How to Hike the Gorgeous Bosherston Lakes, Stackpole Quay, and Barafundle Bay Walk Loop

On the Southern coast of Wales, the incredible Pembrokeshire Coastal walk follows the gorgeous coast of Wales along cliff tops, down to beaches, and along the shoreline. There are many incredible places to walk a section of the trail including the gorgeous loop through the Bosherston Lily Ponds, past Stackpole Quay and the Barafundle Bay walk.

This post outlines what to expect on this hike including where to park, trail directions and more. Note that this incredible hiking loop is called several different things and there are some variations to the trail. You may also see this hike (or similar hikes) referred to as: Pembrokeshire Circular Walk, Bosherston Lily Pond Walk, or Stackpole Quay and Bosherston Lakes walk.

Looking for another great place to explore nearby? See A Complete Guide to Visiting St Govan’s Chapel.

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Overview of the Bosherston Lakes, Stackpole Quay, and Barfundle Bay Walk

Distance: 6 miles
Elevation Gain: 525 feet
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

This is an incredible hike and one of our favorite coastal walks we’ve ever done. The trail is relatively easy to walk with minimal elevation over the length of the hike making it appropriate for kids and dogs. There are a few areas with drop offs (not near the trail), so use caution.

The best part of this trail is the variety of things to see including oceanside cliffs, lily ponds, beaches and more. Give yourself plenty of time and stop off for some tea and snacks at the small cafe along the way.

Since this hike is done as a loop, you can either start this hike by parking at Stackpole Quay, or at the Bosherston Lily Ponds for a small fee. You can do this loop in either direction. We parked at the Bosherston Lily Ponds chose to go clockwise since we were stopping off to get a snack at Stackpole Quay and were hungry.

Below you can see more information on the sites along this hike.

If you are looking for up to date condition on the trail, you can read recent reviews of this at the All Trails listing.

Bosherston Lakes – Lily Ponds

The Bosherton Lakes are a series of 3 man made lakes from the 18th century. The lakes were created when a small river was damned near Bosherston Village. Today, these lakes are most famous for their incredible display of water lilies that cover the surface.

The Bosherston Lily Pond Lakes are part of a National Nature reserve and are some to otters, fish, eels, birds, and more. The walk through the Lily Ponds over several bridges. The most impressive bridge (shown in the image above) is called the 8 Arch Bridge and was built in the 1790s. If you aren’t up for the entire 6 miles hike described here, you can follow the trails and walk through the lily ponds in a small loop.

Stackpole Quay

The Picturesque little harbor at Stackpole Quay has a small stone beach and a large stone quay. This is a great place to swim and explore. You will likely see kayakers here and along the coast you can find small caves in the rock.

The other highlight of Stackpole Quay is the Boathouse Café. The Boathouse Café is part of the National Trust’s Stackpole Estate and serves a lovely selection of food and drinks. We stopped here for lunch, scones and tea and ate outside before continuing on with our walk.

Bafundle Bay

Barafundle Bay is known as one of the most beautiful beaches in the United Kingdom. This lovely and popular beach can only be reached on foot as there is no road so it feels more remote and quieter than many other local beaches. The beautiful soft sand beach is the perfect place to swim, walk or relax for a bit.

One of the prettiest parts of the beach, is the stone arch leading down to the beach from the walking trail.

Map of the Bosherston Lakes, Stackpole Quay, and Barafundle Bay Walk

Below you can see a hiking map of the Barafundle Bay, Bosherston Lily Pond and Stackpole Quay walk. Note that there are 2 places you can park and you can also modify the hiking trail in many ways to add mileage or make the hike shorter.

Things to Know Hiking the Loop

Where to Park

There are two places to park for this hike. You can park at Bosherston Lily Ponds at the Large National Trust car park. This is where we parked. It cost £3 for 3 hours or £6 for all day parking. The other option is to park at Stackpole Quay. There is a large carpark here as well that costs the same as Bosherston Lakes.

Make sure you have change since you can’t use credit cards here to pay for parking.

There are also toilets located in the car parks.

This hiking loop is located in the southern part of Pembrokeshire at postal code SA71 5LS. You can reach the area in about 30 minutes from Tenby and 2 hours from Cardiff.

Best Time to Hike the Coastal Path Pembrokeshire

The best time for this hike is during the warm season (spring, summer and fall). Winter can be lovely too although the wind off the ocean can be quite chilly at times. We hiked here during late August and while summer is busier, we didn’t find the hiking trails crowded and it was warm enough to swim.

How do you walk to Barafundle Bay?

Many people are looking for the easiest way to walk to Barafundle Bay is to park at Stackpole Quay and take the 0.5 mile hike across the headland. While we highly recommend hiking this entire loop, this is the easiest way to get to the beach if you’re looking for a beach day.

Is it safe to swim in Barafundle Bay?

Yes – as long as you enjoy swimming in cold water and use your own common sense based on the conditions, Barafundle Bay is a great place for a swim. We also swam at Stackpole Quay although we were the only ones swimming without a wetsuit!

Details of the Bosherston Lakes, Stackpole Quay, and Barafundle Bay Walking Loop

This description of the trail assumes you are starting at the Bosherston carpark but you can easily adjust if you’re hiking from Stackpole Quay.

Start the hike by follow along the northside of the first lake and north along the western shore of the next lake. The trails throughout this region are easy footing and wander along the edge of the Lily Ponds. You will cross the water in several places including across the 8 arch stone bridge.

The trail crosses to a gated woodland area and a large field. You will pass a rock known as an ancient ‘Devil’s Quoit’ From here the trail goes directly towards Stackpole Quay. You will shortly pass the Boathouse Cafe where you can stop for a snack and some tea.

Follow the path past the care and you will arrive at the pretty little harbor of Stackpole Quay. We paused here to swim and sat for a few minutes of the small stone beach. There were several other families and some people were jumping off the top of the jetty (obviously use caution and do your own research before jumping).

After enjoying Stackpole Quay, continue south along the coastline. This is a beautiful part of the walk where you wander along the headland. The trail offers incredible views of the cliffs and shoreline, eventually curving back towards the west before descending to Barafundle Bay. You can also cut off some mileage here by cutting across on one of the trails.

Barafundle Bay is truly beautiful and after passing the stone arch, you can walk out along the beach. This is a perfect place for a picnic, a swim, or just a place to relax. We enjoyed about 30 minutes here before continuing on back towards the car. The trail joins back up with the Bosherston Lakes and you will follow along the edge of the Lily Pond before returning to the car park.

Other Things to do in Wales?

Don’t miss our 10 day UK Itinerary!

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