Strumble Head

Starting point  and OS Grid reference: Free car park at Garn Fawr (SM 899388)		Ordnance Survey Map OL35 – North Pembrokeshire. Buy this map from List of OS Maps Note: If you use OS Maps on-line, you can download this route via this link.
Distance:  6.6 miles
Traffic light rating:   (For explanation see My Walks page)
For advice on .gpx files see         My Walks page	Click the PDF logo above to give a printable version of this walk without the photos.

To view route as a dynamic Ordnance Survey map click here.

Introduction: This is an easy short walk to Strumble Head, a prominent headland on the North Pembrokeshire coast with a lighthouse on a small island Ynys Meicel linked by a bridge. You are likely to see the ferries plying between Fishguard and Rosslare in Ireland. There are precipitous cliffs and on the rocks below there is a chance you may see seals. Dolphins and porpoises can also sometimes be seen.

The walk starts at the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park free car park at Garn Fawr. Garn Fawr has a trig. point and what is reputed to be one of the best iron age hill fort sites in Britain.

To get there, turn off the A487 Fishguard to St. Davids where signposted to St. Nicholas (Tremarchog). Go through the hamlet to Harmony and turn left signposted Strumble Head.

Start: Turn left out of the car park, immediately getting great views of the sea and the lighthouse at Strumble Head. Keep on the road passing a footpath on the left at Tarn-y-Myndd. Take the bridleway on the right about 200 yards further on, marked with a fingerpost bearing a horse and rider.

At a three way fingerpost, keep straight ahead. Ignore a right turn a little further on through a gate with a blue arrow.

You come to a footpath on the left marked with a fingerpost but stay on the main bridleway straight ahead, passing between two large stone gateposts. When the bridleway splits at a ‘Y’ shaped junction, turn left.

Go through a gateway and keep right.

The bridleway passes between the buildings at Trenewydd into the main road. Turn left then almost immediately right by a powerpole on to National Trust property. Although this path is signed to indicate it is a public footpath and track to Goodhope and Penrhyn Cottage only, perhaps suggesting that you can go no further, in fact the track does legitimately link with the coast path. I confirmed this with NT employees who were seen there at the time. Immediately after the gate, the track forks but keep straight on as indicated by the yellow footpath arrow.

You enter the National Trust land of Goodhope at a cattle grid. The track goes over a ford where there are stepping stones. As you pass a line of large boulders on the left (presumably to prevent parking) look out for a finger post on the right which is a permissive path to the coast path. Go through the gate there and turn right.

This footpath meets the coastal path at SM 912407. Turn left and follow the coastal path designated by the acorn sign. You soon come to a pleasant little bay at SM 906407 (Porthsychan) which makes a pleasant lunch stop for your sandwiches.

The coast path meets the access road to the lighthouse. Turn right and stay on the coast path (no access to lighthouse). You pass a stone cairn overlooking the lighthouse at SM 889406.

At SM 889394, ignore a stile on the left marked “private”.

The coast path arrives at Pwll Deri Youth Hostel. Turn left to the road and at the road, cross it and take the left hand of the tarmac drives to Pwll Deri Holiday Cottages. After Swn-y-Morli cottage, turn left and immediately right over a stile by a power pole.

A short distance up the hill, you come to a wooden post with faded yellow footpath arrows. Turn right.

At a wooden stile above a cottage with white painted chimneys, ignore it and carry straight on towards the stone bluff in front of you.

The path does a short steep climb behind a stone cottage before heading right to a ‘T’ junction of footpaths. Turn right to return to the car park or left, should you wish to inspect the Iron Age hill fort and trig point first – it is no more than 300 yards or so.

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