Pembrokeshire Coast
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park (Welsh: Parc Cenedlaethol Arfordir Penfro) is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in West Wales. It was established as a National Park in 1952. It is one of three National Parks in Wales, the others being the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia (Eryri). It is Britain's only truly coastal National Park, covering 240 sq miles (620 sq km) of spectacular landscape around Wales' south-western shore.
Geography
The National Park has a varied landscape of rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, wooded estuaries and wild inland hills, covering a total area of 629 km² (240 square miles). It falls into four distinct sections. Running clockwise around the coast, these are the south Pembrokeshire coast, including Caldey Island; the Daugleddau estuary; the St Bride's Bay coast, including the coastal islands; and the Preseli Hills. However, not all of the park is coastal, and there are even forests and marshes on the edges of the park.
The geology of the area is of particular interest with many good exposures both inland and along the coast, exhibiting a variety of rock types and structural features. In the north, the rocks of Carn Llidi, Pen Beri and Garn Fawr, together with the extensive moorland on Carningli and Mynydd Preseli, give an exposed and mountainous feel to the landscape, cut through by the wooded valleys of the Gwaun and Nevern. In the west, the National Park is dominated by the broad sweep of St Bride's Bay, bounded at its northern end by Ramsey Island, near St David's peninsula, and at its southern end by Skomer. The southern coast is another contrast, with the limestone plateau and cliffs of the Castlemartin peninsula, the steep-sided wooded valleys inland from Amroth; the Bosherston lakes - now, like much of the coastal strip, in the care of the National Trust - and the tourist resorts of Tenby and Saundersfoot. Between the western and southern areas of the National Park lies the Milford Haven waterway, where the tranquil Daugleddau estuary feeds into one of the finest natural deep water harbours in the world.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park also includes several offshore islands, some of which can be visited by boat.
Caldey Island has a monastic heritage stretching back over 1,000 years - today it is home to the Cistercian Order. The island is a tranquil haven of peace for visitors, a chance to experience a day without the sound of traffic and enjoy the ambience of this unique island.
Ramsey Island is the home of an RSPB reserve, and the second largest grey seal colony in Britain. The islands of Skomer, Stokholm and Grasholm are home to colonies of Ganets, Storm Petral, Cough, Puffins and Peregrine Falcons as well as many species of rare flowers and wildlife.
Visitor Attractions
- Caldey Island
- Castell Henllys Iron Age Fort
- Carew Castle
- Daugleddau Waterway
- The Preseli Hills
- Stackpole
- St David's Cathedral
- St Govan's Chapel