we wouldn’t have to turn back again, we took the alternative path into Porthgain, where we finally finished our walk, meeting up with my parents one final time, who took us back to our accommodation!

🥾 Distance: 11 miles.

⭐ Highlight: The rugged, coastal paths in this area were stunning.

👎 Less Good: The weather wasn’t great, particularly at the beginning of our walk.

🚗 Transport: We had a lift to Pwll Deri and were picked up at Porthgain.

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

🌱 Food: We had dinner at our holiday accommodation.

🗺️ 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.