Freshwater West Beach | |
Location within Pembrokeshire | |
OS grid reference | SR884997 |
---|---|
Principal area | |
Preserved county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Postcode district | SA71 |
Police | Dyfed-Powys |
Fire | Mid and West Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
Freshwater West (also known as Fresh West) is a beach near Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire in West Wales. It lies along the B4319 road and is part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Freshwater West, noted for its strong waves and currents, is one of Wales' top surfing locations. The Castlemartin MOD firing range is located nearby.
The rocky outcrop at the southern part of the bay near the car park is known as Little Furznip, and has a seaweed-drying hut on the clifftop. Little Furznip divides Freshwater from Frainslake Bay to the south, and beyond that, Linney Head. During historical times the beach was used by smugglers. [1] To the northwest along the coast are Gravel Bay, Black Cave, East Pickard Bay, West Pickard Bay, Guttle Hole, Parsonsquarry Bay and Sheep Island. [2] The headland between Sheep Island in the northwest and Linney Head in the southeast consists primarily of red sandstone, which "form[s] irregular, steep cliffs with fallen rocks at the back of beaches". [3] Towards the centre are older Lower Palaeozoic mudstone and siltstone, and to both the north and the south is old red sandstone. Behind the bays are extensive dune fields such as Broomhill Burrows and Gupton Burrows and a river valley. [4] The low cliffs on the south facing coast reach an elevation of 55 metres (180 ft), rising gently behind to 63 metres (207 ft). [3]
The water at Freshwater West is part of the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC, and it also forms part of the Angle Peninsula Coast SSSI. It is situated within Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. There are a trong currents from the northwest and southeast, while the beach has a tidal range of 6.5 metres (21 ft). [3] At almost a mile long, Freshwater West is flanked by extensive sand dunes and rock pools. The land in the area consists of dunes with fens, grassland, reedbeds, purple moor grass, rush pastures, and maritime cliffs, and is inhabited by wildlife such as waders, chough, overwintering northern lapwing, and grey seal. [3] Despite its natural beauty, Freshwater West is unsuitable for bathing due to strong offshore swells and strong currents. [5] There is an abundance of fossils in the area, and in 1921 some 50 were reported to have been discovered here. [6]
The beach is popular with tourists and locals throughout the year, especially between March and October. Facilities at the beach include toilets, emergency telephone and car parking. From Easter onwards, an ice-cream or hot-dog van is usually in the main car park. There is the Castlemartin MOD firing range in the area which can be alarming and pose a hazard within a 12 miles (19 km) radius during peak firing. [7] [8] Freshwater has a thatched seaweed-drying hut, and there is an Iron Age burial chamber immediately to the north known as the "Devil's Quoit" which is situated in the field left of the main road out of Freshwater. [2]
Freshwater West is one of the top surfing locations in Wales due to its consistent swell and strong waves. [9] The beach regularly hosts surfing tournaments such as the Welsh National Surfing Championships with participants arriving from all over the world. Since 2010 it has had a lifeguard station which is active during the summer months. [5] [9]
As a filming location, Freshwater West featured extensively in the 2010 film Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe, which depicted the French invasion of southern England. Over 600 extras and 150 horses were used during the filming on the beach. [10] It was also a filming location for the final two Harry Potter films; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2 . The beach scenes with Dobby the elf were filmed on the beach and "Shell Cottage" was constructed at the foot of the sand dunes. [11] The cottage was removed after filming. Freshwater West was also used as a filming location in series four of BBC production, The Sarah Jane Adventures and the film The Thief of Bagdad .
The Pembrokeshire Coast Path, often called the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, is a designated National Trail in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales. Established in 1970, it is a 186-mile (299 km) long-distance walking route, mostly at cliff-top level, with a total of 35,000 feet (11,000 m) of ascent and descent. At its highest point – Pen yr afr, on Cemaes Head – it reaches a height of 574 feet (175 m), and at its lowest point – Sandy Haven crossing, near Milford Haven – it is just 6 feet (2 m) above low water. Whilst most of the coastline faces west, it offers – at varying points – coastal views in every direction of the compass.
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and administrative headquarters of Pembrokeshire County Council.
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales and South West England. It extends from the smaller Severn Estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean. It takes its name from the English city and port of Bristol.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales.
St Brides Bay is a bay in western Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
Abereiddy is a hamlet in the county of Pembrokeshire, in west Wales.
The Stackpole Estate is located between the villages of Stackpole and Bosherston in Pembrokeshire, Wales, within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. It is situated within the community of Stackpole and Castlemartin.
Poppit is a small, dispersed settlement which lies on the southern side of the estuary of the River Teifi, near Cardigan, in northern Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Barafundle Bay is a remote, slightly curved, east-facing sandy beach, near Stackpole Quay in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is part of the Stackpole Estate, managed by The National Trust. The beach was once owned by the Cawdor family of Stackpole Court. On the northern approach to the beach are steps and a wall, which were built by the owners to ease their access to what was then their private beach.
Bosherston is a village and parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales, within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
Freshwater East is a village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The majority of the village is on a cliff overlooking a bay. It is approximately 7 miles (11 km) from Pembroke by road, and 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Lamphey, and is in the parish and community of Lamphey. Freshwater East is the site of a Green Coast Award Beach.
Castlemartin is a village and parish in the community of Stackpole and Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire, Wales, in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
Castlemartin Training Area is a British Army military training area and armoured fighting vehicle range located in the Welsh county of Pembrokeshire. It was originally established for tank training by the Royal Armoured Corps in 1938. The training area is located within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, on the South Pembrokeshire coast.
h The B4319 is a road in Pembrokeshire in Wales. It starts from the A4139 at 51°40′23″N4°54′43″W in Pembroke, to continue towards the Stackpole Estate. It heads for Castlemartin, passes Freshwater West and terminates at its junction with the B4320 at 51°40′4″N5°3′41″W near Angle.
Pwllgwaelod is a small scattered hamlet centred on a bay on the south-western side of the Dinas Island peninsula. It is in the community of Dinas Cross between Fishguard and Newport, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Many of the properties within the hamlet of Pwllgwaelod are holiday cottages.
St Govan's Chapel is a chapel located at St Govan's Head, Pembrokeshire in south west Wales.
Fishguard and Goodwick is the name of a community that wraps around Fishguard Bay, on the northern coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It comprises the two towns of Fishguard and Goodwick, with their neighbourhoods of Dyffryn, Harbour Village, Penyraber, Lower Town, and Stop-and-Call. Within the community are two railway stations and Goodwick Ferry Terminal, which is the terminus of the A40 London to Fishguard Trunk Road.
The coastline of Wales extends from the English border at Chepstow westwards to Pembrokeshire then north to Anglesey and back eastwards to the English border once again near Flint. Its character is determined by multiple factors, including the local geology and geological processes active during and subsequent to the last ice age, its relative exposure to or shelter from waves, tidal variation and the history of human settlement and development which varies considerably from one place to another. The majority of the coast east of Cardiff in the south, and of Llandudno in the north, is flat whilst that to the west is more typically backed by cliffs. The cliffs are a mix of sandstones, shales and limestones, the erosion of which provides material for beach deposits. Of the twenty-two principal areas which deliver local government in Wales, sixteen have a coastline, though that of Powys consists only of a short section of tidal river some distance from the open sea. Its length has been estimated at 1,680 miles (2,700 km).
The geology of Pembrokeshire in Wales inevitably includes the geology of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park which extends around the larger part of the county's coastline and where the majority of rock outcrops are to be seen. Pembrokeshire's bedrock geology is largely formed from a sequence of sedimentary and igneous rocks originating during the late Precambrian and the Palaeozoic era, namely the Ediacaran, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian and Carboniferous periods, i.e. between 635 and 299 Ma. The older rocks in the north of the county display patterns of faulting and folding associated with the Caledonian Orogeny. On the other hand, the late Palaeozoic rocks to the south owe their fold patterns and deformation to the later Variscan Orogeny.