Comprehensive Guide Collection for Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in West Wales

Wales' spectacular coastal wilderness, the UK's only national park defined by its maritime landscapes

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park represents one of Britain's most distinctive protected areas, established in 1952 to preserve the exceptional natural beauty and cultural heritage of Wales' southwestern coastline. The park stretches along virtually the entire coastline of Pembrokeshire, a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, creating a landscape of extraordinary diversity within a relatively compact area. The park's coastal character sets it apart from all other UK national parks, as it is defined not by mountain ranges or rolling countryside but by the interplay between land and sea along a dramatic shoreline. The landscape ranges from the steep limestone cliffs of the Castlemartin peninsula in the south, through the forested valleys around Saundersfoot and Amroth, to the wild, exposed headlands of the north where the Preseli Hills meet the sea. Between the western and southern sections lies Milford Haven, one of the world's finest natural deep-water harbors, where the tranquil Daugleddau estuary opens into a sheltered waterway that has served as a maritime gateway for centuries. The park's geology is exceptionally well-exposed along its coastline, with rock formations spanning hundreds of millions of years visible in cliff sections, making it a living classroom for geological study.