5 star self-catering luxury coastal holiday cottage

Cormorant House, Little Haven

The Area

Little Haven Village

Little Haven Village is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque seaside villages in Pembrokeshire.  As a settlement, it dates back to the Iron Age and was once a base for sea trading and even smuggling.  It was later developed into a small port for the export of coal, when the coal was bagged and loaded onto beached ships.  This provided the focus for a seaside village that has developed clinging to the sides of a steep valley.  The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park has designated Little Haven an Area of Conservation. The village hosts the RNLI inshore lifeboat station as well as the area RNLI shop. Today the safe sandy cove is popular with families as there are plenty of rockpools to explore and water activities to partake in as well as an annual Raft Race and Regatta. With its own slipway, it is still a place from where a number of boats work out of, fishing mainly for lobster and crab, but also mackerel and pollack.

A path past ‘The Swan Inn’ leads you to ‘The Point’ from where you can get a spectacular view of St Brides Bay and watch the most beautiful sunsets over the Atlantic Ocean.  You can also see the small beach just south of Little Haven, known as ‘The Sheep Wash’ which was used by local farmers 50 years ago to wash their sheep before shearing. Today it is a popular, sheltered and safe swimming cove. To the north side of Little Haven, at half tide, it is possible to walk around the headland into a wide sandy bay called The Settlands'. At low tide, you can walk all the way to Broad Haven along the beach. Little Haven has the Seaside Award for water quality.

The coastal path provides good walking in either direction – to the south leads to the pretty cove of St. Brides and to the north leads to Druidston Haven, Nolton Haven and Newgale. Once you have exhausted yourself walking the coastal path, watching birds and wildlife and indulging in water sports, there is the Boathouse Gallery to visit in the village, where well-known local artist, Shirley Norman exhibits her fabulous watercolour paintings of our stunning Pembrokeshire scenery, coastal and otherwise as as well as her unique calligraphic greetings cards that are also sold all over the country. There is a pottery with gift shop a great choice of places to eat in the village – The Swan Inn, The Castle Inn, St Bride’s Inn, and the Nest Bistro all serving good quality, locally sourced foods as well as the Post Office Café which is open all day in high season. This big selection for such a small village makes it a popular meeting place for visitors and locals alike and, wherever you chose to go, you will always find a warm welcome.

Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire, as a county, is one of the most beautiful in the U.K. Whether you want a relaxing, get-away-from-it-all holiday or an adventurous coastal holiday, Pembrokeshire is the perfect place to stay. With some of the country's finest beaches, fantastic coastal and mountain walks, adventure sports and historic sites, Pembrokeshire offers everything you need for your holiday. With it's own unique character, culture and warm climate, the area is sometimes referred to as 'Little England beyond Wales'.

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is the only coastal National Park in the country and spans around 185 miles of some of the most breathtaking coastal scenery you will find in the world. From bustling seaside towns to quaint villages full of pastel painted fisherman's cottages, such as Little Haven and Solva, there is so much to discover. Vast beaches, tiny inlets, craggy cliffs and rolling pasture provide interest and variety to keep you coming back for more. Inland you will find the majestic Preseli Mountains, more fantastic walking and home to the famous and mystical Blue Stone found at Stonehenge.

Beyond the coast, Pembrokeshire is surrounded by an array of tiny islands which are a haven for some of the rarest and most spectacular wildlife to be found in the U.K. Skomer, Skokholm and Grassholm are renowned worldwide for the rich birdlife found on their cliffs. Puffins, gannets and manx shearwater are amongst the many species that visit these islands and you can also spot seals, dolphins, porpoises and even whales off the Pembrokeshire coast. See our Activities page to find out about the boat trips to these beautiful islands.

Pembrokeshire has plenty to offer the active visitor from climbing, diving, surfing, windsurfing to coasteering, horseriding and kayaking. These outdoor persuits and many more can be found on our Activities page. For visitors with families, you could not be in a better place, because there are numerous family day out attractions including Folly Farm, Oakwood theme park and the Dinosaur Park. For full listings of family attractions, see our Attractions page.

You will also find an abundance of art galleries featuring the work of local artists inspired by Pembrokeshire's stunning natural scenery, a variety of theatres and various live music venues. There are regular art and craft fairs and farmers markets in Pembrokeshire's market towns, where you can buy traditional craftwork such as wood carving, woven fabrics and pottery as well as fresh local produce. Local produce also features on the menus of many of the county's restaurants and cafes where you can sample Pembrokeshire new potatoes, Welsh lamb, cheeses, wine, chocolate, speciality ice cream and freshly caught seafood.

Culturally and historically, Pembrokeshire is home to an array of sites that are of major archaelogical and religious significance. From the grandeur of the castles at Pembroke, Manorbier and Carew to the simple serenity of the tiny monastic island of Caldey, there is much to investigate. Visit the site near Dale where Henry Tudor landed on his march to battle with Richard III at Bosworth, or Fishguard where the last invasion of Britain by the French took place in 1797. In the north of the county is the tiny city of St Davids, with its historic cathedral and Bishop's Palace - a must for every visitor.

Our beautiful county has something to offer everyone - stunning scenery, breathtaking landscapes, exhilarating outdoor activities and friendly faces but, be warned, once you have visited, you will be drawn back time and time again!

For information on the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority please click on the website address - www.pcnpa.org.uk

An excellent website for those wanting to explore Pembrokeshire is the Visit Pembrokeshire website. It includes all sorts of information including coastal path walks with details about buses for walkers, cycle routes, beach information, inland treasures like the Preseli Mountains and the Secret Waterway, town and village descriptions, castles in the county, various maps, latest news and information about the small islands off the Pembrokeshire coast, how to get to them and what wildlife can be seen on them. Just click on www.visitpembrokeshire.com

5 star self-catering luxury coastal holiday cottage