Pembrokeshire is the only coastal national park in the UK, and its 186-mile coastline is the most dramatic in Wales — perhaps in Britain. Sea stacks, blowholes, Neolithic burial chambers, and water warm enough to swim in from June to September.

Van Camping Options

Wild camping in the national park is not officially permitted but is tolerated in low-impact conditions. The cliff-tops near St Govan’s and above the Stack Rocks are popular wild camping locations. More formally, Pembrokeshire has an excellent network of small farm campsites that cost ten to fifteen pounds per night and are often located directly on the coast path.

Wild Swimming

Barafundle Bay, Marloes Sands, and Freshwater West are our three favourite beaches for swimming. Barafundle requires a mile walk from the car park (perfect for deterring crowds); Marloes is a vast, wave-cut beach with strange rock formations; Freshwater West is the surfing beach that featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which is either exciting or irrelevant depending on your perspective. The Blue Lagoon at Abereiddy — a flooded slate quarry — is the most unusual swim on the path.