DISTANCE/DURATION: 3.1 miles (5.0 km) 1 hour 15 minutes.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Service bus Solva 411, *Puffin Shuttle 400 (*seasonal, hail & ride).
CHARACTER: Rugged coast, fields and livestock, reasonably level.
LOOK OUT FOR: Sea birds.
History meets nature in the tunnels and quarries of Nine Wells…
Nine Wells has a number of disused quarries which, because they trap the sun, are a haven for a range of plants and butterflies.
The coast is pockmarked with caves and at Porth-y-Rhaw, a small cove, there’s a wonderful promontory fort with steep cliffs to the east.
At Aberllong the remains of three tugs wrecked by the rough seas on their journey from Liverpool in 1986 can be seen.
Ogof Tobacco is reputedly the entrance to a tunnel which led from the cave to Llanunwas farmhouse for the smuggling of contraband ashore.
Solva valley was carved out by glacial melt-water at the end of the last Ice Age, when rising sea levels flooded the lower valley to form the famous harbour.
Ian Meopham, West Sector Ranger for Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority has done this walk.
He says: “The remains of an old tug washed ashore can be seen from the section of path that passes The Cradle. History surrounds the area of Smugglers Cave, which was once used for trading tobacco. An excellent area to see butterflies and dragonflies.”
Text provided by the BBC
Find this Walk
Grid ref: SM785245
SAFETY FIRST!
- Take great care when on the Coast Path
- Stay on the path and away from cliff edges
- Wear boots and warm, waterproof clothing
- Take extra care in windy and/or wet conditions
- Always supervise children and dogs
- Leave gates and property as you find them
