Walk 36: Whitesands Bay to Porthgain

The walk from Whitesands Bay to Porthgain is, quite simply, stunning – the only thing that hampered my day was my poor choice of footwear! This was the first walk of our summer 2023 stay in Pembrokeshire, and the second of our entire Wales Coast Path adventure where we were joined by a companion – this time, my mum!

As I began to put my shoes before we left our cottage, I had the terrible realisation that I hadn’t bought my new, comfortable hiking shoes, but instead, an older pair that was seriously uncomfortable (I really struggle to find footwear that doesn’t hurt my feet – Altra Lone Peaks have been my saviour). Thankfully, my sister was able to get my Lone Peaks straight in the post, but for this walk, I had to wear my walking boots, which, I discovered, weren’t a whole lot better.

Nevertheless, with my boots on and my comfortable shoes on their way, we headed to the stunning Whitesands Bay, where we were dropped off by my dad ready to begin our walk. It was a lovely day with beautiful blue skies, so we topped up on sun cream before starting our walk.

We began by taking to the cliffs above Whitesands Bay, with lovely views of the beach behind us. We continued along to the quieter, but equally stunning, Porthmelgan Beach. We walked through moorland with lots of flowering gorse and heather; this was a really lovely section.

We followed the path to St David’s Head, a headland which is the westernmost point of mainland Wales, and marks the divide between the Irish Sea and the Celtic Sea. As we turned a corner towards St David’s Head, we were suddenly presented with a big group of wild horses enjoying the sunshine, so we stopped briefly to say hello!

The path took us around St David’s Head, before continuing eastward, where we enjoyed a lovely section of walking, with lots of beautiful wildflowers and a few ups and downs.

After reaching the top of one of the steeper ascents, we were ready for some lunch, so found somewhere nice to stop. By this point, my feet were already getting a bit sore, so I rested them and popped on a few plasters, hoping they wouldn’t get worse!

We continued along the path with nonstop breathtaking views, eventually reaching Abereiddi Beach, a shingle and dark grey sand beach, the latter formed from pounded grey slate. My feet were in quite a bit of pain now, to the extent that I considered giving up. But, with just a couple of miles to go, including a planned swim, I decided to suck it up and continue onwards!

After walking through Abereiddi Beach car park, we headed back up onto the cliffs, passing a sign that takes you to the Blue Lagoon, a natural pool surrounded by rugged rocks and ruins which is a popular spot for swimming, coasteering and kayaking. You can get a lovely view of the Blue Lagoon from the Wales Coast Path, but, distracted by my increasingly painful feet, I totally missed this. We did, however, go back a few days later for a swim!

A short clifftop walk took us to Traeth Llyfn – our planned swimming spot – a stunning sandy beach which is only accessible from the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and reached via very steep metal stairs. Mum and I enjoyed a lovely swim which gave my feet a much-needed break, while Liam relaxed on the beach and observed the rock pools. Afterwards, I changed into a fresh t-shirt and socks and we headed back up the steps for the final mile of our walk!

We continued along the clifftop towards Porthgain, and were greeted at the end point of our walk by both my dad and a lovely double rainbow!

Pretty Porthgain is a small but popular hamlet with relics from its time as a prosperous industrial harbour in the early 1900s. It’s still home to local fishermen, as well as a couple of shops, a chippie, and the Sloop Inn, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner before heading back to the cottage!

🥾 Distance: Nine-and-a-half miles.

⭐ Highlight: Probably our swim at Traeth Llyfn, but the beautiful views around St David’s Head were also up there!

👎 Less Good: Did I mention my feet?!

🚗 Transport: We had a lift to Whitesands Bay and were picked up at Porthgain.

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

🌱 Food: A delicious Veggie Curry from the Sloop Inn!

🗺️ 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.