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CLEDDAU WATERWAY – COASTAL PATH
St Anne’s Head to Sandy Haven – Distance and Time – 9 to 11 miles – 4 to 5 hours
Car Park – St Anne’s Head, Dale Village and Sandy Haven,(small charge)
The early part of the walk to Dale is refreshing along the peninsula, Dale to Musselwick across mudflats, but then improves along a fine rocky coast.
Henry Tudor, the future King Henry VII, landed at Mill Bay in 1485, to return to his birth place at Pembroke Castle, to raise an army, subsequently take the throne of England, and become the first Welsh King of England. There was an early Tudor Fort at West Blockhouse, with Dale Fort a Victorian fort in defence of Milford Haven.
The peninsula experiences mild winters, bathed by the Atlantic winds, and this combined with its fine sandy soils, makes a fine farming area, with a great reputation for early crops, particularly potatoes and brassicas.
Sandy Haven to Milford – Distance and Time – 5 miles – 2 to 3 hours
Car Park – Sandy Haven(small charge), and at Milford.
The path is adequate, with much of it along the road. This is not the open and wild coast north of Dale, but nevertheless, with one or two small creeks, which need to be crossed by stepping stones, it provides solitude. Nun’s Mouth is believed to be where the Flemings first landed some 800 years ago.
The Haven or Waterway, being the finest natural harbour in Europe, attracted the oil industry in the early 1960’s. Esso in 1960, BP in 1962, Texaco in 1962, Texaco in 1966, Gulf in 1968, and finally Amoco in 1971 all set up terminals, and in most cases refineries too. However, with the passage of time and for economical reasons, today only Texaco, Amoco, and Petroplus (formerly Gulf) remain. However having experienced the second “oil boom” – the first being 200 years ago with the “whaling oil boom”, the Waterway will shortly be experiencing the next or third boom linked to Natural Gas. Huge tankers will be transporting large quantities of Liquid Natural Gas to large tanks alongside the existing refineries, which will later lead to new modern power stations being constructed alongside.
Milford to Pembroke Dock/Pembroke – Distance and Time – 7 miles – 3 hours
Car Park – Milford and enroute to Pembroke (small charge
Pleasant enough walking, along flat and rural countryside, with parts of the path crossing under and over large oil pipelines.
Gentle walking through Llanstadwell, and along the waterfront on the road between Llanstadwell and Neyland. Time the walk for this stretch, and there is the opportunity to view the Irish Ferries boat, the “Inisfallen” docking at Pembroke Dock at about 1.00.p.m.There is a welcome break opportunity at the new Marina at Brunel Quay, built on the site of the Great Western Railway terminus created by Isambard ingdom Brunel, probably the most famous of all Victorian engineers. Indeed, the statue of the great man can be viewed en-route to the Marina.
For those with time to spare, a short detour along the flat former railway line, but now a Wildlife Reserve, managed by West Wales Wildlife Trust, would not disappoint the visitor.
A short climb up the pathway alongside Westfield Pill Bridge, brings the walker on to the road across both Westfield Pill and Cleddau Bridges. The refreshing walk over the latter, can be further compensated by an excellent picnic site on the south side of the Bridge, with stunning views down the Waterway, but also enjoying the bracing air brought by the up droughts from the Bridge.
The area between Pembroke Dock and Pembroke, along the bank of the River Pembroke is arduous walking, and it may be prudent, after crossing the Cleddau Bridge to head directly along the road to Pembroke.
Upriver from the Cleddau Bridge, but not part of the National Park Coastal Path, are the long-distance Daugleddau and Landsker Borderland Trails. Along these trails can be found Carew Castle, the ancient woodland of Minwear and the medieval remains of the Sisters House. Other intriguing delights along some of these footpaths include Upton Castle and the restored mills at near Carew Castle and at Blackpool, both also accessible on the tide. These are hidden treasures which require exploring by intrepid travellers – suffice to say, as with a good book – view for yourself, and not have the experienced spoilt by a second hand report.
Pembroke to Texaco Car Park – Distance and Time – 6 miles – 2 to 3 hours
Car Park – Pembroke (small charge), and at Texaco Car Park
Monkton, a suburb of Pembroke has fine Priory Church, founded with the Castle by the Norman Arnulf de Montomery. It has been well and extensively restored, reflecting its medieval past, and is popular with local choirs and orchestras both for concerts and for recording purposes due to its wonderful acoustics. Close by is Monkton Old Hall, a private well-restored 15th century house, originally the Prior’s home. Bronze age remains were found at Monkton Bridge, now stored in the National Museum of Wales.
Some parts of the path from Monkton are easy going, but again other parts are uncared, and much harder going. The area is rural countryside, with the imposing features of the Texaco Refinery. It is typical Haven scenery with sloping banks, bracken, and blackthorn. There is Old Red Sandstone soil which at least provides some interesting colour en-route.
Texaco Refinery Car Park to West Angle Bay – Distance and Time – 7 to 8 miles – 4 hours.
Car Park – Texaco Refinery Car Park, Angle Point and Angle Village.
Good path except for around Bulwell Bay. On a beautiful Spring sunny day this is a superb, but isolated, windswept stretch of the Path. Indeed, after a rain shower, be prepared to see a sea-gull tempting his/her breakfast to the surface, by stamping on the grass, and encouraging worms to surface in time for a sea-gull’s morning’s feast.
There are a number of forts along this stretch, one at Popton gainfully employed as a Field Studies Centre, the second at Thorne Island, now an hotel. Old Red Sandstone is still in evidence, and although the Path around the bay to Angle is not exceptional, for those intrepid walkers, this is quite an interesting route, particularly at low tide, along the foreshore, with beds of sea-weed teeming with allsorts of aquatic creatures. It is also an excellent feeding ground for numerous ducks and waders, particularly Curlew, Redshank and Oystercatcher.
At the end of the 19th Century, Colonel Mirehouse, the then owner of the Angle Estate, returned to the Village after campaigning in South Africa. To remind him of the country he had left behind, he had houses built and restored in traditional African style of the colonists. The buildings had rendered facades, flat roofs and castellations, giving Angle village it’s unique appearance. The Church of St Mary is typical of the area, built in the 13th Century by Anglo-Norman occupiers. It was extensively restored in the 19th Century, with an unusual red tiled roof, the tiles having been made at the brickworks at West Angle in the 1880’s.
The Point House, an attractive 16th Century pub overlooks East Angle Bay, and rumour has it that the fire has been kept alight since the 16th Century.
As you walk along the fields beyond Point House, you can discover the remains of the Old Lifeboat Station. However, in 1928, a new Lifeboat Station was built close by, with the present house and slipway built in 1992. In this busy waterway, and on the dangerous seas outside, it has been estimated that over 320 lives have been saved since 1868. Thorne Island, in its heyday was a fort with nine guns and a garrison of 100 men. Today it is an hotel.
West Angle Bay has a softer shale rock, which has been steadily worn away, and lies between the harder sandstone rock on either side. Remains of a lime kiln can be seen on the north side of the Bay.
Further information on the Coastal Path can be found by visiting Website
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