Broad Haven and Little Haven

The Havens is a coastal community located on the southern eastern side of St. Brides bay facing out west to the Atlantic and north west to St. David's Head and Ramsey Island.

The community possesses a number of small villages and hamlets, the most prominent of which are the coastal settlements of Broad Haven and Little Haven, both located on the Coast Path.

Most of the community area lies within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only coastal National Park in Britain, with its unique beautiful scenery, abundant birds and wildlife in an unspoiled natural environment.

Broad Haven - there is little record of the origins of the village but it probably began as a small fishing community. Since the 18th Century, however, it has gained a reputation as a seaside resort and today the tourist industry is an important element in the local economy, in many ways shaping the character of the settlement.

The B4341 road from the county town forms the promenade, overlooking the Broad Haven, a broad, extensive and safe, sandy beach. Evidence of the Pembrokeshire coal measures is to be seen in the spectacularly folded cliffs.

Little Haven - situated to the south of' Broad Haven and similar only in so far as it originated as a small fishing village, with later development as a small port for the export of coal when coal was bagged and loaded onto beached ships. The drying inlet that forms the Little Haven provides the focus of an attractive seaside village clinging to the sides of a steep valley. The Point Beacon gives a sweeping view of St. Brides bay from St. David's Head to Skomer Island. Part of the village is a designated as a Conservation Area.

In common with most of the small bays and inlets around the Pembrokeshire coastline, Little Haven and Broad Haven have been associated with sea fishing, and a small number of boats still work out of Little Haven, fishing mainly for lobster and crab, but also some mackerel and Pollack.

Surfing and windsurfing are popular activities and sale/hire and tuition can be arranged. Over recent years sub-aqua diving is a growing specialist activity, with wrecks and islands to explore.

Once you have exhausted yourself walking the coast path, watching birds and wildlife, indulging in water sports, or watching an uninterrupted view of a spectacular sunset, there is a choice of places to eat within these two villages, including pubs, restaurants and cafes.