Whitesands Bay

Whitesands Bay lies on the St David’s peninsula in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, two kilometres west of St Davids and one kilometre south of St Davids Head. The wide sandy beach carries a Blue Flag and is widely regarded as the best surfing beach in the county. Behind the dunes Carn Llidi rises to 181 metres, a rocky outcrop that dominates the north-east skyline. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path runs along the northern edge to secluded bays such as Porthlleuog and Porthmelgan. Southwards the same path leads to Porthselau and St Justinian’s with views across to Ramsey Island. The bay is linked to early Christian history. Tradition says St Patrick sailed from here in 432 to convert Ireland, and a Celtic chapel dedicated to him stands under a mound near the car park. Ty Gwyn, the white farmhouse overlooking the beach, may have been where St David was educated by St Paulinus. Nearby St Non is thought to have lived here when the site was a monastery. Archaeologists have recovered remains from the 8th to 11th centuries, now preserved in the National Museum of Wales to protect them from coastal erosion. At very low tide and after storms the remains of an ancient submerged forest appear on the beach. Birch, fir, hazel and oak stumps stand in the sand alongside animal bones such as an aurochs skull and a brown bear jaw. The beach shop and café sit beside the dunes, while the golf course and youth hostel overlook the bay. The surf school rents boards and the campsite opens each Easter, giving visitors a place to stay close to the waves and the wind.