Locals Recommend: The Abermawr Valley and Beyond

Today, Preseli Venture offers beautifully restored, climate-conscious accommodation in its self-catering Courtyard Cottages and Eco Barn, while helping visitors discover the very best of Pembrokeshire through a range of carefully chosen outdoor experiences.

A lifelong champion of Pembrokeshire's wild coast, Sophie has spent decades working alongside organisations including the Marine Conservation Society, the National Trust and the Pembrokeshire Outdoor Charter Group to promote sustainable tourism and help protect the landscapes she loves.

Exploring the Abermawr Valley

Nestled between Fishguard and St Davids, Preseli Venture's Eco Barn and Courtyard Cottages sit in a wooded valley just a short walk from Abermawr beach. The landscape around Abermawr remains one of Pembrokeshire's best-kept secrets. Ancient woodland tumbles down to secluded beaches, dramatic cliffs give way to hidden coves, and the ever-changing coastal landscape reveals something new in every season. Even after four decades here, I never tire of exploring it.

From the Eco Barn balcony, one of the most striking landmarks on the coastline comes immediately into view: Garn Fawr, a rugged igneous outcrop crowned by the remains of an Iron Age hillfort. Below it, the craggy headland of Penbwchdy reaches out into the Irish Sea. Its Welsh name, meaning "black buck head", recalls the billy goats once seen grazing these steep, gorse-clad cliffs, and is also the inspiration for the name of our Penbwchdy Cottage. Together, they create one of the defining views from the valley and a wonderful place to begin exploring the North Pembrokeshire coast. Garn Fawr is also home to one of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park's designated Dark Sky Discovery Sites, making it a wonderful spot for stargazing on clear nights.

A network of footpaths leads through the enchanting Pen yr Allt woodland, which lends its name to our Pen-yr-Allt Cottage. In spring, the woodland floor is transformed by carpets of bluebells and wild garlic beneath moss-covered branches, while winding paths lead through the valley towards the coast. The trees eventually part to reveal Abermawr beach, a vast sweep of sand and shingle that feels wonderfully wild and unspoilt.

Abermawr is one of those places that changes character with every tide. At low water, the beach stretches out into a vast expanse of sand where the remains of an ancient submerged forest can sometimes be seen emerging from the sand. It's a wonderful place for rockpooling, beach games and dog adventures, while autumn brings opportunities to spot seals playing in the surf. As the day draws to a close, the pebble bank becomes the perfect place to watch one of Pembrokeshire's most spectacular sunsets, perhaps with a beach barbecue as the sky turns gold.

The Pembrokeshire Coast Path: North to Strumble Head

Just around the headland lies neighbouring Aberbach, a quieter cove still, where a family picnic overlooking the sea can feel a world away from everyday life, with seabirds, seals and the sound of the Atlantic often providing the only company. Watch gannets plunge-diving for fish offshore, not far from their home on Grassholm Island, or spread your towel on the sun-warmed rocks after a peaceful sea swim.

The Pembrokeshire Coast Path passes directly through the valley and offers endless opportunities for exploration. Heading north, beyond Penbwchdy and Garn Fawr, lies the spectacular Pencaer Peninsula and Strumble Head. Here, the iconic lighthouse stands on Ynys Meicl, keeping watch over one of Wales' finest wildlife-watching locations. A dedicated viewing area provides opportunities to spot seals, porpoises and dolphins offshore, while late summer and autumn bring vast numbers of migrating Manx shearwaters. Preseli Venture’s Loom Cottage takes its name from the rhythmic sweep of the Strumble Head lighthouse beam, which can be seen flashing across the night sky.

Closer to home, one of my favourite local detours is Melin Tregwynt, a traditional white-washed woollen mill tucked away in a wooded valley just a couple of miles from Preseli Venture. It continues to produce its iconic Welsh blankets and textiles, while visitors can watch the weaving process, browse the mill shop and enjoy breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea at the brookside café.

The Pembrokeshire Coast Path: South to Abercastle

Heading south from Abermawr, the coast path reveals a series of hidden coves and dramatic viewpoints. One of the prettiest stretches passes the secluded pebbly cove of Pwllstrodur before arriving at Abercastle, a picturesque fishing harbour nestled within a sheltered inlet.

Abercastle has long been one of my favourite places on the coast. Its calm waters make it a perfect launch point for sea kayaking adventures along this remarkable coastline. Paddling beneath towering cliffs, weaving between sea stacks, gliding through narrow gullies and landing on remote beaches offers an entirely different perspective on Pembrokeshire's coastal wilderness. Whether you choose a half-day taster, a full-day adventure, or a multi-day course, exploring the coast by kayak is an unforgettable experience.

Visitors can also explore the coastline from Abercastle by the uniquely Pembrokeshire adventure activity that was developed here in the 1980s and has since become famous around the world: coasteering. With a professional guide, you’ll scramble across wave-cut platforms, swim through gullies, leap into plunge pools, and discover hidden corners of the coast that are inaccessible by land.

At the mouth of Abercastle sits Ynys y Castell, a rocky islet crowned by the remains of an ancient promontory fort. Beneath it lies a spectacular sea cave running right through the headland — one of the many hidden features that can be explored with your coasteering guide.

History is never far away in this landscape. A short detour inland brings visitors to Carreg Samson, one of Wales' finest Neolithic burial chambers, where an enormous capstone has stood for over 5,000 years, framing sweeping views of the coast beyond.

Stories Woven Into the Landscape

The landscape around Abermawr holds many fascinating stories. Local communities once prepared for the threat of French invasion during the late eighteenth century, while decades later, Isambard Kingdom Brunel envisioned this coastline as part of a transatlantic route to North America. Although his plans for Abermawr never came to fruition, the railway and harbour he envisaged were eventually built just five miles north at Fishguard. Walking these paths today, it is easy to feel connected to the generations who have lived and worked here before us.

Back at Preseli Venture, our connection to the landscape continues through an ongoing rewilding project in the valley. We’ve planted thousands of native trees to transform former pasture into young woodland, creating new habitats for wildlife and helping to restore biodiversity. At our neighbouring campsite, Preseli Glamping, nature-lovers can camp among the young trees on spacious pitches, stay in a campervan with far-reaching sea views, or enjoy a secluded woodland geodome beneath the canopy.

After a day spent exploring, one of my favourite local traditions is the short walk up to the hilltop village of Mathry. The Farmers Arms is a welcoming, dog-friendly village pub serving hearty meals, excellent local produce and memorable Sunday roasts beside a roaring fire. It's the perfect place to relax and share stories of the day's adventures.

What I love most about this corner of Pembrokeshire is the sense of discovery. Whether you're wandering through bluebell woods, spotting seals from a secret cove, standing on an Iron Age hillfort, paddling beneath sea cliffs, or simply watching the evening light over Abermawr beach, there is always something new waiting around the next corner. It is a landscape that rewards curiosity, and one that continues to inspire me after all these years.