CAMPSITES
The change of pace that comes with camping is addictive; stripping things back to a simpler way of doing things. It generally requires uncrowded spaces to be appreciated, can be a real escape from our busy normal day-to-day lives, is a cheap way to travel around, and one of the most authentic ways to see and experience a landscape. This was tested when we arrived at our first campsite in the dark during high winds and rain, a true bonding experience, but as always well worth it!
We only had five days and I wanted to explore both the north and the south of Pembrokeshire, so decided to book a campsite for two nights in each. Both of the sites we stayed at struck a chord for their proximity to the sea and surrounding views.
Listed North to South
HILLFORT CAMPSITE
We started off in the north of the county and chose to stay at Hillfort campsite, part of the Greener Camping Club. It was a wonderfully wild place to camp nestled against the hills overlooking the sea and Strumble Head. We were thrilled to be camping underneath Garn Fawr, a rocky, volcanic outcrop with the remains of an Iron Age hill fort, that three thousand years later was a First World War lookout point.
Hosts Katey and John were lovely. On arrival they welcomed us into their home to shelter from the weather and insisted we had some cheesecake with them. On site there is plenty of space between each tent pitch and we were given a quiet little corner, directly below the dramatic rock-face. Facilities include warm showers, well-maintained compost toilets, washing up sinks and open fire pits.
Unchallenged weather systems from the North Atlantic mean the wind can be a constant companion on the Pembroke coast and the weather wasn’t quite on our side during our stay here. However the sea frets and low brooding clouds made the surrounding landscape feel all the more storied, especially when scrambling up Garn Fawr to Pwll Deri. This site is both atmospheric and peaceful. It really gives you the feeling of being out in the wild and we would love to return under clearer skies to make the most of those views.
TREFALEN FARM CAMPING
Trefalen was our first choice of campsites in the south of the county. It is perfectly placed 100 metres from the unspoilt, sandy beach of Broadhaven South, right on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and within walking distance of Barafundle Bay, Stackpole Quay, Bosherston Lily Ponds and St Govan's Chapel. One of those areas that you can drop into for a few days and hardly use your car.
A drive through idyllic countryside brings you to the small village of Bosherston where Trefalen Farm can be found, following signs for the beach down a narrow road. Just before the track ends is a beautiful old farmhouse with outbuildings and a duck pond, a scene straight from an oil painting. We pulled through the gates to check in and were greeted by two friendly dogs and owners Lawrence and Marcia.
Lawrence sat us down at a wooden table on the pretty patio outside their kitchen and went through information about the campsite, as well as giving us a map of the local area where he helpfully highlighted good walks and places of interest. Lawrence told us that he had grown up further along the coast and as a child visited Broadhaven beach often. On walks to the beach he most remembers passing the farm on the cliffs with its duck pond and at seven years old declared to his family that he wanted to live there. Many years later while living with Marcia in London, they responded to a newspaper advert about a unique opportunity to purchase a farmhouse with land on the Pembrokeshire coast. It turned out to be the very farm that Lawrence had remembered! When they moved in the farm was run down and the duck pond had dried up, so it became the first thing that they decided to restore. I fell in love with this story and you can really feel the work that Lawrence and Marcia have put into Trefalen, what it means to them and their adoration of the area. This makes it an all-the-more-special place to stay.
Trefalen campsite is split into two different fields and we were lucky enough to find space on the lower one, with the most perfect pitch that gave us uninterrupted sea views from our tent. It is a family and dog friendly site and has basic facilities with cold showers. With such a vista you really don’t need much more and the simplicity of the site adds to its charm.
On the last evening we carried our portable BBQ and a bottle of wine onto the cliff tops overlooking Broadhaven beach. Here we crossed paths with a grass snake bathing in the last of the evenings sun. From where we settled we could see our tent only a hundred yards away, yet were able to sit in a wild and isolated spot, listening to the waves and watching the sun go down. To me evenings don’t get much better than that.