Family Beaches in Pembrokeshire
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The family beaches in Pembrokeshire are Porthmynawyd Beach, Pen-y-Cwm Beach, Newgale Beach, Monk Haven Beach, Porthselau Beach, Aberfforest Beach, Porthmelgan Beach and Marloes Sands.
Pembrokeshire's coast is stitched with sandy bays and rocky coves, and this selection gathers eight that suit a family day by the sea. Some are big and easy, like Newgale Beach, a two-mile sweep with car parks, toilets and summer lifeguards, or the golden mile of Marloes Sands below its folded cliffs.
Others are quiet, hidden coves reached only on foot, where the real fun is rock-pooling and cave-poking as the tide drops: Porthmynawyd Beach, Pen-y-Cwm Beach, Monk Haven Beach, Porthselau Beach, Aberfforest Beach and Porthmelgan Beach all reward a walk with peace and space. Several have strong currents and no facilities, so they suit exploring and paddling with care rather than open swimming, and the tide matters at nearly all of them.
Pack a bucket, check the tide times and bring what you need, because most have no shops nearby. Here are eight family beaches to seek out in Pembrokeshire.
Porthmynawyd Beach
Photo: M J Roscoe via Geograph.org.uk
Porthmynawyd Beach is a small, remote cove of sand and pebble set below cliffs about midway between Newgale and Solva on the Pembrokeshire coast. It comes into its own as the tide falls, when a broad stretch of wet golden sand, rock pools and a cave are uncovered, good for exploring with children.
There is no easy way in: it is reached on foot along the coast path, or on a fairly steep walk down through the fields of Pointz Castle farm, and parking is very limited. There are no facilities, and strong currents run here, so it is a quiet spot for those who make the walk.
Seek it out at low tide and take care in the water.
Pen-y-Cwm Beach
Photo: Deborah Tilley via Geograph.org.uk
Pen-y-Cwm Beach is a small, quiet cove of sand and rock beside the far larger Newgale Sands, on the Pembrokeshire coast near Solva, cut off from its neighbour by a low headland. High, steep cliffs back it, with rock pools and a cave at the southern end, so it is more a place for exploring and rock-pooling than a facilities beach.
The easiest way in is across the sand from Newgale around mid to low tide, and it lies on the coast path. There are no facilities.
Seek it out as the tide falls, and keep an eye on it turning so you are not cut off.
Newgale Beach
Photo: Simon Mortimer via Geograph.org.uk
Newgale Beach A tall bank of pebbles, piled up storm by storm, runs the length of the back of this beach, shielding the coast road and the village behind from the sea. In front of it stretches two miles of west-facing sand in St Brides Bay, one of the biggest and busiest surf beaches in Pembrokeshire, broad at low tide and shrinking back as the water climbs.
The open space and heavy surf pull in surfers, windsurfers and kitesurfers. Car parks, toilets, a pub and a cafe sit at either end, and lifeguards patrol through summer.
It is the easiest beach hereabouts for facilities, with the surf best left to those who know it.
Monk Haven Beach
Photo: Chris Gunns via Geograph.org.uk
Monk Haven Beach is a small, secluded pebble cove at the mouth of a wooded valley on the north shore of the Milford Haven waterway in Pembrokeshire, near St Ishmael's. A short path from a car park by the church leads down to the shore, where a long stone sea wall runs above the high-water line.
A little way along the coast path stands a castellated folly tower, built in the nineteenth century, its purpose never clearly recorded and part of it now fallen. The cove looks across the water toward Dale Fort and is a quiet spot for views and rock pools rather than a swimming beach.
Seek it out for a calm cove with an easy walk in.
Porthselau Beach
Photo: Jeff Gogarty via Geograph.org.uk
Porthselau Beach is a small, sheltered, mostly sandy cove on the far west coast of Pembrokeshire, on the south side of the greater Whitesands Bay near St Davids. Gently shelving, with rock at the edges, it is a quiet alternative to busy Whitesands, from which you can walk or wade across at the lowest spring tides.
It is reached only on foot along the coast path, with no parking or facilities at the beach and the nearest refreshments back at Whitesands. It is good for swimming, rock-pooling and fishing, with the incoming tide to watch for.
Seek it out for a calmer patch of sand away from the crowds.
Aberfforest Beach
Photo: Natasha Ceridwen de Chroustchoff via Geograph.org.uk
Aberfforest Beach is a small cove on the north Pembrokeshire coast, tucked between high cliffs with woodland running down to the back of the beach. The shore is a mix of sand and shingle, better for poking about in rock pools than building sandcastles, with more sand showing as the tide drops.
Its best-known feature is the stream that runs down through the trees behind the beach and falls over the rocks onto the sand. Getting down is a walk on a farm track from the lane above, or you can arrive along the coast path.
There are no buildings or facilities here, just the cove, the wood and the water. Seek it out for a peaceful, tree-backed cove.
Porthmelgan Beach
Photo: Andy F via Geograph.org.uk
Porthmelgan Beach is a small cove of sand and rock backed by high cliffs on the far west coast of Pembrokeshire, just south of St Davids Head and about half a mile north of the busy Whitesands Bay. One of the most westerly beaches in Wales, it is sheltered by the cliffs and reached only on foot along the coast path, with no facilities of its own; the parking, toilets and lifeguards are all back at Whitesands.
There are caves and rocks at the ends of the beach and views out to Ramsey Island, with strong currents and an incoming tide to watch for. Seek it out for rock pools and big western sunsets, keeping well clear of the currents.
Marloes Sands
Photo: Alan Richards via Geograph.org.uk
Marloes Sands is a mile-long beach of golden sand backed by dramatic tilted cliffs on the Marloes peninsula in Pembrokeshire, cared for by the National Trust. The full beach shows at low tide and largely disappears at high water.
The cliffs are known for their steeply folded rock, including a feature called the Three Chimneys. Getting there means a walk from the car park down the coast path and a cliff descent to the sand.
Nearby are Marloes Mere, good for birds, and the boats to Skomer island, which leave from a separate landing along the coast. Seek it out at low tide for a big sweep of sand and striking geology.
FAQs
Which Pembrokeshire beach is best for families with facilities?
Newgale Beach is the easiest choice, a two-mile sandy beach with car parks, toilets, a pub and a cafe, and lifeguards in summer. Most of the others are hidden coves with no facilities, so bring what you need.
Are these beaches safe for swimming?
It varies, and several are better for paddling and rock-pooling than swimming. Newgale has summer lifeguards, but coves like Porthmynawyd Beach and Porthmelgan Beach have strong currents, and Monk Haven Beach is a spot for views and rock pools rather than a swimming beach.
Do I need to check the tide?
Yes. At many of these beaches the sand shrinks or disappears as the water rises, and some, like Pen-y-Cwm Beach and Porthselau Beach, are reached across the sand at low tide. Check the tide times so you are not cut off.
Conclusion
Pembrokeshire's beaches range from big, easy sands to tiny hidden coves, and these eight give families plenty of choice. For space and the fullest facilities, Newgale Beach and Marloes Sands are hard to beat, both wide sweeps of sand at low tide.
If you would rather explore, the quieter coves of Porthmynawyd Beach, Pen-y-Cwm Beach, Monk Haven Beach, Porthselau Beach, Aberfforest Beach and Porthmelgan Beach reward a walk with rock pools, caves and calm. Many have strong currents, no facilities and beaches that shrink or vanish as the tide rises, so check the tide times, keep a close eye on children in the water and bring everything you need.
Choose to suit your family and the day, because these are the family beaches to seek out in Pembrokeshire.
