Marloes and Dale
Marloes and Dale
The Marloes peninsula is on the west coast of Pembrokeshire at the southern end of St Brides Bay. Dale is located on the south side of the peninsula while Marloes is on the north side.
Dale is tucked away in a sheltered bay while Marloes is in a much wilder and exposed location.
Marloes is connected to the coastal bus service 400: The Puffin Shuttle, which serves the villages of St Brides Bay to St Davids.
Dale is on the route of service 315 linking to Milford Haven and Haverfordwest both of which also have railway stations.
Several prehistoric sites have been identified in the area. Worked flints have been found along the western cliffs. People settled and began farming during the Neolithic period (3,500 – 2,000 BC); more sophisticated flint tools from this period were found at several sites near Brunt Farm and are now at Tenby museum
A prominent location on the mouth of Milford Haven, Dale has had a defensive role for many centuries. On 7th August 1485, Henry Tudor and troops landed at Mill Bay. They marched unopposed to Leicestershire where, at Bosworth Field, Henry successfully defeated Richard III and claimed the throne.
Dale in the 18th century was an ale producing centre and exported beer to Liverpool. General cargoes were also carried as part of the coastal trade. However the main traffic during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries was the transportation of limestone, coal and culm (a mixture of coal dust and clay) to the beaches where the kilns existed to burn lime for the local farms.
The shingle beaches and rocky coves around Marloes and Gateholm are famous for numerous historic shipwrecks, caused by the treacherous seas around Skokholm Island, just off the coast. Albion Sands are named after the steamer, Albion, which hit a rock in Jack Sound on April 18th 1837. The captain of the vessel was able to beach his ship on the nearby sands, and a cliff top rescue brought all those on board safely to Marloes. The Albion sank on the beach, and was broken up by storms. Parts of the engines of the ship can still be seen poking from the sand at low tide.
Activities
Dale is a water sports mecca as it occupies a mile wide sheltered bay on the Milford Haven waterway. The waters in the bay are clean and gently shelving perfect for sailing and kayaking. Tuition and rentals are available from Celtic Sea Watersports in the village.
Attractions
Near Marloes village is Martin’s Haven, the embarkation point for boat trips to Skomer Island. The island is leased to The Wildlife Trust for West Wales, who manage it as a nature reserve. There are approximately 6,000 pairs of Puffins and 120,000 pairs of Manx Shearwaters.
Boat trips out to the Pembrokeshire Islands can also be taken from Martin Haven.
Marloes Sands is a must-visit, this National Trust beach is fabulous and the geology is spectacular, including both sandstones and volcanic rocks with folds, faults and jagged rocks. An Iron Age fort on Gateholm that was the subject of a C4 Time Team dig
Marloes Mere is a bird watching hotspot attracting a large number of waterfowl in winter.
Food and drink
The village also has some great places to eat and drink – The Griffin, The Boathouse and Coco’s Brasserie at Dale Yacht Club plus a village shop.
Marloes has a pub The Lobster Pot, the Clock House cafe and a village shop.
Accommodation
Accommodation is widely available in Dale, Marloes and neighbouring villages. The nearest hotels, however, would be in Milford Haven. There are several B&BS, guesthouses and a farm guesthouse plus a few camp sites and touring caravan sites. Search for accommodation. There are numerous self catering cottages on the Marloes Peninsula. There’s a youth hostel near to Marloes Sands and a bunkhouse at Herbrandston.