Barafundle Bay

Getting to Barafundle Bay means abandoning your car and doing some proper legwork. The beach itself is a crescent of golden sand backed by high cliffs, and the only way down is a steep rope ladder fixed into the rock face - genuinely thrilling the first time you see it. The beach is completely cut off from the road, which keeps the crowds manageable even in summer. Once you're down there, the water is cold but the sand is firm and the backdrop of those massive cliffs is genuinely impressive.

Walkers will love this. The hike from the car park near Bosherston takes a good hour each way across clifftop paths, and you'll pass Stackpole Quay en route - a proper little gem of a village. Families with children under eight might find the rope descent trickier than they expect; teenagers will think it's brilliant. Bring water and snacks because there's nothing to buy nearby.

You'll need to time it around the tide - at high water the beach shrinks considerably. Spring tides are worth avoiding. It's free to visit and there's no formal opening hours since the beach is natural, but the clifftop path access is seasonal. Summer weekends draw more people than you'd think given the effort required.

Pembrokeshire Meadows Camping is just over two miles from Bosherston, making it a solid base for combining coastal walking with beach time. The Pembroke area has several good parks if you want more facilities.