The town of St Davids, Wales, is famous for its rich history starting all the way back in the early middle ages with Saint David – the patron saint of Wales – who established a monastic community there. Thousands of pilgrims still make the St Davids pilgrimage, while other tourists who flock to the Welsh town are simply interested in the story of this revered holy man, as well as the cathedral which commemorates him.
Whatever the case might be, St Davids is known for one more reason – its breathtaking beauty. Located on the coast of the Irish Sea, St Davids and its surrounding areas offer incredible views that shouldn’t be missed!
Here’s a list of the places in question:
- Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
- Caerfai Bay
- Blue Lagoon
- Ramsey Island
- Skokholm
- Emsger
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park was established in 1952 and it covers, as the name suggests, the Pembrokeshire coast of which St David is part of. This park contains within itself some of the beautiful sights on the list, but we think it needed additional attention as other majestic places outside of St Davids are also worth visiting.
The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s size is 243 sq miles and it covers an area filled with curious rock formations such as sea caves and natural arches, which we recommend you explore if you visit St Davids. There are also breathtaking little islands that are of particular interest to the sailing lovers out there. What’s more, the national park also contains sites of historical and archaeological importance like Pentre Ifan (a Neolithic dolmen).
If you want to explore the whole park, we advise you to come with a car or rent one. A boat might be useful as well!
Caerfai Bay
Caerfai Bay is a spectacular bay with a lovely sand beach and cliffs of purple sandstone. There are now-closed quarries that provided stones for the first St Davids Cathedral. You can also see parts of an Iron Age fort!
Caerfai Bay is a must-see place as evidenced by the glowing reviews online. The gigantic cliffs make one feel small and truly appreciative of mother’s nature beauty. You can even camp there (at Caerfai Bay Caravan and Tent Park) between March and November. There’s also a nice farm there, which produces milk, cheese, and potatoes using renewable energy.
Blue Lagoon
Blue Lagoon is one of the prettiest places you can ever visit. The lagoon was formed artificially with the purpose to connect the sea and the slate quarry (active until 1910). The slate gives the water its sparkly aqua blue colour. Visitors can also see the ruins of the quarry today, which makes the place even more charming.
The lagoon is about 20 minutes away with a car from central St Davids. We advise you to either go with a car or a bike, and you can even bring your kayak with you!
Ramsay Island
St Davids is surrounded by many small islands, which are worth exploring. Ramsay Island (Welsh: Ynys Dewi) is the biggest of the group and the most often visited one. The island is home to Saint Justinian, confessor of Saint David. It’s also the fourth largest island in Wales with a length of 3.2 km.
Ramsay Island is famous for its many types of rocks (volcanic, sedimentary, and intrusive), albeit its small size. Recent discoveries suggest the island has been inhabited by humans for at least 5,000 years. Later on, in medieval times, the island used to be a flourishing farming spot, but it’s now mainly a tourist attraction. There are medieval structures such as a well and a cemetery that we recommend visiting!
Ramsay Island is 1 km away from St Davids, and you can reach it by boat. If you don’t have one of your own, you can go on a wee boat cruise, which incorporates the island, as well as the fantastic sea caves around it.
Skokholm
No, this is not the capital of Sweden, it’s spelt differently! Skokholm (Welsh: Ynys Sgogwm) is yet another beautiful island in the St Davids’ area. The island is of particular interest to wildlife enthusiasts. Skokholm, along with Skomer, has become the second Marine Nature Reserve of the UK due to the marine diversity in the area.
Interestingly, Skokholm was also the first bird observatory in the UK. There are birds such as Manx shearwaters, storm petrels, razorbills, oystercatchers and so on. The cutest inhabitant has to be the puffin bird, though! Many tourists flock to visit these adorable birds every year, while ornithologists routinely study them. There are cruise boats that can take you to the island, and there’s also accommodation allowing you to stay overnight. Skokholm is almost ready to reopen after a long covid-19 hiatus, so check for updates!
Emsger
Emsger is a tiny islet, but its beauty and seclusion is what drew us to it. Emsger is the largest of the Bishops and Clerks group of isles, and it’s 6 miles away from St Davids.
There’s a beautiful lighthouse, South Bishop Lighthouse, which was built in 1839, and it’s still operating. We mostly included Emsger, because it reminded us of the setting of The Lighthouse, but we hope that visitors will only take pretty photos there and won’t get mad like Robert Pattinson and Willem Defoe!
As with isles of this size, you can access it with a private boat.