D176: BROAD HAVEN to ST DAVIDS
Friday 12th September 2025
Today miles: 16.5 Total miles: 2892.2
As usual I left the hostel as quietly as possible and after recovering my bone dry clothes and supping a quick cup of coffee I set off and was back on the coastal path within a couple of minutes. There’s a short climb along the side of the public road before taking to a muddy track along the cliff top. It’s now an easy three miles through grassy fields with even more wooden gates to pass through. Oddly, there’s an open air cinema just next to the path near Nolton, with a notable trio of Native American tepees. After passing through Nolton Haven I continued across the cliffs until I arrived at the Southern end of Newgale Sands. This is a two mile long strip of sandy beach which I would have enjoyed walking along. Unfortunately I couldn’t find an access path down the cliff and just continued to descend gently until I reached Newgale around forty minutes later.
There’s several open facilities at Newgale including a couple of cafes. There’s also a semi derelict pub which is being held together with scaffolding, it’s a bit of an eyesore in an otherwise pretty location. I stopped at one of the beachside cafes, ordered myself a latte, a slice of carrot cake and then sat down. I was able to overhear several locals speaking and the main topic of conversation was about the impending storm. The wind which is currently around 30-40mph but is expected to reach around 60+ mph over the next three days. Not what somebody residing in a tent wants to hear and I’ll need to give this further serious consideration. There’s a steep climb out of Newgale but this leads to more great views.
The route skirts along the cliff top all the way to Lower Solva which is a nice picturesque village. The path traverses around the harbour before climbing up onto Upper Solva. There’s several more inaccessible bays over the next three miles and lots of seal pups. I’m booked into Porthgain campsite tonight and I arrived around 4pm. I managed to get the tent up just before the rain arrived. There’s no other tents but several occupied caravans. I was just about to eat my only food (a measly pot noodle) when a car from one of the nearby caravans pulled up next to me. The couple were heading off to the nearby superstore and asked if I needed anything. I was able to get a lift to the shop and was then able to pick up a more substantial evening meal and some snacks and drinks for the next couple of days. A good and more importantly a dry day of walking.
Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path 