Walk 25: Tenby to Manorbier

We completed our second Pembrokeshire Coast Path walk in January 2023, on a weekend visit to south Wales. Like our previous walk, this was a relatively short one, at about seven-and-a-half miles, making for a nice easy start to the year and compensating a bit for the muddy terrain!

We walked this one backwards – from Manorbier to Tenby – taking a taxi to Manorbier in the morning and walking back to our car in Tenby. Despite our walk taking place in January, we were quite lucky with the weather – it was a bit wet and the path was a bit slippery, but we largely managed to avoid the rain!

We were dropped off at Manorbier Beach car park and walked along the path to the beach, with Manorbier Castle behind us. Typical of a January day, the beach was quite quiet, with just a couple of people on a stroll with their dogs. The path immediately took us up onto the cliff. The views were stunning, and the sea was looking particularly blue. We weaved along the path – at times, we felt a bit close to the edge given the muddy terrain – but it was a fantastic section to walk.

After a little while, we walked through a gate and onto a field, which took us away from the coast to divert around Manorbier Camp, which is currently used as a training and testing range for the British Army. The path look us right around the camp – firstly through a couple of fields, then along a road, and then back onto the path – all with the fence of the camp to our right.

Soon enough, we were back on coastal path as if the diversion had never happened! After walking along the path for a short while, we reached the beautiful Skrinkle Haven and Church Door Cove. Church Door Cove is known for its iconic door-shaped archway which has been cut into the cliffs by the ocean. Next-door Skrinkle Haven is a stunning beach which is now only accessible at low tide, via Church Door Cove.  

After continuing along the clifftop path for a while longer, we walked through a wooded area before coming out onto a quiet road which took us down to Lydstep Beach. Above the beach is a holiday park – Lydstep Haven – which was, as expected, quite quiet on a grey January weekend. We walked along the road alongside the beach, before heading back up onto the cliff.

We enjoyed views of Caldey Island as we continued towards Tenby, and, as we reached Giltar Point, we also got our first glimpse of Tenby South Beach. After one last short descent onto the beach, we finished off with a nice flat beach walk, with lovely views of Tenby and Catherine Island as we walked. After leaving the beach, we headed up to the town to find our car, our first weekend of walking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path a success!

🥾 Distance: Seven-and-a-half miles.  

⭐ Highlight: The first section was stunning – bright blue sea and lovely clifftop views.

👎 Less Good: The walk around Manorbier Camp wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing!

🚗 Transport: We parked in Tenby, got a taxi to Manorbier, and walked back to the car.

🛏️ Accommodation: We stayed at Heywood Spa Hotel, just outside the centre of Tenby, where we had a lovely, comfortable stay.  

🌱 Food: We grabbed some banana blossom fish and chips from Milton Fish and Chips – delicious!

🗺️ Map: This route is featured in the official Pembrokeshire guide.

Still not convinced? Read my ten reasons to walk the Wales Coast Path. If you’re ready to start planning your walk, you can find lots of resources to help you on your way here. Please note, I collect a share of the sales from the links on this page.