Why Pembrokeshire’s coves and coastal hikes make it the best weekend break in Wales

Ask a Brit to describe the seaside destination of their dreams and it’s likely to look a lot like Pembrokeshire. This county in the southwest corner of Wales has golden-sand beaches, fishing villages with art galleries and waterfront restaurants that serve the day’s catch as fresh as it gets. Roam along the coast or into the hills and you’ll also find historic buildings that fascinate centuries after they were erected. There’s a medieval pilgrimage site that once rivalled Spain’s Santiago de Compostela and a dolmen made from the same bluestone used to build Stonehenge — which, like the more famous megalith, perfectly captures the light at solstice.

In the St David’s Peninsula, where Pembrokeshire slings its hook into the Atlantic, things take a turn for the wilder. Skip along gorse-clad clifftops and through kissing gates on sections of the 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path, which gives access to bays reachable only on foot or by boat. Porpoises, seals and, in summer, puffins splash around rocky islands. If you skirt high season, you’re likely to have this landscape to yourself — which is what a trip to Wales is all about. Nature here isn’t just a sideshow: it’s there to be embraced, whether foraging for seaweed, coasteering or admiring the glow of the Milky Way on a starlit winter’s night.

Day 1: Cathedrals & cliff walks

Morning
St Davids, Britain’s smallest city, is perched above the coast near Wales’s westernmost point. Get oven-warm Welsh cakes at MamGu Welshcakes, a cafe set in the ruins of St Mary’s Chapel at St Davids Cathedral. While construction of the building began in the 12th century, it’s been an ecclesiastical site since St David, patron saint of Wales, founded a monastery here in 550 CE. Pilgrims have flocked to the site over the centuries; follow in their footsteps to admire the nave, lit by stained glass; the saint’s Byzantine-style shrine; and the 16th-century misericords (ledges to provide support while standing) under the pews, including one showing seasick pilgrims on a boat.

Afternoon
Score a courtyard table at Grain, a five-minute walk from the cathedral, for wood-fired, Welsh-inspired pizza such as the Land of My Fathers, with roasted leek and organic Perl Las blue cheese. Just around the corner, The Bench ice cream parlour has flavours from rhubarb to cherry bakewell. Walk off the meal with a hike along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path from Whitesands Bay to St David’s Head. You’ll quickly lose the crowds on this two-hour circular trail, clambering up and over heather-cloaked cliffs; on clear days, views reach to Ireland’s Wicklow Mountains. Stop for a paddle at Porthmelgan Beach, a wedge of sand tucked among high boulders.

Evening
When the sun starts setting, go for drinks in Solva, an hour’s walk east of St Davids. This village has a fjord-like harbour and pastel cottages, and The Harbour Inn’s beer garden offers the best views. Swing back to St Davids for a six-course tasting menu at The Really Wild Restaurant, set in a converted art deco building. It’s headed up by foraging duo Julia Horton-Mansfield and John Mansfield, who know Pembrokeshire’s hedgerows and shores like the back of their hand. The food swings seasonal, but expect the likes of beetroot-cured salmon with grass kelp cream cheese and crispy Alexanders leaves, and rosehip jelly with sorrel granita.

Day 2: Boat rides & bug farms

Morning
From the shores of St Davids, you can see Ramsey Island. Book advance tickets and bring waterproofs and binoculars to board an hour-long rigid-inflatable boat ride with Voyages of Discovery, departing from St Justinian’s Harbour. Bounce across the water — which includes a notoriously rough stretch called the Bitches and Whelps — to the cliffs and stacks of this RSPB Nature Reserve. Keep your eyes peeled for harbour porpoises, Atlantic grey seals and colonies of seabirds. Back in St Davids, hike 15 minutes from the centre for a contemplative moment atop the wave-hammered cliffs of St Non’s, where St David is said to have been born. You’ll find a ruined chapel, a holy well and mood-lifting views.

Afternoon
St Davids has carved out a reputation for environmentally conscious projects from beach cleans to regenerative polyculture. An example is The Bug Farm, a research and visitor centre set in acres of farmland on the fringes of the city. Keep an open mind as you sit for lunch at its Grub Kitchen, a converted pigsty and cowshed — and the UK’s first full-time restaurant serving edible insects. It surprises with the likes of bug burgers, chilli crickets and mixed insect pakoras (non-insect dishes are available, too). After your meal, explore the centre’s museum, which zooms in on the world of bugs. There’s also a farm trail showcasing sustainable farming methods and a walled garden home to butterflies.

Evening
Stroll along the coast path from St Davids to nearby Traeth Llyfn, a cove that can be reached by walking down steep stairs (note that it disappears at low tide). It’s a scenic, mile-long stomp from here to the coastal hamlet of Porthgain. Once a small commercial harbour used for exporting stone from a local quarry, it’s now home to a handful of art galleries. Rest up over a pint in the Sloop Inn, complete with beams and nautical knickknacks. Provided you’ve booked ahead, you can then sit for dinner at The Shed. This harbourside stone shack has cheek-by-jowl seating, local art on the walls and views of the boats that haul in the catch; expect the likes of sea bream with herb gnocchi, or breaded scampi.

Go further: Prehistory in the Preselis

Often overlooked in favour of the coast, the lonely moors and cairn-dotted tors of the Preseli Hills in North Pembrokeshire are home to some of Britain’s most ancient historic sites.

Angel Mountain
No wings are needed to reach the 1,135ft-high crag of Mynydd Carningli (‘Angel Mountain’), rising above the coastal town of Newport, a 45-minute drive north east of St Davids. Standing in isolation, this extinct volcano last blew its top 450 million years ago. It has a magic you can’t quite put your finger on — perhaps it’s the heavenly views of hill, tor and sea; perhaps it’s the remains of ancient hut circles among the scree. Legend says Saint Brynach conversed with angels here in the sixth century, and you can well believe it at the Iron Age hillfort at the top, one of the largest in west Wales, gazing over the sea to Ireland. It’s a two-hour out-and-back trek from town. For extra magic, hike up with a head torch to catch sunrise.

Golden Road
Strike out across heathery, boggy moors and wind-beaten tors on the seven-mile, four-hour Golden Road. It begins at the car park by the Bwlch-Gwynt Viewpoint and whips a narrow trail along the main spine of the Preseli Hills. Highlights include the Bronze Age burial cairn at Foel Eryr (‘Eagle’s Peak’); the 1,759ft mountain of Foel Cwmcerwyn, where lore has it King Arthur and his knights battled a fierce boar; and the Carn Meini (‘Butter Rock’), a group of craggy outcrops. They’re made of spotted dolerite, also known as bluestone, and they’re believed by some to be the source of the bluestone used at Stonehenge. Scientists have found ‘singing stones’ here, too, which make a ringing sound when struck with a hammer.

Pentre Ifan
Walk across many a muddy farmer’s field in the Preseli Hills, and you’ll likely bump into a prehistoric standing stone. Most impressive of the lot is Pentre Ifan, two miles from Newport. Erected on a remote hillside overlooking the Nevern Valley, this giant dolmen is Wales’ biggest neolithic chambered tomb. A five-metre long capstone balances precariously on three upright stones which have stood for 5,500 years. They were made using the famous local bluestone, and their air of mystery is heightened by their unique outline and alignment: not only do they frame Mynydd Carningli in the distance, but they also perfectly capture the light during the winter and summer solstices.