Newgale and Roch
Newgale and Roch
Newgale village is a small cluster of buildings at the northern edge of Newgale beach. Most people, when they refer to Newgale, however, mean the beach. It’s a magnificent two mile long stretch of wide flat sand with a huge pebble bank behind it.
Roch is a small village inland from Newgale. The most prominent feature of the village is its castle.
Newgale is connected to St Davids and Haverfordwest via the coastal bus service 400: Puffin Shuttle
At the time of its construction, Roch Castle served as one of a group of border strongholds that fortified anglicised Wales from the independent Welsh to the North, guarding the Flemish settlers who inhabited the surrounding area. It also served as a lookout for the bay of St Brides to ward off invasions from the sea.
The first known inhabitant of the castle was a Norman knight by the name of Adam de Rupe. His name probably derived from the rock on which the castle was built, “de Rupe” being “charter” latin for “of the rock”. This name however was soon changed to the Norman (or French) “de la Roche”.
In 1644, King Charles garrisoned many of the castles in South Wales and supplied a garrison for Roche Castle under the command of Captain Francis Edwards of Summerhill.
In February 1644, the castle was attacked by Cromwell’s troops under the command of Colonel Roland Laugharne. After a fierce siege, the castle was surrendered on February 17th, having been badly damaged by cannon and also by fire.
Today the castle has been meticulously restored to provide luxury accommodation.
Activities
The focus of Newgale and Roch is the beach. Newgale beach is a two-mile stretch of golden sand (when the tide’s out!)
Newgale is one of Pembrokeshire’s top three surfing locations and attracts surfers and kayakers but because of the length of the beach and the absence of underwater obstructions, it’s perfect for windsurfing and kite surfing too.
Surfboards, body boards and kayaks can all be hired from the northern end of the beach from Newsurf. Surf lessons and kiteboarding sessions can all be booked with The Big Blue Experience
Attractions
The beach!
Food and drink
At the northern end of the beach there’s a pub, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Sands Cafe offering food all day from breakfast. There is a shop in Newsurf where you can pick up your essential as well as a new wetsuit!
Roch has a pub, a shop, a fish and chip takeaway and a shop to get some of the freshest crab and lobster in the area.
Accommodation
There are several B&Bs, farms and guesthouses near Newgale but the nearest hotels would be in St Davids or Haverfordwest. There are several camping sites, touring caravan sites. There are numerous self catering cottages in Newgale and surrounding villages. For Coast Path walkers, there’s a youth hostel in Pen Y Cwm nearby.