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Exploring South Pembrokeshire

South Pembrokeshire

Atlantic View is perfectly placed in the centre of Pembrokeshire’s dramatic coastline. With beautiful Broad Haven beach 300 metres from your front door, the coast path leading to Newgale nearby, and historic St Davids only a 20-minute drive away, South Pembrokeshire can often be forgotten. If you’ve been to visit us before, and you’ve exhausted your immediate surroundings, then a day out ‘down South’ is a great change of scene.

 

Going to South Pembrokeshire really is a change from the Northern territory. It’s well-known that the dialect and topography of Pembrokeshire change when you cross the Landsker line, the invisible border between the Welsh-speaking North and the English-speaking South. The rocks become a darker, clay-like red, the cliffs more sudden and dramatic, and you’ll see remnants of Flemish chimneys on vernacular buildings where the Normans brought immigrants to fight the Welsh princes. 

 

There are some fantastic things to see if you head south from your award-winning accommodation – here are six places to explore in South Pembrokeshire.

 

  1. Marloes Sands

 

A 22-minute drive south from Atlantic View brings you to Marloes Sands, a hidden gem protected by the National Trust. With undisturbed cliffs and surrounding wetlands, this area is a haven for wildlife, including stonechat, snipe, and peregrines. It’s also a designated marine conservation zone, and from the seal pups that thrive in the coves along this rocky red coastline, you can see why! The National Park car park is a short walk away from the sands itself – enjoy the heather-lined path to the beach.

After a walk and lungs full of sea air, why not pop to nearby Runwayskiln, an award-winning eatery by the sea, for more stunning views and even better lunches?

 

2. Martin’s Haven

 

A few minutes drive further south than Marloes and you’re in Martin’s Haven, the launchpad for exploring Pembrokeshire’s spectacular islands. From here, take Dale Sea Safaris to the Skomer where you can land and go to visit the puffins during the summer months, or out to Grassholm, the island 8 miles out to sea that is steeped in Celtic Mythology. Take in gorse-laden clifftops, caves, grey seals, porpoise, and perhaps even a minke whale on your epic sea voyage. 

 

3. Dale

 

Surrounded by bucolic countryside farmed by established families on one side, and the large estuary filled with bobbing boats on the other, Dale is an unspoiled village right in the heart of South Pembrokeshire. It’s also a popular spot for sea angling, sailing, and kayaking. The safe, red pebble beach is great for little ones, and the bay is shallow, so perfect for a quick dip. Peek at Dale Castle, a private establishment since 1910, in the distance. The Griffin Inn is more than just a local pub where you can get a good selection of locally brewed ale, it’s one of the best spots for fresh fish in West Wales, and a great stop for a hearty dinner.

 

4. The Green Bridge of Wales

 

What do tanks and chapels have in common? Well, in South Pembrokeshire, you can find both on the coastline at Stack Rocks. The military base allows access to the coast when they’re not firing at the range, and you can safely go to visit the dramatic natural rock arch and surrounding stacks known as the Green Bridge of Wales. A mile or so walk away, you’ll also find St Govan’s chapel, dedicated to Govan who lived in his hermitage in this tiny sixth-century place of solitude that clings to the rock face. Count the steps down and then back up again – it’s said you’ll get a different number! This wondrous area is only a 30-minute car drive from Atlantic View.

 

5. Pembroke

 

A little closer to your home from home is the colourful town of Pembroke. This fantastic market town is steeped in history. It’s the birthplace of Henry VII and its Norman castle, perched atop a rock overlooking a lake, is a fantastic place to take the children to see what being a knight was all about. The castle is very large and hosts gigs and festivals in the summer, as well as talks and falconry displays year-round. The town itself is full of artisan cafes, traditional grocery shops and butchers, quaint inns, and boutique art galleries. You have the choice of three excellent antique shops to browse or hire paddleboats to take in the imposing view of the castle from the millpond itself.

 

6. Tenby

 

A tour of South Pembrokeshire wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Tenby. It’s the jewel in the south’s crown, with colourful houses, fantastic restaurants, a harbour full of bobbing boats, and two beaches set within the fantastic walled town. It was a popular Victorian seaside escape, and the promenade is full of grand hotels and views across to Caldey Island, home of the Cisterian monks. Take freshly cooked fish and chips along with your bucket and spade down to the seaside for a quintessentially British day on the coast.

 

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Why Atlantic View keep being award-winning holiday cottages

No matter what people tell you, running a business is difficult. It is even scarier when it is a new business venture that you’ve never tried your hand at before. There are so many things that you have to learn and practice doing. And that is just what Dilwyn and Vel Williams have done – working incredibly hard since they purchased the old bed and breakfast that was Atlantic View to create their award-winning, must-stay cottages.

They found the property when taking aerial pictures on a helicopter ride and immediately fell in love with the plot and its surrounding area. In 2014, work started on the dilapidated buildings to turn them into the high-quality, award-winning holiday cottages that they are today. 

How did Atlantic View become award-winning holiday cottages?

Transforming the run-down building overlooking the magnificent Broad Haven beach was hard work, a challenge that the Williams family saw as a fantastic opportunity. The building had to be knocked down as it was in a state of disrepair, which allowed Dilwyn and Vel to design the award-winning holiday cottages to be exactly how they wanted them. Choosing the layout of each property was crucial to making sure that they made sense and that there was plenty of space for everything that they wanted in the award-winning holiday cottages. 

The Sandpiper, The Penthouse,  Kittiwake and Oystercatcher cottages have all been designed, built, and decorated to an incredibly high standard. The owners have paid attention to every little detail, allowing them to create popular luxurious cottages. All cottages have Melin Tregwynt blankets, extra beach towels, wonderful Myddfai toiletries, and locally sourced breakfast items. These small details make all the difference when staying in award-winning holiday cottages. 

All of the award-winning holiday cottages are always immaculate too, and our guests often say they are amazed at how clean and well kept the properties are. With a great deal of time and effort going into the upkeep of the properties, the most important thing is ensuring that the cleanliness of the properties is always kept at an incredibly high standard. 

What you can do on your luxury holiday at Atlantic View?

The properties overlook the undeniably beautiful Broad Haven Beach, which is only a hop, skip, and a jump away. It only takes five minutes to walk down to the beach, so you don’t have to worry about finding a parking space or getting a drink – you’re 300 metres from your accommodation!

Atlantic View also has the Pembrokeshire Coast Path right on its doorstep. Exploring the rugged Welsh coastline couldn’t be easier with this fabulous, famous footpath right outside. Want to find a different beach? Little Haven beach is just an eight-minute walk on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. There is a ramp at Little Haven Beach so it is both wheelchair and pushchair accessible. 

Are these luxury cottages family-friendly?

The cottages are perfect for families; Kittiwake and Oystercatcher can even be booked together to create Puffin for larger groups. No matter how big or small your family is, you can all come and stay at Atlantic View’s award-winning holiday cottages. With so many beautiful beaches just minutes’ walk away from the cottages, there’s plenty for the kids to do – crabbing, paddling, watching the wildlife and enjoying being free in the fresh air. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path is just outside the cottages and offers many new and exciting adventures for the whole family. 

Winning another award

Atlantic View has now won another award for Best Luxury Holiday Cottages in Pembrokeshire and LUXlife Hospitality Excellence Award 2021. But that’s enough of us telling you that you’ll have a fantastic time here…come and see for yourselves! 

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Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the Broad Haven UFO

broad haven ufo

It may seem to some that Pembrokeshire is a quiet, serene county with most of the drama happening between the jagged, gorse-dripping cliffs and boisterous blasting of the Irish sea.  But as the recent ‘Pembrokeshire Murders’ drama demonstrated, documenting real-life events of a serial killer stalking these very shores (and, thankfully, due to the diligent work of our fine Dyfed Powys Police, being caught and our coastline made safe again), it’s not always quiet cottage life around here.

In fact, there’s more to our stunning sunsets than meet the eye, and over the years, there have been some mysterious sightings out to sea and even right here in our beautiful blue flag beachside village of Broad Haven.

44 years ago, in the summer of 1977, a group of school children were playing in the yard of Broad Haven Primary School when they saw something strange hovering above a field near the school; a narrow, cigar-shaped vessel with a globe capsule in the middle, seemingly piloted by a humanoid figure in a silver suit.  The vessel hung in the air for several long seconds as the children stared with fascination at this unfamiliar sight before it vanished in a flash.  Eager to recount this peculiar tale, the children rushed inside to tell their teachers, who, unsurprisingly, thought that the children had concocted this fantastical tale.

Each child was called in separately to the headmaster’s office to tell their version of events.  The headmaster was determined to find flaws in this fairytale, but, one by one, each child’s account, as well as their strikingly similar drawings of the vessel, were exactly the same.

On hearing of this mass sighting, in a year when the Ministry of Defense had received several reports of strange flying objects around West Wales, the media declared it Wales’ most prominent extraterrestrial sighting: the Broad Haven UFO.  The same description of a flying vessel had been given by members of the public and schoolchildren around the area on the same day, supporting the children’s story of the Broad Haven UFO and prompting the media to name this area of Wales the Dyfed Triangle.

broad haven ufo

Broad Haven UFO mania ensued – the owner of the now-defunct Haven Fort Hotel, situated directly behind Atlantic View looking toward Little Haven, claimed that the flying object had come so close to her that her face had begun to burn at the swirling energy it was giving off.  A prominent local businessman, believing the whole story to be a farce, began appearing around Broad Haven dressed in a silver suit as a prank.  The village began piquing the interest of UFO hunters nationwide, with one fascinated author writing a novel based on the school children’s accounts.

The Government, of course, denied extraterrestrial activity.  It was likely, they said, that it was a training maneuver from nearby RAF Brawdy that had been witnessed by the children, although, behind the scenes,  they ordered military police to fully investigate the incident.
In recent years, a retired US Navy sailor came forward to explain that the silver suits were standard fireproof uniforms for the US military and that, around the time of the sightings, the US military were flight testing the brand new, UK-made Harrier jets of which the sea harrier versions released that year would be used to fight in the Falklands war 5 years later.

Nothing conclusive was ever reported back to the public about these sightings, and, 44 years on, the Broad Haven UFO is still a mystery.  So, if you’re here in Broad Haven on your holidays staring into the sea-horizon sunsets or taking advantage of being in a Designated Dark Sky area, with binoculars at the ready to view some of the stunningly clear constellations from your patio, then you might just be lucky enough to spot one of Pembrokeshire’s most talked about unsolved mysteries – the Broad Haven UFO.

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