In May 2012 the Pembrokeshire Coast path, became part of the National Trail, a 830 mile long Coastal footpath, known as The Wales Coastal Path, said to be "One of the best long distance trails in the World."
Both the 'Wales Coast Path' and the 'International Appalachian Trail' follow the route of the 'Pembrokeshire Coast Path' through Pembrokeshire.
Opened in 1970, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path was the first National Trail in Wales. The Northern Trailhead marker is located in St Dogmaels, Pembrokeshire, South Wales.
The Mosaic trail-head marker, features a map of Pembrokeshire, South Wales, showing the Pembrokeshire Coast Path - The National Trail, in a fine red line. Place names of the start in the North, St Dogmaels/Llandudoch, Towns along the path, & the terminus in Amroth/LLadrach.
The marker also features several logos including, The National Trail, Acorn, Footprint, & Pembrokeshire National Park.
The Pembrokeshire Coastal Footpath is a spectacular 186 mile long National Trail covering some of the most varied coastal scenery in Wales. The Coast path takes on average 10 to 15 days to walk. The path stretches from St Dogmaels (the location of this trailhead marker) in the North over 300 km to Amroth in the South of Pembrokeshire.
From the Visit Wales website:
"The Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail hugs the coastline for 186 miles or 299km of some of the most breath-taking coastal scenery in Britain.
From St Dogmaels in the north to Amroth in the south, the trail covers almost every kind of maritime landscape from steep limestone cliffs, undulating red sandstone bays, volcanic headlands, beaches, estuaries and flooded glacial valleys.
Lying almost entirely within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the trail displays an array of coastal flowers and bird life, as well as evidence of human activity from Neolithic times to the present.
Completing the Coast Path in one go, taking on average between 10 to 15 days, is quite an undertaking. The ascents and descent are said to be the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest; 35,000 feet!
Most visitors walk a short section at a time, adding a piece to the jigsaw each time they visit and make good use of the Coastal Bus Service, which serves the rural communities and coast path walkers.
In 2012 the Pembrokeshire Coast Path became part of the Wales Coast Path; the world's first uninterrupted route along a national coast, and the Wales Coast Path covers 870 miles. That's a good walk!"
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Trailhead/trail website: (
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International Appalachian Trail in Wales: (
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The report from Guardian Website:
"At 870 miles long, first uninterrupted route along a national coast is aimed at boosting tourism and health.
The Welsh environment minister hopes the path will be a 'huge asset' to the country, with an estimated 100,000 extra visitors annually.
It begins at Chepstow, on the banks of the river Wye, close to the iron bridge that links this corner of south-east Wales with England. The finishing line (if you are tackling the path in a clockwise direction, at least) is 870 miles away, beside the river Dee and a few miles from the centre of Chester.
In between there are countless sandy beaches and pebbly strands, estuaries, cliff-tops, marshes, woodland. You will walk through nature reserves, past power stations, smart city waterfronts, writers' retreats, fun-parks and many castles. And you can bet you will encounter a fair bit of rain and wind en route.
This is the Welsh coast path, which officially opens on Saturday, and is heralded as the first continuous walking route along a country's coast.
Some will pop out to the path for a Sunday stroll, the more ambitious are expected to test their stamina by trying to cover the whole route in one trip. The very keenest may be tempted to return back to their starting point by tackling the 177-mile Offa's Dyke trail on the Welsh-English border, thus creating a round walk of more than 1,000 miles.
There are great ambitions for the Wales coast path. The Welsh government hopes it will become a major tourist attraction, bringing in an estimated extra 100,000 visitors annually, but also encourage its own citizens to get out and about more and so improve their health.
"We will be the first country to have a continuous path around our coast. This is great news for coastal business, great news for Welsh tourism and great news for our economy as a whole."
It was back in 2007 that the Welsh government set out to improve public access to the coast. Since then, it has worked with 16 local authorities, two national parks, the National Trust and the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), its statutory adviser on the great outdoors, to create the path. The Welsh government has invested £2m a year in the project and the European regional development fund has contributed £4m.
Morgan Parry, chairman of the CCW, said the path had "huge potential". "In terms of public health, it is more important than ever that we create the best possible opportunities for people to enjoy walking and all the benefits of being active outdoors. Creating access for everyone is an important aspect of this project – some sections of path will be suitable for people with disabilities, families with prams or buggies, those on horseback and cyclists."
"It is a stunning path," said Angela Charlton, the director of Ramblers Cymru, which is promoting more than 100 guided walks on the coast over this bank holiday weekend to celebrate the opening of the path.
But she advised that the path was still a work in progress. Charlton said in some parts of the north, such as around the resort of Rhyl, walkers would have asphalt underfoot rather than sand, gravel or grass. In areas including Port Talbot in south Wales the path veers a little away from the coast.
These are relatively minor concerns that the government and its partners hope will be sorted out in the years to come. Charlton said one of the joys of the path was that people would be encouraged to explore away from the very well-known areas such as the Pembrokeshire coast national park. Her favourite stretch, for example, is the beach at Monknash, near Bridgend (she recommends the Plough and Harrow pub as a good place for a break).
The Guardian tested the start of the path at Chepstow, beginning with a trip to the tourist information centre. Elizabeth Amphlett, a visitor adviser, said "dozens" of hikers had been in asking about the walk. She has no guide book to offer but instead kindly photocopies printouts from the walk website of the route between Chepstow and Newport, 20-odd miles away. "It's just that because it's so new there isn't a guide out yet. I'm sure someone will do one soon."
The walk winds along the Wye then up through the town. The route is marked with blue and yellow signs with a dragon's tail tracing the shape of the coast. A few miles out of town is Black Rock, where fishermen have for generations waded out into the Severn estuary to catch salmon in hand-held nets.
A little further on is the village of Sudbrook, built for workers on the railway tunnel that joins England and Wales. Further round the coast the path takes you close to the sprawling Llanwern steelworks in Newport.
There is relief from the industry as you walk through the reedbeds of the RSPB reserve Newport wetlands, then on to the banks of the Usk and the Transporter bridge, built to take workers from the city to and from the steelworks. The Guardian's walk was not a "picture postcard" experience but was full of historical interest.
Someone who has already tackled the path is Arry Beresford-Webb, a health adviser to the CCW and a sports therapist who is due to finish a charity run of the path to coincide with the actual opening on Saturday.
Beresford-Webb will have covered the coastal path in 31 days. Her favourite stretch was the path around Anglesey ("raw and rugged"), her worst Rhyl to Prestatyn, mainly because someone hurled abuse and tried to trip her up.
She has been chased by cows and endured a standoff with a particularly fierce turkey. She has been amazed by the variety of the route: "In one day I can be scrambling up cliffs, stumbling across pebbles, running on sand, hiking up steep inclines into woodlands and hopping across bog."
Her top tip? "Don't run it, walk it, I feel I have missed so much because I haven't been able to pause and take a long look around." Text Source: (
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