DISTANCE/DURATION: 3.5 miles (5.7km) 1 hour 30 minutes.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Service bus WisemansBridge/Saundersfoot/Stepaside 350/351/353.
CHARACTER: Coast, lanes, fields and livestock, return via woodland for Coppet Hall.
LOOK OUT FOR: Path follows disused colliery railway to Grove Colliery, Stepaside.
From World War Two to Woodland Gardens, a walk steeped in history and full of things to see.
The beach at Wiseman’s bridge was used as a practice location for the Normandy landings in 1944 under the watchful eyes of Churchill himself.
The wooded walk up the aptly named Pleasant Valley leads to the ruins of the Kilgetty Ironworks, which processed ore dug from ‘patches’ on the sea cliffs between Saundersfoot and Amroth, and the Grove Colliery at Stepaside.
The path follows the route of the disused colliery railway line (which was originally a horse-drawn ‘dramway’). The stream alongside was once unsuccessfully converted into a canal.
Wiseman’s Bridge derives its name from the Wyseman family who once owned a great deal of land in the area. Look for blue-tit, great-tit, wren, greater-spotted woodpecker and chaffinch in the woods.
Nearby, Colby Woodland Garden boasts one of the best collections of rhododendrons and azaleas in Wales, with bluebells and daffodils in spring, hydrangeas in summer and wonderful autumn colours.
The gardens are owned by the National Trust and are open from April to November.
Text provided by the BBC
Find this walk
Grid ref: SN145061
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
