Point Farm Campsite The Greener Camping Club

It was a while ago that Cool Camping first discovered ‘the Pembrokeshire paradox’ and, if we were the scholarly type, no doubt we would have written a few academic papers on it by now. Pembrokeshire, you see, is a county of unbeatable beauty, home to one of the UK’s most enchanting stretches of coastline, broken into rocky outcrops, islands and broad, sandy beaches. Yet while it offers charmingly peaceful countryside away from the rush of modern life, its tiny towns and villages positively burst in the summer months – it’s an escape that’s so attractive there are now just too many escapees.

What a joy it is, then, to discover Point Farm Campsite. Out on the Dale peninsular, the county’s remote tip, where the cliffs wind in every conceivable angle matched only by the coastal path, Point Farm is a truly tiny hideaway that offers camping of old in an environment away from the tourist hype. There are just eight camping pitches in total – something somewhat inconceivable as your journey towards to the coast, haunted by holiday parks further inland – and a ‘no caravan’ policy that gives the whole place a nostalgic, traditional vibe. It’s a teeny tiny paradise that epitomises what Cool Campingis about – right down to  the encouragement of campfires.

The campsite is actually a relatively new venture – a family spot run by Nia, Fil and their two children – though the farm itself dates back to the 1720s. It sits proudly up on top of a gentle slope like an ancient local landmark and boasts panoramic views not just out across the sea, but also back in land to the Preseli Mountains and up the Milford Haven estuary.

There are two types of pitch: Four all-weather pitches have a gravelly base suitable for campervans, with electrical hook-ups and space for cars to be parked alongside, while, slightly lower, a terraced grassy space is left for tent campers only, their cars parked in an adjacent parking area. There’s also a newly added Shepherd’s Hut, with a kitchen, beds and all you need inside, suitable for a family of four. All areas are just a few footsteps from the wooden shower block, with a family shower room and a washing up area, while in the opposite direction you can tumble down through the trees directly onto the Pembrokeshire Coast Path that runs right next to the site. As a walker’s stop off point it’s ideal.

Even if you don’t have the legs for the full 186-mile coastal route, though, you needn’t worry. Provided you can follow the first 400 meters from the campsite you’ll already find yourself at the first pub break! It’s here that Dale village is found; a quaint village fronted by a beautiful sandy beach. It’s a convenient, thriving hub from which to plan your stay – whether it’s renting a surfboard from one of the waterfront shops or planning a kayaking trip up the Milford Haven estuary. You can also hop on a boat for a ferry journey out to Skokholm and Grassholm islands, the former a rugged, remote island noted for its impressive cliffs of red sandstone, the latter home to some 80,000 screaming gannets. The boats can’t land (for that head a few miles across the mainland for a ferry to Skomer Island instead), but they do stop so you can watch the wildlife.