Marloes Circular Walk

The Marloes circular walk is mainly on the coast with incredible views, and plenty to see along the way. Time it right and this may include seal pups.

The spectacular Marloes beach comes close to the end of this one…

…and the little harbour of Martin’s Haven not far from the start. The walk also takes you through Deer Park where you get great views of Skomer Island.

So, if you’re looking for the convenience of a circular walk in Pembrokeshire where there’s lots to keep you interested then this could well be the one for you.

The Marloes Circular Walk

Taking on the Marloes circular walk in an anti-clockwise direction means we get the boring stuff out of the way first. By boring we mean a long walk along a stretch of road and that it is a mile before you reach the coast path.

From the National Trust car park we head North and turn left onto the main road that runs to Martins Haven.

Do be careful in this stretch of road and bear in mind the national speed limit applies here. This means vehicles can and do travel at some speed. Certainly, do not listen to music through headphones like we saw someone doing, totally oblivious to the traffic building up behind them.

After approximately ¾ of a mile you’ll come to the path marker on your right hand side clearly pointing the direction in which to walk across the fields.

The path across the field is fairly well defined and hugs the fence to your left-hand side. This is where things start to get interesting on this section of the walk with a great view Skomer already.

You will have walked just over a mile by the time you get to the coast path which you need to turn left onto. Even when it has been dry for some time, days or weeks in fact, there is some run off from some of the farm fields here, so sections of the path can get muddy which makes walking boots essential.

Martin’s Haven

Approximately ¾ mile along the coast path you will reach Martin’s Haven. This is where the boats go from to Skomer Island. There are also public conveniences here. The steps down into Matins Haven are fairly steep so be careful with the knees here. When you get to the bottom, follow the coast path sign up the hill to your left.

At the left had bend in the road, path markers will show you to turn right through the gate.

Here you have two options. Head straight up the hill to get to Wooltack point or bypass it by taking the shortcut to your left and following the wall. Taking the shortcut does mean you’ll miss some spectacular views though.

Wooltack Point

The path to Wooltack is quite short but steep. As you can imagine the views from the lookout are pretty spectacular…

…especially out over Skomer with Wooltack Point in the foreground.

Deer Park

There are numerous paths running through Deer Park. Choose whichever one you fancy. Keeping the sea on your right you can’t really go wrong. You will see a fair bit of boat activity around here. You will also get a brilliant view of Skomer and Skokholm.

If you’re hoping to see seals and their pups on this walk, this is probably your best bet. Pupping takes place anytime in the Autumn. We’ve seen them here on the 1st of September.

Ending the walk

After approximately 4¾ miles, you’ll see a post marker labelled Raggle Rocks with a Green National Trust sign attached to it. Turn left off the path here and follow the signs back to the car park.

Alternatively, you can carry on along the coast path to take a closer look at Marloes Beach. The car park is fairly well signed from here.

How to get to the Marloes Circular Walk

Getting to Marloes is not easy, the village is a good 20 minutes beyond Haverfordwest, and the closer you get the narrower the roads become. So it will take some time. Slow down and enjoy the ride.

To get to Haverfordwest take the A40 from the North (Fishguard) or the East (Carmarthen) and when you get to Haverfordwest your best bet is to head up High Street and take a right at the traffic lights in the middle lane. Once through the lights you’ll be in the left hand lane. Stay in it and then on this road through the mini roundabout at Tesco.

Take a left at the Belle Vue onto the Dale Road (B4327) and stay on it until you reach the signpost for Marloes. Marloes is approximately 1.5 miles from this point and 12 miles from Haverfordwest.

Where to park for the Marloes Circular Walk

Parking is available at the National Trust Car Park near to Marloes beach.

Current charges (2021) £3 for 3 hours, £6 all day (for non-members)

Map reference SM 98273 01408
Nearest Post Code SA71 4LD

Thoughts on the Marloes Circular Walk

This walk should take around 2 ½ hours walking time, but it may take you longer because there is plenty that will make you want to stop and admire or explore. And no doubt you will meet some very pleasant and like minded individuals like we did that you’ll enjoy passing the time of day with.

We love a good circular walk. And this is one of the best. You finish where you start without covering the same ground twice and there are no headaches over the logistics.

We hope this post will help you with that. If it has then check out our others on circular walks in Pembrokeshire including:

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.

If you’re looking for a great book on the Pembrokeshire Coast path walks we thoroughly recommend this one. 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!

Where to stay near Marloes

There are fields for camping actually adjoining and overlooking the coast path on the Marloes circular walk which have great sea views. There are also self catering accommodation options in Marloes itself.

We always use Booking.com to check what’s available where.

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