Around The Rath

Walking, Beaches and Water Sports

Rath Cottage is a great base to explore the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, which passes just outside the cliff-top gate. In late-spring and early summer the carpets of wild flowers – bluebells, red campion, thrift and sea campion – and the yellow gorse scent the air.

Rath is also a wonderful base for a beach holiday, with great sand, surf and rock pools. Local beaches include:

  • The fabulous mile-long Marloes Sands (5 minutes by car plus a 10-15 minute walk from the National Trust car park, or around 30 minutes direct walk from the cottage).
  • Renney Slip, just the other side of the cliff path gate, is our most local beach, and can offer lovely bathing at low tide within 5 minutes of careful down-climbing from the Coast Path.
  • Martin’s Haven, where the island boats depart and the divers congregate before exploring the Marine Nature Reserve waters, is equally close on the other side of the cottage.
  • Musselwick Sands, on the north side of the peninsular around half an hour along the Coast Path (car parking just outside Marloes village) is a beautiful, but very tidal beach, accessible for one to two hours either side of Low Tide.
  • Sailing, windsurfing and stand-up paddleboarding can all be arranged in Dale.

Fishing

  • There is good fishing for mackerel, bass and a variety of other species off the rocks at Wooltack Point in the Deer Park and the cliffs around the northern coast as far as St Bride’s Haven (watch out for the incoming tide at Musselwick which can take even the most experienced angler by surprise!).
  • The sandy beaches all around the peninsular can give good fishing for bass. We greatly enjoy the growing sport of saltwater fly fishing for bass here, and would be delighted to offer advice to guests on where to fish, and provide some suitable fly patterns to use.

A Mecca for wildlife

For birds this is a particularly special place. The Rath birds list currently stands at 221 species, the majority seen within a walk (or boat trip) of the cottage, and we (and our guests), are adding to this all the time!

The best time for the seabird colonies is April to August (puffins to mid-July), while the best time to see migrant birds is late April, May, and early-June, or late August to October.

  • Choughs are regular visitors, breeding nearby, and sometimes even perching in our window sills and roof.
  • Hen Harriers and Short-eared Owls  patrol over the land in winter, and resident Peregrines race across the Deer Park.
  • In summer the cottage grounds provide a habitat for a variety of garden and heath land birds including Wheatears, Linnets, Stonechats, pipits, Skylarks, Goldfinches, and a variety of warblers.
  • Perhaps the most astonishing birdlife feature of the cottage’s unique location is that it is in the path of homing Manx Shearwaters returning to their burrows on Skomer and Skokholm, The local islands are home to as much as 65% of the world’s population of these birds. On misty or moonless nights in early summer the air is full of their wonderful throaty call as they literally skim the roof on their way home.
  • From May onwards, boat trips out to and around the island of Grassholm – the second largest gannetry in the northern hemisphere – are memorable with Gannets and shearwaters flying and diving all round the boat.
  • The Round Skomer Cruises offer opportunities to see thousands of seabirds – Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, shearwaters, Kittiwakes and Fulmars – on rock ledges or floating and diving at sea.
  • Grey seals are seen all year round. In late summer and autumn seal pups can be seen in the bays around the headland, while groups of porpoises are frequently spotted in Jack Sound between the Deer Park and Skomer. Further offshore around the islands, schools of dolphins are often seen and, sometimes, the larger whales.

Closer to the cottage, the garden is inhabited by toads and newts, glow-worms and slow worms, adders and grass snakes, as well as a wonderful variety of butterflies and moths. Badgers can frequently be seen at night on the roads nearby, and hedgehogs are making a welcome recovery.

 

Where to eat

  • The nearest good eating is the Runwayskiln Cafe at Marloes Mere (in the old Youth Hostel). This serves breakfast buns, sandwiches, and good lunches, as well as coffee and cake!
  • Nearby pubs include the Lobster Pot in Marloes village, and the Griffin Inn in Dale (more of a restaurant).
  • Coco’s, in the Dale Yacht Club, is friendly and does good casual food and excellent pizzas (including take-away).
  • 20 minutes drive away, Little Haven has a good variety of pubs and restaurants, including the Castle, St Bride’s and Swan Inn.
  • Shellfish can be bought from a local supplier in Dale.
  • And to go with it, the fabulous and highly-prized Pembrokeshire new potatoes are available locally throughout the summer, grown on neighbouring farms.