The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a spectacular and distinctive coastal area. It’s Britain’s Only Coastal National Park, as it’s the only one of Britain’s 14 National Parks to be entirely coastal in nature...
186 miles of walkers paradise on both ild headlands and pristine beaches with picturesque towns and villages like Tenby, St Davids and Solva en route. Most people walk a little bit a time, coming back year after year to explore a bit more. If you want to do the whole lot, allow 15 days...
No other county in Britain has more Blue Flag Beaches or Seaside Award beaches than Pembrokeshire. With over 50 beaches to choose from, there’s going to one that’s perfect for you, whether you want surfing, kayaking or kite surfing, or just somewhere peaceful to relax, sunbathe and build sandcastles... 
There are 51 forts and castles in Pembrokeshire including enormous stone fortresses like Pembroke castle, Manorbier castle and Carew castle. There are medieval walled towns of Tenby and Pembroke and fortified Bishops Palaces at St Davids and Lamphey. 
A pristine environment, clean seas, very little population and lush vegetation makes for rich and varied habitats, most important of which are the Islands: Skomer, Skokholm, Ramsey, Grassholm and Caldey. Home to thousands of Puffins, Gannets and other sea birds. Dolphin, Porpoise and Whale watching boat trips are popular too...
Mathry
Mathry
Mathry is a small hill top village inbetween Fishguard and St Davids. The village is quite interesting, especially the wood turning workshops run by Jim Harries, where you can watch all manner of hand-crafted wood-turned products being made. Opposite Jim Harries' wood turning studios is the only pub in Mathry, The Farmer's Arms, who serve meals at lunchtime and in the evenings.
Picture: Aber Mawr beach at low tide
Picture: Aber Bach beach at low tide. A short distance east of Aber Mawr.
Below the hill is one of Pembrokeshire's activity centres: Preseli Venture. They offer a number of activity holidays ranging from adrenalin weekends that are perfect for stag and hen weekends to corporate team building courses. They offer a range of activities including surfing, coasteering, mountain biking and kayaking. Coasteering, if you haven't tried it, is climbing along the cliffs at sea level and leaping in to swim round anything you can't climb round. It's phenomenal fun!
Pictures: Coasteering and Surfing with Preseli Venture
To the west and north of Mathry is some of the finest coast scenery in The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park from Trefin to Abercastle to Aber Mawr and on to Strumble Head.
There's plenty of accommodation available in the area. Nearest hotels would be in St Davids or Fishguard but there are plenty of B&B's, guesthouses and farmhouse B&B's. There are lots of camp sites or touring caravan sites plus one or two holiday parks in St Davids or Fishguard where you can rent a self catering static caravan or chalet. There are plenty of self catering cottages in this part of Pembrokeshire including some in Mathry itself. There's a youth hostel at Pwll Deri alongside The Coast Path.
Abercastle is a small pebbly cove west of Mathry. There are about 8 parking spaces available on the beach front.
Picture: Abercastle
Aber Mawr is a little further along The Coast Path to the east. It's a wide pebble backed beach which is sandy at low tide. Behind the beach are some pretty bluebell filled woods. Parking is limited to about 20 cars. Right next to Aber Mawr is Aber Bach, a smaller pebbly beach. Local legends tell of a mermaid being caught here by a local farmer. He let the mermaid go eventually.
Picture: Aber Mawr
Picture: Aber Bach near Aber Mawr
Continue walking along The Coast Path to reach a very isolated beach at Pwllcrochan before a steep climb up to a headland with fabulous views over The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The Coast Path continues straight and level to Pwll Deri.
Picture: Pwll Deri looking towards Strumble
Just north of Mathry is Melin Tregwynt Woolen Mill, suppliers of fine woollens to shops like Fortnum & Mason's. You can see the looms at work and browse their shop.
Picture: Baby clothes on sale in the Melin Tregwynt Shop. The cafe is next door to the shop.
Picture: Melin Tregwynt
ID: 2000 Revised: 12/3/2010
