Pembrokeshire Coast Path

Whisper it quietly; this might just be the best coastal path in Britain, and one of the UK's best walks overall.

If you ask me, Pembrokeshire has it all – dramatic clifftop vistas, seemingly endless beaches, secluded coves and tiny fishing villages, but best of all; almost no one knows about it, so you get pretty much all of it to yourself.

You’ll need two or three weeks to complete the trail in one go, and, as with most coastal paths in Britain, you’ll have to endure a lot of ups and down as you climb from clifftop down to cove and back up to clifftop, time and time again. But the rewards are plenty; as well as the sensational views, there’s wildlife to spot (seals, dolphins, all manner of seas birds), historic sites to explore (including no fewer than 11 castles), and exotic Welsh cuisine to fuel those tired legs (oggy and faggots, anyone?).

Starting in the seaside village of Amroth, day one takes you across the sandstone cliffs of south Pembrokeshire to pretty Tenby, with its pastel-coloured harbour buildings and boat rides out to the monastic island of Caldey. You’ll soon reach the beachside 12th-century castle at Manorbier Bay before passing a series of magnificent beaches – Freshwater West, Barafundle Bay, Broad Haven – each with its own unique character. Having negotiated a route around the MoD firing range at Castlemartin, and the more inviting Angle peninsula, you approach the least desirable part of the walk, around the heavily industrialised estuary of Milford Haven – fortunately, historic Pembroke and its magnificent Norman castle provide a welcome distraction.

The coastline becomes increasingly more attractive again as you approach Dale peninsular, then turns spectacular around Marloes peninsula where the three barren islands of Skomer, Skokholm and Grassholm attract thousands of seabirds, plus a boatload or two of curious day-trippers.

After the surfing hotspot of Newgale you reach St David’s, Britain’s smallest city and home to a beautiful cathedral plus a host of cute cafes, pubs and restaurants. The rugged coastline of St David’s peninsular provides fabulous hiking over the next few miles as you pass long sandy beaches, hidden coves and windswept bluffs before climbing the cliffs at Pwll Deri for outstanding ocean views.

The large harbour town of Goodwick and Fishguard offers a chance to stock up on supplies before you round the peninsular known as Dinas Island and negotiate the beautiful clifftop path to historic Newport, a precursor to the even more dramatic (and energy-sapping) clifftop walk on your final day.

Some of the more remote stretches have a dearth of accommodation so you may need to adjust your daily distances accordingly. In general, there’s a good range of places to stay, from campsites and hostels, to B&Bs and guesthouses. Don’t forget to factor in one or two rest days; walking for 16 days on the trot is a tough ask.

Day 1: Amroth – Tenby (7 miles)

Day 2: Tenby – Manorbier Bay (10.5 miles)

Day 3: Manorbier Bay – Broad Haven (10.5 miles)

Day 4: Broad Haven – Angle (20.5 miles)

Day 5: Angle – Pembroke (11.5 miles)

Day 6: Pembroke – Milford Haven (12.5 miles)

Day 7: Milford Haven – Dale (9.5 miles)

Day 8: Dale – Marloes (12 miles)

Day 9: Marloes – Newgale (15.5 miles)

Day 10: Newgale – St Davids (9.5 miles)

Day 11: St Davids – Whitesands Bay (8.5 miles)

Day 12: Whitesands Bay – Trefin (11 miles)

Day 13: Trefin – Pwll Deri (9.5 miles)

Day 14: Pwll Deri – Fishguard (10.5 miles)

Day 15: Fishguard – Newport (11 miles)

Day 16: Newport – St Dogmaels (16 miles)