Outdoors
Beaches and Water Safety
Here in Pembrokeshire we are blessed with beaches that are among the best in the UK, maybe even the world! The coast is so beautiful that it has been designated as the UK’s only coastal national park. Our beaches have received numerous accolades over the years, including Country Life magazine’s Best UK Picnic Spot 2006 for Barafundle Bay
Popular awards such as this have been backed up by a whole range of quality awards for 2015:
- Blue Flag beaches – high quality resort beaches with guideline water quality
- Seaside Awards – recognising the management, quality and popularity of a beach, either resort or rural, with a mandatory water quality standard
- Green Coast Awards – acknowledging the environmental & rural quality of the beach with guideline water quality.
Beach Awards 2017
| Blue Flags and Seaside Resort | SeasideAwards Rural | Greencoast Awards |
| Amroth | Wisemans Bridge | Caldey Island |
| Coppet Hall | Sandy Haven | Penally |
| Saundersfoot | Little Haven | Manorbier |
| Tenby North | Goodwick | Freshwater East |
| Tenby Castle | Penally | Barafundle |
| Tenby South | Manorbier | Broad Haven South |
| Lydstep | Freshwater East | Martins Haven |
| Dale | Barafundle | Marloes |
| Broadhaven (North) | Broad Haven South | Druidston |
| Newgale | Martins Haven | Caerfai |
| Whitesands | Marloes | Abberiddy |
| Poppit | Caerfai | Cwm-yr-Eglwys |
| Abberiddy | West Dale | |
| Cwm-yr-Eglwys | West Angle | |
| West Angle | ||
| Newport |
All these awards are the result of our commitment to continual improvement in the service we provide, making the most of our natural resources for your enjoyment.
Beach Wardens patrol the beaches from June through to September checking that award standards are maintained, updating the information boards, answering any questions you may have and responding to any incidents as appropriate.
Water Safety Equipment such as lifebelts, throw lines and emergency phones are deployed around the coast and rivers of Pembrokeshire. Our lifeguards and shore-based staff inspect, maintain and replace them as necessary throughout the year.
RNLI Beach Lifeguards are in place on the busiest of the beaches
Always fully trained to national standards as lifeguards and first aiders, they are able to respond to emergency situations and assist the emergency services. Further update training continues through the summer.
Typically the RNLI employ 55 lifeguards each season and find that they frequently return to us year after year making a confident, skilled team with a wealth of local knowledge.
A lifeguard's main duties are:
- First response in emergency situations
- Giving general beach related & safety advice
- Helping to find lost children or adults
- General supervision of the beach
- Patrolling bathing areas
- Advising on dog byelaws
If you are looking for work as a lifeguard in Pembrokeshire, please check the RNLI website
Whichever type of beach you prefer:
- secluded & sandy
- accessible and family friendly
- surfing, kite surfing, canoeing
- small and remote
- wide open spaces
- dog friendly
- pet free
Click here to access Milford Haven Port Authority's leisure guide which includes a diagram of the waterway and the pontoon placings.
Please note - there are other pontoons sited along the Cleddau but they are privately owned and managed and should not be used without the prior permission of the owners.
We're sure we have the beach for you!
Other useful links:
Weather & sea conditions: