Coastlands

Echoes / Communities / Coastlands

Coastlands is made up of four communities fringing the western tip of Pembrokeshire: St Ishmaels, Dale, Marloes and St Brides. The group runs a community heritage centre at the Old Stables in Dale, open between April and October. They also run a programme of talks and tours, encouraging locals and visitors to enjoy the area’s rich and diverse history.

Each community has its own unique features:

St Ishmaels is characterised by large farms and edged by inlets like Monk Haven, each with a story to tell.
Dale, which hosted Henry VII on his way to Bosworth in 1485, is a popular sailing centre still providing hospitality today.
Marloes has a distinctive village centre clock-tower and a breathtaking beach, popular with film-makers and birdwatchers.
St Brides, is known for its early potato production and cliff-top castle which served as Kensington convalescent hospital between 1923 and 1978.

The offshore islands of Skomer and Skokholm, reached by ferry from the National Trust harbour of Martin’s Haven, offer a different perspective. Recent archaeological work on Skomer employing new technology has revealed previously unrecorded field systems and settlements.