Things To Do In Pembrokeshire
& Cardigan Bay
Beaches and coast nearby
The Pembrokeshire coastline stretches for over 180 miles, with more than 50 beaches, hidden coves and long, epic coastal paths. Within an easy drive you’ll find wide sandy beaches like Poppit Sands and quieter spots such as Mwnt, as well as dramatic stretches of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path where clifftop walks open out over Cardigan Bay.
For ideas on specific places to explore along this coast, see our guide to favourite beaches near me at Penbryn and our round-up of [the best family-friendly beaches in West Wales], or if you’re drawn to the water, learn more about our favourite wild swimming spots.
This is a coast shaped as much by wildlife as by the sea itself, with dolphins regularly spotted offshore, seals along the rocks and seabirds overhead. Whether you’re heading out for a beach day, a coastal walk or simply time by the water, it’s all close enough to choose on the day and still be back for a quiet evening at camp.
Poppit Sands Nature Reserve, Near Cardigan
📍 About 20 mins from Top of the Woods
Coastal Path, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
📍 About 20 mins from Top of the Woods
Mwnt National
Trust Beach
📍 About 30 mins from Top of the Woods
Penbryn National Trust Beach
📍 About 30 mins from Top of the Woods
Barafundle Bay, often named among the UK’s most beautiful beaches
📍 About 60 mins from
Top of the Woods
Wildlife and nature nearby
Pembrokeshire is one of the best places in the UK to experience wildlife up close, both on land and at sea. Cardigan Bay is home to Europe’s largest resident population of bottlenose dolphins, often seen from the coast or on the water, alongside seals, seabirds and seasonal visitors such as whales and basking sharks. Wildlife watching here doesn’t always mean heading far, it’s often part of a coastal walk or time spent by the sea.
Boat trips out to the Pembrokeshire islands add another layer to the experience, with seabirds, cliffs and open water shaping this stretch of coast. Skomer Island, famous for its puffins and seabird colonies, is one of the most memorable wildlife experiences in Wales and a highlight for many visitors. it’s a landscape where wildlife is part of everyday exploring, whether you’re walking, watching, or simply spending time outdoors.
If you love wild places, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park should be on your UK travel bucket list to explore. It’s one of the most special areas in the UK for wildlife and outdoor adventure, and a place people visit, fall in love with and never forget.
Top of the Woods is the perfect camp base for Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay. Whether you’re staying in one of our glamping accommodation or camping pitches, you’re spoiled with over 50 wild beaches within 20 to 45 minutes. These offer wild swimming spots, surfing, kayaking, paddleboarding and long coastal walks. Alongside the coast and open landscapes, there are beautiful market towns nearby, full of independent shops, galleries and places to eat, as well as ancient sites, castles and Neolithic forts to discover.
Cardigan Bay is known for its marine wildlife and is home to the largest resident population of bottlenose dolphins in Europe, here all year round, alongside seals, seabirds and seasonal visitors such as whales and basking sharks. Whether you’re on the coast path or in the water, wildlife is everywhere and part of what makes this area feel so special and protected.
We want to share some of our favourite nearby places and experiences to give you a feel for what’s around during your stay, and how easy it is to explore from here at Top of the Woods.
Cardigan Bay Dolphin Watching
📍 About 20 mins from Top of the Woods
Welsh Wildlife Centre, Teifi Marshes
📍 About 20 mins from Top of the Woods
Puffins on Skomer Island
📍 About 60 mins from Top of the Woods
Seasonal Marine Wildlife
📍 About 20 mins from
Top of the Woods
Preseli Hills, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
📍 About 25 mins from Top of the Woods
Coastal walks & National Park
walking routes nearby
There’s no shortage of great walking in Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay, and staying at Top of the Woods makes it easy to step straight into it. We share plenty of local route ideas on site, from short coastal sections to longer day walks. You can check the favourites board, borrow walking guides and maps, or simply ask Soo, who’s rarely happier than when she’s out exploring on foot.
One of the walks many guests love most starts right from the campsite. It’s our secret waterfall trail, a five-mile woodland walk leading to a hidden waterfall believed to feature in the Mabinogi, one of the UK’s oldest collections of stories. It’s a real guest favourite and one that almost everyone ends up doing. If you’re looking for a walking holiday that’s already planned for you, our Wild Coast Walking Trek brings together some of the best sections of the coastal path, including accommodation and food for the weekend, all taken at a relaxed, unhurried pace.
The Pembrokeshire Coast Path offers long coastal routes with wide views across Cardigan Bay, while inland the Preseli Hills bring a very different feel, shaped by ancient sites, open moorland and big skies. Add in woodland and river walks, and you have a landscape that really rewards being explored on foot, whether you’re heading out for an hour or a full day.
Secret Waterfall and Woodland Walk
📍 Directly from Top of the Woods campsite
Stumble Head coastal walk near
St Davids
📍 About 35 mins from Top of the Woods
Blue Lagoon coastal walk at Abereiddy
📍 About 45 mins from Top of the Woods
Preseli Hills sunrise walk in the National Park
📍 About 25 mins from
Top of the Woods
Golden Road walking route in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
📍 About 25 mins from Top of the Woods
Ancient and mythical landscapes nearby
The land around Top of the Woods has a very different feel once you move inland, where the landscape opens up into the Preseli Hills and a network of ancient sites, tracks and woodland. This is a place shaped by time, with stone circles, burial chambers and hilltop views that feel quietly powerful rather than dramatic.
Close by, places like Pentre Ifan and Castell Henllys offer a glimpse into how people have lived in this landscape for thousands of years, while Ty Canol ancient woodland brings a softer, more enclosed atmosphere, rich with moss, lichen and old oak. These are places best
explored slowly, on foot, where the stories sit lightly in the land and the pace naturally eases.
Ty Canol Ancient Woodland, Preseli Hills
📍 About 30 mins from Top of the Woods campsite
Pentre Ifan Neolithic Burial Chamber
📍 About 35 mins from Top of the Woods
Castell Henllys Iron Age Village
📍 About 25 mins from Top of the Woods
Preseli Hills, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
📍 About 30 mins from
Top of the Woods
Dinas Head Iron Age Fort, Pembrokeshire Coast
📍 About 35 mins from Top of the Woods
Outdoor activities, guided & self-guide nearby
Pembrokeshire is a nature paradise and a place people come for active outdoor sports and hobbies. Staying at Top of the Woods gives you the perfect camp base to enjoy it all, with easy access to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Days here are shaped by sea, rivers, woodland and open space, with plenty to get stuck into for guests who love adventure in the wild.
If you’re looking for travel bucket-list moments, there are plenty to be had here. Paddleboarding along the coast to the Witches Cauldron in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is one of them. Wild swimming is just as varied, with more than 50 sea-dip spots along the coast, swims in the River Teifi and its peaceful gorge, or quieter reservoirs and pools inland in the National Park. From the campsite itself, you can also head through the woods to the waterfall for a refreshing wild swim. If surfing is your thing, some of the best beaches in Wales are close by, and there are plenty of options for kayaking and canoeing too, with routes that work around experience levels, weather conditions, and whether you fancy the coast, a river or open water.
For guided and bookable experiences, our Activities page brings together a range of options run by trusted local providers, making it easy to turn ideas into plans. There’s also plenty of local travel information in Soo’s Shed, so you can do your planning once you arrive.
Wild swimming at the woodland waterfall
📍 Directly from Top of the Woods campsite
Walking in the woods
📍 Directly from Top of the Woods
River canoeing on the Teifi
📍 About 20 mins from Top of the Woods
Paddleboarding at the Witches Cauldron
📍 About 35 mins from
Top of the Woods
Surf & Body Boarding at Poppit Sands
📍 About 20 mins from Top of the Woods
Castles and historic places nearby
You don’t have to go far to find castles and historic places in this part of Wales. They make the perfect day trips, where you can step into the stories of Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay, with more than 18 castles spread across the county.
Pembroke Castle is one of my favourites, one of the great medieval strongholds of Wales and impressive in both scale and atmosphere. Cardigan Castle has been carefully restored in recent years and now provides a lovely backdrop to one of our closest towns and the Other Voice's Celtic music festival. Cilgerran Castle sits high above the Teifi Gorge, dramatic and quiet, with a real sense of place and it makes a great day out when paired with a visit to the Welsh Wildlife Centre. Over on the coast, St Davids Cathedral anchors the UK’s smallest city and is a peaceful, beautiful place to explore.
Closer to home, the Shell House is something completely different. This small gentleman’s folly, covered in shells, can be reached on foot from the campsite and is a little local gem with its own historic significance. Built in the late 1820’s by Morgan Jones in honour of his uncle; who Morgan inherited the Cilwendeg Estate is next door to Top of the Woods! Discover the truly unique history of The Shell House and the Cilwendeg estate.
Shell House
📍 Direct from Top of the Woods campsite
Cardigan Castle
📍 About 15 mins from Top of the Woods
Cilgerran Castle
📍 About 15 mins from Top of the Woods
St David's Cathedral
📍 About 45 mins from Top of the Woods
Pembroke Castle
📍 About 60 mins from
Top of the Woods
Towns, culture and shopping nearby
Not every day needs a plan. Some are for hanging out, exploring, good coffee, browsing independent shops & seeing where you end up.
Cardigan and Newcastle Emlyn are the closest towns to us and are ideal for picking up your camping provisions, popping into small independent shops and settling into a café. Cardigan Town & its harbour was the second largest port in Wales in its heyday in the 1800's. Newcastle Emlyn is quieter traditional market town with regular livestock markets, independent shops and a castle at its heart, where the last dragon of Wales was killed!
Fishguard is a working harbour and has good mix of small shops, cafés and coastal walks, and is known for its connection to the Last Invasion of Britain and the tapestry that tells the story. Narberth is known for food, antiques and boutique independent shops. It’s the kind of place you go to browse and stay longer than you planned, with plenty of places to stop and eat along the way. St Davids is Britain’s smallest city and its streets are lined with excellent independent shops, cafés and galleries, shaped by the cathedral and the medieval streets around it. Tenby is the iconic Welsh seaside town, with bright houses curving around the harbour, two beaches right in the centre and streets full of mostly independent shops. There’s history to explore, a lively harbour atmosphere and the Tenby Blues Festival adding to its character.
If you are looking for a day of exploring, not too much of an agenda...here are a few ideas to get you going.
Cardigan & Newcastle Emlyn
📍 About 15 mins from Top of the Woods
Narberth
📍 About 35 mins from
Top of the Woods
St David's City
📍 About 60 mins from Top of the Woods
Fishguard
📍 About 35 mins from Top of the Woods
Tenby
📍 About 60 mins from Top of the Woods
Whether you’re staying for a few days or a few weeks, there’s plenty to explore across Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay, with something to suit everyone and their passions. Top of the Woods makes an ideal base for people who love camping or glamping with everything within easy reach. When you’re ready to plan your next holiday, you can check availability for your perfect holiday dates, and we hope to welcome you to Top of the Woods soon.
There is a selection of tourist information onsite, and Jon & Soo are always happy to help with recommendations - or ask your fellow campers for their recommendations around the communal campfire in the evenings!