We walked quite a few beaches in Wales, and they were all unique. Yes, they all had sea and sand and sky in abundance, but they all had their own character. Amroth Beach, is one surrounded by large pebbles but don’t let that deter you. There is a concrete esplanade along the sea wall and a cement path at the east end which makes it easy to access the sand.
We approached the beach from the Colby Woodland Garden Centre where we had parked. To experience the beach at low tide, we headed there straight away and returned to the gardens after lunch. There is a path through the gardens that takes you into Amroth and down through the houses to the beach. Just be sure to note where you came out, so you know how to get back into the gardens. I took a photo, so we’d be sure not to miss it.
To shine a light on the United Nations Cleans Seas Campaign about the issue of plastics ending up in our oceans, there is a 14 x 7-foot stainless-steel sea bass full of plastic garbage along the sea front. It is by local artist Gideon Peterson and is called Clean Seas. There is a storyboard next to it explaining what we can do to help keep plastics out of our oceans.
There are also storyboards explaining Amroth Beach’s role (dubbed Exercise Jantzen) in preparing the Allied Troops for the D-Day Landings in WWII providing them with experience unloading landing craft on a beach. A concern to this day is the continual drift of the beach towards the town. This was exacerbated by the changes made to the beach during Exercise Jantzen and the removal of stones to build roads along the beach. Hopefully the sea wall that has been built will protect the town from the incursion of the sea.
Dogs are restricted on the beach between May 1 and September 30 so check the map if you visit during those months to see where you can walk them. As we approached the cement access to the beach, we noticed a series of stone statues made from large pebbles along the top of the beach. In Canada we would call them Inuksuk’s – built by First Nations people in the north and used as landmarks in navigation. If you’re walking the coastal path, on the right of the beach it will take you up onto a steep cliff with windswept pines that look quite dramatic. The different colours visible on the cliff face reflect the passage of time in this small section of the country. Far to the right you can see the town of Tenby along the coast. While there is a lot of sand, there are also a lot of large rocks and pebbles scattered about before you get to the clear stretches of beach, so be careful of your footing. The dogs had fun cooling off in the little pools of water along the beach while playing ball. They weren’t the only ones who enjoyed their time on the beach. There is much to take in with the varied scenery in all directions.
If you’re driving directly to the beach, there is a car park and additional parking along the sea wall. There are public toilets at the east and west ends of the beach which are open from 7 am to 8 pm year-round. Those at the east end include disabled toilets and baby changing facilities.
