Walk 35: Solva to Whitesands Bay

The walk from Solva to Whitesands Bay transformed our July 2023 weekend in Pembrokeshire from a complete dud to a success. We had booked a weekend stay at an Airbnb near Broad Haven, hoping that our day trip to Skomer Island on the Saturday wouldn’t be cancelled due to poor weather.

Sadly, it wasn’t our weekend, and we already knew before we began our journey to Pembrokeshire that our boat trip had been cancelled. It was so windy and rainy that we battened down the hatches and didn’t leave our accommodation for the entirety of our stay, only daring to brave the outside world on the Sunday morning when we checked out. As the weather was looking better, we decided to salvage the weekend with a Wales Coast Path walk before we returned home.

On the Sunday morning, we drove from our accommodation to Whitesands Bay and took a taxi to Solva, where we began our walk. The path took us straight out of Solva, along the west side of the harbour. We enjoyed lovely views down to the harbour and even spotted perhaps the prettiest Wales Coast Path sign of the entire path, which was adorned with a colourful knitted jumper.

We soon took to the cliffs, walking along the pretty coastal path past a few small bays, even passing a few wild ponies as we walked. After a short while, we reached Caerfai Bay, a beautiful little beach surrounded by multicoloured rocks.

Despite the heavy rain of the previous day, the sun started to come out as we walked, so the coast looked especially stunning, and we were treated to views of Skomer and Skokholm throughout the walk – the next best thing to visiting, I suppose!

As we continued onwards, we reached Porth Clais, a strip of inlet with an old quarry. The path took us down to the road above Porth Clais and then back up the other side, past some old lime kilns where we spotted a few people picnicking.

Once we were back up on the cliffs, the path took us gently along for about a mile. This section was especially beautiful, with lots of heather lining the path.

We continued along to Porthlysgi Bay, a secluded beach which is only accessible from the Wales Coast Path. We continued to enjoy beautiful views as we walked, with gorse- and heather-lined paths giving this section a rugged, moorland feel.

We soon caught our first glimpse of St Justinian’s, with its small harbour, Porthstinan, used for boat trips to Ramsey Island, and home to St David's Lifeboat Station.

St Justinian’s is usually bustling with boat trippers during the day, but as we reached the harbour, it was incredibly quiet, no doubt because it was a bit too windy a day for boat trips.

We continued along the path to Porthselau, a sandy cove that can be accessed from Whitesands Bay at low tide. This wasn’t possible when we passed, but there were a few people enjoying watersports on the beach.

The final stretch of the path took us along to the incredibly popular Whitesands Bay, a large expanse of golden sand overlooked by Carn Llidi. Whitesands Bay is renowned as one of the best surfing beaches in Wales, and it’s great fun for a swim too, if you don’t mind being on wave-alert! This time, though, we needed to get back to Bath, so we grabbed an ice cream and a cup of coffee and headed home, pleased to have at least ticked off a walk, if not a visit to Skomer Island!

🥾 Distance: 13 miles.

⭐ Highlight: Whitesands Bay is a showstopper.

👎 Less Good: I wouldn’t say there were any lowlights on this one – an all-round lovely walk.

🚗 Transport: We parked at Whitesands Beach and got a taxi to Solva.

🛏️ Accommodation: We stayed in a nice Airbnb near Broad Haven.

🌱 Food: We bought a picnic lunch and headed back to Bath for dinner.

🗺️ 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.