Spectacular! That’s the word most often used to describe Barafundle Bay
Regularly featured in newspaper and magazine travel sections Barafundle is a multi-award winner.
Best beach in Britain, one of the top 12 beaches in the world, ‘The UK’s top picnic spot’. These are just some of the accolades claimed by Barafundle over the years.
Owned and managed by the National Trust, and part of the Stackpole Estate, Barafundle Bay is truly a beautiful place to spend time.
Once a well-kept secret, Barafundle is now a firm favourite with tourists and those looking to capture the perfect beach shot.
It still retains some of it’s ‘hidden gem’ appeal though. Probably due to it’s seclusion and lack of accessibility. It’s well worth the effort required to get there and this is how you can.
How to get to Barafundle
Barafundle Bay is near Stackpole Quay in Pembrokeshire, which is about as far west as you can go in Wales. It’s way beyond the Western end of the M4 but it’s very well signposted as you get closer.
It’s around 15 minutes beyond Pembroke with it’s Castle. And the nearer you get the narrower the roads become. So it will take some time. Slow down and enjoy the journey. This is a beautiful part of Pembrokeshire, with Bosherston, St Govan’s, Freshwater West Beach, Stack Rocks and the Green Bridge of Wales all nearby. And they are all worth a visit!
Parking
Parking is at the National Trust Car park at Stackpole Quay which is pretty interesting in itself.
- Map Ref
- Nearest Postcode SA71 5LS
TIP make sure you have cash.
Parking charges apply unless you’re a National Trust Member
There are public conveniences and a cafe here.
Getting to Barafundle beach
Barafundle beach is around a half mile walk from the Car Park at Stackpole Quay. There are absolutely no facilities at the beach itself so you’ll need to make sure you take what you need and maybe use the conveniences at the car park before you head over.
Whilst it’s not really suitable for pushchairs we have done it with 2 toddlers in tow. Or rather, in the pushchairs! Plus all the paraphernalia that comes with them and a great day at the beach. But, from memory, that was tough going. Like an SAS mission. So do be aware that if you’re planning your visit to Barafundle with small ones it can feel a bit more like a military operation than a family trip.
More info on Barafundle
Barafundle is just one of the fantastic beaches in Pembrokeshire and a great place for Pembrokeshire Coast path walks to or from St Govan’s or Broadhaven South beach.
If you’d like to do that check out our post on walks in Pembrokeshire and this book. We’ve got the older version and found it brilliant when we walked the whole thing. It’s battered, bruised and well thumbed but we still use it today!
We would always recommend wearing at least mid-ankle boots as a minimum on any Pembrokeshire walk as they can all be muddy, wet and/or rocky. You don’t want wet feet on a long hike and you certainly don’t want to be twisting an ankle. We’re on our second pair of these by Salomon which says a lot about how good we thought the first pair was.
Whatever the length of your walk remember to carry the right gear and perhaps most importantly a map and compass.
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