This 7.5 mile coast walk from Abermawr to Strumble Head is a stunning and picturesque hike which offers breathtaking views of rugged coastline, dramatic cliffs, and a beautiful, unspoiled landscape.

This walk starts from Preseli Venture holiday activity centre, near Mathry, our accommodation base for the weekend. On a minor road downhill from the centre, a National Trust gateway opens onto a path through a lush green coastal woodland which emerges onto the pebbly beach at Aber Mawr.

Having crossed Abermawr beach we made our way to the nearby Aber Bach beach. It’s in a picturesque setting with a wide storm bank of pebbles split by a freshwater stream and framed by a rich green marsh and rolling hills.

Ahead is one of the most stunning sections of all the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path from Aber Bach to Pwll Deri and then on to Strumble Head.

From Aber Bach the coast path steadily rises above the clifftops, offering great views along the coastline, and we could see a group from the activity centre, coasteering on the rocks below in the bay at Porth Dwgan

The path climbs steadily as a stony track above wide green slopes of heather and bracken.

The path descends to a gate at Pwllcrochan, a steep sided narrow cove of magnificent towering cliffs and sheer rock faces which plunge to the sea.

Beyond the gate a couple of hikers stand on a spur of ground which offers a viewpoint into the cove, their figures providing some perspective to the scale of these massive cliffs.

Pwllcrochan is known as a good place to spot seals and from the spur we did see a few seals down in the sheltered cove below.

From this point it’s a bit of a scramble uphill on a rocky trail to rise above these spectacular cliffs, which makes the route quite strenuous as it hugs the contours of this rugged landscape.

At times the path fades to faint tracks and you have to pick your way through a rock strewn terrain over Carn Ogof and across the spectacular ridge of Penbwchdy, above Pwll Deri.

But the reward for these strenuous climbs are the outstanding views along this unspoilt, remote and rugged coastline.

The path leads out onto a country lane towards Pwll Deri, passing a memorial stone to Dewi Emrys, a celebrated local bard, who wrote his most well known poem about this place. A plaque on the stone carries his words in Cymraeg, which translate as,

“And these are the thoughts that come to you, when you sit above Pwll Deri”.

Just along the road is a viewpoint and it’s worthwhile pausing here to appreciate the wonderful view of the dramatic cliffs and profile of the spectacular ridge walk from Penbwchdy. What a view!

The path heads downhill near Pwll Deri youth hostel, passes the rocky outcrop of Dinas Mawr before rising again to level out alongside farm fields with a backdrop of the imposing hill of Garn Fawr. There follows a spectacular cliff top walk above the wild and dramatic cove, Porth Maenmelyn.

This is a wonderful spot where binoculars proved to be a must carry item on this hike, as nature provided some real highlights. After spotting some red kites inland, there were a dozen or more Choughs in full aerobatic flight along the cliffs, while lots of seals could be seen basking on the small strip of shingle beach in the sheltered cove.

Strumble Head is just a couple of miles along the coast path, as the iconic white lighthouse comes into view in the distance, although the walk on a winding stony track feels a lot longer.

The approach to Strumble Head is above Carreg Onnen Bay, the scenic craggy coastline looking almost Mediterranean on a fine summer day with blue sea and sky.

There are stunning views along the coastline to the lighthouse, which sits atop one of the small islands in a dramatic setting.

The grass slopes overlooking the lighthouse and islands are the perfect place to find a quiet spot to sit and enjoy the views, take some time for nature watching and to rest and refresh after this quite strenuous hike.

Route Recap

Distance ~ 7.5 Miles / Time ~ Allow 4 + hours

This is moderately challenging / strenuous hike with no facilities along the route so carry plenty of water / drinks for duration.

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