Whitesands Bay (Pembrokeshire) Explained

Whitesands Bay (Welsh: Porth Mawr) is a Blue Flag beach[1] situated on the St David's peninsula in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales.[2] Whitesand Bay, on some maps, located west of St. Davids and south of St Davids Head, has been described as the best surfing beach in Pembrokeshire.[3]

Description

The area northeast of the wide, sandy bay is dominated by Carn Llidi, a rocky outcrop, at its highest point.[4] [5] The Pembrokeshire Coast Path provides access on foot in the north to the secluded bays of Porthlleuog and Porthmelgan. To the south, the coastal path leads to Porthselau and St. Justinian's, with views of Ramsey Island. A number of megalithic burial chambers, stone hut circles and Iron Age field systems and enclosures are in the vicinity of Carn Llidi and St Davids Head.[6]

There is a tradition that St. Patrick set sail from this beach in 432 AD to convert Ireland to Christianity.[7] The site of a Celtic chapel, dedicated to St Patrick, is located under a mound by the car park just to the east of the bay, at what is thought to have been the disembarkation point for pilgrims to St Davids Cathedral.[8] St David may have been educated at Ty Gwyn, the white farmhouse that overlooks the beach, by St Paulinus, and St Non, David's mother, may have lived here when it was a monastery.[9] The burial ground was in use from the 8th to 11th centuries, and remains have been removed by Dyfed Archaeological Trust to the National Museum of Wales to preserve them from coastal erosion.[10]

At very low tide and after heavy storms the remains of an ancient, submerged forest can be seen on the beach, consisting of stumps of birch, fir, hazel and oak trees.[11] The remains of animals have also been found in these deposits, including parts of an aurochs, a red deer antler and a brown bear jaw.[12]

Facilities

External links

51.8944°N -5.2958°W

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20120801043357/http://www.blueflag.org/Menu/Awarded+sites/2011/Northern+Hemisphere/Wales/Wales/StDavids%2CWhitesands Blue flag beaches in Wales
  2. Web site: Whitesands Bay . https://web.archive.org/web/20080622154727/http://www.ukattraction.com/south-wales/whitesands-bay.htm . 22 June 2008 . . n.d. . UKAttraction.com . 25 March 2019.
  3. Web site: Whitesands beach . Visit Pembrokeshire . Pembrokeshire County Council . 7 August 2018.
  4. Web site: Pembrokeshire Coast National Park - Places to go . . n.d. . PembrokeshireCoast.wales . 25 March 2019.
  5. Web site: Dolmens and cairns:others. Anon. Pembrokeshire Virtual Museum. Pembrokeshire County Council. 12 January 2010.
  6. Web site: Carn Llidi. The Megalithic Portal and Megalith. Map. The Megalithic Portal. 2008-01-02.
  7. News: Sommerville . Christopher . St David's Head, Wales: Walk of the month . Daily Telegraph . 18 November 2008 . London.
  8. Web site: Archaeology in Wales: 287 Tywyn . . n.d. . DyfedArchaeology.org.uk . 25 March 2019.
  9. Book: Sugden, Keith. Saints, Shrines and Pilgrims. https://books.google.com/books?id=l_KEDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT21. 14 January 2020. 2019. Pavilion Books. 978-1-84165-870-4. The Celtic Saints – David (Dewi Sant) + Winifrede.
  10. News: BBC News. Pembrokeshire: Hundreds of medieval bodies excavated at Whitesands Beach. 2 July 2021.
  11. Web site: St. David's Head & Carn Llidi - Pembrokeshire Coast Pembrokeshire - Walk 2057 - a walk description from Walking Britain.. Lou. Johnson. www.walkingbritain.co.uk. 2007-01-09.
  12. Web site: Mesolithic:Submerged Forests . Anon. Pembrokeshire Virtual Museum. Pembrokeshire County Council. 12 January 2010.
  13. Web site: Welcome . St Davids City Golf Club . 10 December 2019 . A 9 hole course with 18 tees.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Whitesands Bay (Pembrokeshire)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.