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Surfing and kayaking at Newgale beach in Pembrokeshire
Sun, sea and surf
Newgale is a great day out during a holiday in Pembrokeshire. When the sun is shining, it’s one of the best beaches in the UK. There’s plenty to do along the beach for the whole family and there are also a couple of cafes and a pub. This makes a day out at Newgale an absolute must when visiting Pembrokeshire.
Newgale’s biggest attractions are its stunning scenery and the range of watersports such as surfing, kayaking and sailing among others that can be tried on the beach.
Newgale’s golden sands stretch for some two miles along the Pembrokeshire Coast, which is the only coastal National Park in the country.
Fun in the sun
Newgale is one of the best beaches in Wales for surfing and attracts everybody from beginners to advanced riders. Newgale was even rated by the Independent and the Telegraph the second best beach in the country for water activities – and the best beach in the UK to watch sunsets from.
On a sunny day it’s incredible to see dozens of people on the beach all having fun in the sea. There are the complete beginners learning to surf the first time, kids playing on their foam body boards, and more advanced surfers who paddle further out to try to catch the bigger waves.
Quite a spectacle! And that’s not to mention the hundreds of people on the beach all lapping up the sun. This makes for a magnificent atmosphere – but all the while Newgale retains its feel of unspoiled Pembrokeshire coastline.
For surfers, waves at Newgale range from one foot high for the complete beginner up to five or six feet on a very good day for more advanced riders. Some days the breaks are clean while on others they are more choppy, but they can still be surfed.
The beach has rolling hills behind it and steep hills extending out into the sea on each side. There is still plenty of room to surf – even on a busy day when hundreds of tourists flock to the popular beach.
Surf lessons are available on Newgale beach from a number of places. These include the former UK surfing champion Pete Bounds who runs master classes on the ‘best beach of the day’, which he says is usually Newgale.
The price of Pete Bounds’ surfing lessons start at £25 for children in a group for two hours up to £63 for a full beginner’s course which includes two sessions.
Alternatively one of the most popular places to have surfing lessons is at the Newsurf shop on the seafront at Newgale beach itself. They run group lessons every day in the morning and again in the afternoon.
Newsurf's group lessons attract large numbers of people in the busy tourist season so it’s recommended to go for one of the earlier session when the beach is not as busy. Like Pete Bounds, Newsurf, also offers more advanced private lessons with video and photo analysis.
Stocked up
For those who have surfed before it’s possible to hire boards, wetsuits and boots from Newsurf for anything from an hour to the whole day. The shop also sells boards, west suits, surfing accessories, clothes, groceries and newspapers – so there’s plenty there to keep stocked up with throughout the day.
Newsurf also provides a free car park, showers, changing rooms and toilets. The staff are really helpful and can even give updates on the surfing conditions over the phone.
Newsurf is located at one end of the beach next to the Duke of Edinburgh pub and the Sands Cafe. At the other there is a larger area of sand. There is also a second cafe and shop selling groceries and beach accessories. There’s also Newgale camping siteat this end of the beach and horse riding stables further up the coast.
High tide
The tide at Newgale comes all the way up to the pebbles that are at the start of the beach. It’s worth checking the times of the high tide with somebody at Newsurf to find out when the beach will be covered. It usually only lasts for an hour a day then the sea retreats.
Travelling to Newgale is fairly easy. Follow the M4 past Swansea and then the A48 to Haverfordwest. From Haverfordwest it’s best to travel along the A487 which is signposted to St David’s (The UK’s smallest city). The road to St David’s goes past Newgale. You won’t miss the rolling hills, sand and glistening sea.
If surfing isn’t quite your thing, then it’s possible to hire kayaks, skimboards, jet skis or even try wakeboarding along the beach. Or you might like to just bask in the sun and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. Either way, a day out Newgale can be an fun time for the whole family.
Newgale beach near Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire