Gower and the Pembrokeshire coast
Limestone bays on Gower, Dylan Thomas’s Laugharne, harbour town Tenby, a chapel in the cliffs and Britain’s smallest city.
- Distance
- 186 km (115 mi)
- Driving
- 2 h 34 min
- Suggested days
- 5
- Stops
- 9
- Countries
- United Kingdom
- Updated
- July 1, 2026
At a glance: 5-day road trip of about 186 km (115 mi) with 9 stops, from Swansea to Strumble Head. About 2 h 34 min of driving in total.
Route description
From Swansea the A4118 heads out onto the Gower peninsula, Britain’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Walk down from Penmaen to Three Cliffs Bay, then carry on to Rhossili, where a huge beach curves below the down and the tidal Worm’s Head.
Drive back through Swansea and west via Carmarthen to Laugharne, the estuary town where Dylan Thomas wrote in his boathouse; his grave is in the churchyard. The A477 then leads to Tenby, a walled harbour town of pastel houses and sandy beaches.
South of Pembroke, walk from Stackpole Quay to Barafundle Bay, then drive on through Bosherston to St Govan’s Chapel, hidden in a cleft of the cliffs. The road crosses the Castlemartin military range and closes during firing: check the notices before you go.
The A487 turns north to St Davids, a city no bigger than a village, with a cathedral in a hollow beside a ruined bishop’s palace. The coast road continues past Whitesands Bay to Strumble Head, a fine place to watch seabirds and porpoises. Fishguard, close by, has ferries to Ireland. Many coast lanes are single-track, so smaller vehicles are easier.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Swansea
United Kingdom - 216 km
Three Cliffs Bay
NaturePenmaen, United KingdomA bay framed by three limestone points, with a castle ruin and a river winding across the sand. There is no road down: walk in from Penmaen.
- 315 km
Rhossili Bay
ViewsRhossili, United KingdomAlmost 5 km of sand below a steep down, ending at the tidal Worm’s Head. Crossing to the Head is only safe around low tide, so check the times at the coastguard lookout.
- 432 km
Laugharne
United Kingdom - 525 km
Tenby
United Kingdom - 619 km
Barafundle Bay
NatureStackpole, United KingdomA sandy cove with dunes and pine trees and no road access, reached on a cliff path of about 800 m from Stackpole Quay.
- 74 km
St Govan’s Chapel
OdditiesBosherston, United KingdomA tiny stone chapel wedged into a cleft in the cliffs at the bottom of a long flight of steps. The road crosses a military range and closes when firing is taking place.
- 848 km
St Davids
United Kingdom - 927 km
Strumble Head
ViewsGoodwick, United KingdomA lighthouse on a rocky islet off a wild headland, with an old lookout that makes a good shelter for watching seals, porpoises and seabirds.
