The 10 best campsites in Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire is Wales's answer to Cornwall, with half the traffic and, on its day, better beaches. The entire coastline sits inside the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Britain's only truly coastal national park, and the 186-mile coast path stitches it all together: harbours the size of a postage stamp, seal coves, surf beaches and clifftops where the only queue is for the sunset. Campsites here have a particular character too. Many are working farms whose fields simply run out at the coast path, so you unzip the tent and the walk starts at your guy ropes.

The water is the other surprise. In the sheltered coves around St Davids and Bosherston it turns a green-blue that makes visitors check they are still in Britain, and by late summer it is warm enough for long swims. Timing matters: July and August bring the crowds and the booked-out signs, while May, June and September offer the same sea, quieter paths and campsites with room to breathe. Early summer also brings the wildflowers that make the coast path famous, with thrift and campion colouring the clifftops.

Here are ten sites we would send anyone to, from St Davids clifftops to Barafundle's back door, with a woodland valley or two for when the wind gets up.

How we chose

Coast first, because that is why you come. Then a spread from the far west around St Davids to the south coast's famous beaches, mixing simple clifftop farms with better-equipped parks, plus a couple of sheltered inland options for families and rough weather. All are established names with a track record of happy reviews.

1. Caerfai Farm, St Davids

4.8 ★ Google rating from 150+ reviews

Caerfai Farm is an organic clifftop dairy farm on the edge of Britain's smallest city, with its own access path down to Caerfai Bay, a sandy swimming cove that empties beautifully at low tide. St Davids, its cathedral and its pizza ovens are a ten-minute stroll inland. You can book grass pitches for tents, motorhomes and smaller campervans, some with electric hookup, and there are yurts and a shepherd's hut if half the family prefers a proper bed. The farm shop sells the farm's own organic cheese along with campsite essentials, and dogs are welcome. What people love: reviewers consistently rate the location, with the coast path virtually touching the site and the beach minutes from the tent, and there is plenty of space between pitches. Note that barbecues and fire pits are banned whenever wildfire risk is high, so check the current rules before you pack the pit. Book early for the school summer holidays; the season runs roughly mid-May to the end of September.

2. Porthclais Farm, St Davids

4.0 ★ Tripadvisor rating from 150+ reviews

Porthclais Farm offers big open fields, around 24 acres for tents plus a separate area for tourers and campervans, running down to the coast path above Porthclais, a tiny historic harbour where kids spend whole afternoons crabbing and paddleboarders slip out to explore the coast. This is camping kept simple: there are no electric hookups, so come self-sufficient, but the shower and toilet facilities are well kept and a weekend breakfast kiosk does filled rolls and hot drinks. It is a working farm first, which is exactly the charm. What people love: the site scores 9/10 across nearly a hundred reviews on one UK camping directory, and one reviewer singles out the "beautiful views out to sea" from a well-kept, friendly site. Walk the classic evening loop past St Non's chapel into St Davids, and pitch with the sunset in mind: the western field edges get the best of it.

3. Newgale Campsite, Newgale

Newgale Campsite is a flat, grassy nine-acre field a two-minute walk from two miles of west-facing sand and surf, and it has been putting campers behind this beach since 1935. It is made for surfers and bodyboarders of all ages: wake up, check the waves from the gate, walk over. You can book grass pitches for tents, campervans, caravans and motorhomes, with or without electric hookup, and there is an onsite bistro doing hot drinks and light bites by day and local beers in the evening. The site is dog friendly, with a dedicated dog area, and the beach welcomes dogs at both ends through the summer. What people love: reviews praise the location, the cleanliness and owners who check in daily to make sure everything is right; the vast majority of verified reviewers say they would recommend it. It is exposed when a westerly blows, so pitch nose to the wind and bring proper pegs.

4. Trefalen Farm, Bosherston

4.2 ★ Google rating from 160+ reviews

Trefalen Farm is a small camping field tucked directly behind Broad Haven South, with Barafundle Bay one headland away and the famous Bosherston lily ponds just inland. This is the south coast's best corner, and Trefalen puts you in it before the day trippers arrive. Expect proper back-to-basics camping for tents and a few vans: toilets, drinking water and washing-up sinks, but no hot showers, so a solar shower bag is a worthwhile addition to the kit. Dogs are welcome on leads. What people love: a Tripadvisor reviewer calls it an "amazing little gem of a campsite", and the welcoming owners and the peaceful, well-run atmosphere come up again and again. The site is small and books out fast for summer weekends, so plan ahead, and time your Barafundle swim for a rising tide when the sand is at its cleanest.

5. Lleithyr Farm Holiday Park, near Whitesands

4.8 ★ Google rating from 200+ reviews

Lleithyr Farm is the well-equipped option for the far west: a family-run park a short hop inland from Whitesands Bay, with Carn Llidi rising behind and St Davids Head beyond. You can book pitches for tents, touring caravans, motorhomes and campervans, many with electric hookup, and the facilities are the draw for families: a site shop with its own bakery, a children's play area and a farm walk past the animals. What people love: reviewers repeatedly single out the spotless shower blocks, the friendly welcome and the room for kids to ride bikes, calling it one of the best-kept sites they have stayed on. The practical tip is about the beach: Whitesands' car park fills early on summer mornings, and the site is close enough that walking down, or hopping on the regular local bus that stops nearby, beats circling for a space. Surf hire is available at the beach.

6. Gupton Farm, Freshwater West

4.5 ★ Google rating from 150+ reviews

Gupton Farm is the National Trust's campsite behind Freshwater West, one of Wales's great wild beaches and a surf spot with a serious reputation, plus a certain film-set fame that fans will already know about. The Trust keeps things simple and spacious: three big camping fields with a modest cap on numbers, so even a full site feels roomy, plus showers, toilets and a wet-weather barn with wifi, a fridge-freezer and picnic tables that earns its keep when the Atlantic turns moody. What people love: reviewers praise the space between pitches, the helpful staff and the sense of big landscape on every side; one calls it the best campsite they have stayed on in the UK. The essential tip is respect for the sea: Freshwater West has strong rips and no lifeguard cover for much of the year, so swim cautiously and treat it primarily as a surf and walking beach.

7. Top of the Woods, Boncath

4.9 ★ Google rating from 260+ reviews

Top of the Woods is the inland wildcard: an eco-minded camping and glamping site on 27 acres of meadows above the wooded Cych valley in north Pembrokeshire, with hundreds of acres of woodland trails on the doorstep and Cardigan Bay's beaches a short drive away. You can book spacious meadow camping pitches, powered pitches for campervans, or glamping in safari lodges, nature domes and pioneer camps with proper beds and wood burners. Campfires are part of the deal, dogs are genuinely welcome, and the extras are unusually good: a wood-fired sauna and wild spa, hosted food nights and a barn cinema. What people love: reviewers describe a warm welcome, a clean and thoughtfully run site and dark skies thick with stars. It is the site to book when you want fires, wildlife and quiet rather than a beach at the gate, and it makes a fine rainy-day insurance policy: the valley is sheltered when the coast is getting flattened.

8. Trellyn Woodland Camping, Abercastle

4.9 ★ Google rating from 40+ reviews

Trellyn Woodland Camping takes only a handful of bookings at a time: a few generously spaced pitches and a couple of yurts hidden in a wooded valley two minutes from Abercastle, a tiny harbour on the quiet north coast. Every pitch has its own campfire, and the owners lend out sea kayaks, bodyboards and wetsuits, and fire up a wood-fired sauna, all included. Weekly pizza nights around the communal oven are the social heart of the place. What people love: it holds a rare 10/10 on one UK campsite review site, and one reviewer calls it "truly beautiful and unique", with families returning year after year. This is camping at its most peaceful, aimed at couples and small families rather than big groups. Because so few people can stay each week, summer dates go very early: set a reminder for when bookings open and be flexible on dates if you can.

9. Fishguard Bay Resort, Fishguard

4.6 ★ Google rating from 500+ reviews

Fishguard Bay Resort sits high above the sea east of Fishguard, and the Pembrokeshire Coast Path runs straight through the middle of the site, so morning walks start at the tent flap with huge views over the bay. It is the best-equipped stop on this list's north coast: terraced touring and camping pitches alongside holiday lodges and glamping options, with a well-stocked shop, laundry and shower blocks that reviewers consistently describe as spotless. What people love: across dozens of reviews the themes are the views, the immaculate upkeep and the coast path access; the site scores 9/10 on one long-running UK campsite directory. It suits tourers, walkers and anyone breaking a journey to or from the Irish ferry at Fishguard. The terraced layout means pitches vary in size and outlook, so if you are bringing a larger motorhome or want maximum privacy, say so when you book. Sunrise over the harbour is a fine send-off.

10. YHA Manorbier, near Skrinkle Haven

4.5 ★ Google rating from 280+ reviews

YHA Manorbier puts campers on the clifftops between Tenby and Manorbier, beside the coast path and minutes from Skrinkle Haven and Church Doors Cove, two of the south coast's most dramatic hidden beaches. Camping sits alongside the hostel, so you get a rare combination: pitch your tent, then use proper indoor facilities, including a big self-catering kitchen, showers and a lounge for wet evenings. Glamping tents with real beds and wood burners are available too, and hostel rooms suit the family members who have retired from canvas. What people love: reviewers praise the helpful staff, the well-spread pitches and the clean facilities, and the location gets special mention, with the beach seconds from the door and seals sometimes bobbing offshore. It is a strong budget option for groups mixing campers and non-campers. The steep steps down to Church Doors are the local secret; check tide times before you commit to the descent.

Before you book

Western Pembrokeshire is exposed, so pitch with the wind in mind, pack proper pegs and storm straps, and have an inland fallback like Top of the Woods in your back pocket for a rough forecast. School holidays fill the St Davids sites and Trefalen quickly, while June and September bring the same sea with half the people. Fire and barbecue rules vary site by site and can change with wildfire risk, so check before you travel rather than assuming. Phone signal is patchy along the coast, so download maps and tide tables in advance, and always check tides before promising children a specific beach: Barafundle, Skrinkle and Caerfai all change character completely through the day. Book the popular sites months ahead for summer, then find a campsite and go west. For more Welsh mountains after your week by the sea, see the best campsites in Snowdonia, or head south for the best campsites in Cornwall.