Broad Haven

• General details
• Directions
• How the winds work
• Tidal conditions
• Hazards
• Facilities
• B&B's / Campsites
• Pubs & eateries

General details:

Broad Haven is always overcrowded with tourists in the summer and on bank holidays - the beach can take the tourists but the car parks can't, so people tend to park illegally on the double-yellow lines and thus cause chaos along the sea front.

Speaking of car parks - the first one you come across (from Haverfordwest) is signposted as the main beach car park. This is a large pay & display park close to the N end of the beach. Whilst ok, the closest you can get to the beach is about 400m, and if the car park's getting full, add another 200m to that. In other words it's a bit of a trek with all your gear.

Most windsurfers tend to drive along the sea front to the S end of the beach where there's another small car park about 30m from the beach. Consequently this gets very popular. Please don't fill this car park up when I'm there ;-) . This car park is now (2006) Pay & Display.

Broad Haven is a Good Beach Guide featured beach and, like Newgale, is a fairly long walk at low spring tides. That said, if there's any S in the wind, it gets progressively cleaner as the tide goes out and out of the wind shadow of the headland.

There can be some great waves here - I've regularly seen people pulling off back loops & other things I'm too old & sensible to try :-( .

Some shots taken at Broad Haven - click on thumbnails for larger images

Unknown sailor - back loop (14Kby)	Ian Heys (17Kby)
Phil Baker (27Kby)	Me (9Kby)

Broad Haven was formerly the home of the annual Sunshine Challenge - a surfing / windsurfing event run for charity and organised by of Haven Sports - located just opposite the "convenient" car park. Here the emphasis is on fun & laid-back competition. For the last 3 years (97-99) however, this event has been a signal for the wind gods to turn their attentions elsewhere, turning the marathon (Broad Haven to Newgale) into a long board trial.

In '97, the wind died completely on the return leg & we ended up being carried backwards slowly in the current! The safety boats came to the rescue and, although I couldn't see it from shore since I was part of it, the sight of 4 windsurfers in line astern formation following a RIB and apparently planing in zero wind must have been somewhat perplexing. Until, of course, you noticed that we were all being towed!

Alas, the Sunshine Challenge is no more.

Haven Sports rent out surf & body boards & wetsuits for those windless days (usually coinciding with my visits there) & always have a good selection of used boards & sails - I personally know of at least 3 boards Ian Heys - the proprietor - has taken off myself or colleagues in part-ex. Ian is always good at letting you try gear out too.

Late-breaking news for 2003 - The Anchor Guest house now has it's own website and they have a webcam & full weather station on-line!!

Update, Aug 2004: The webcam never seems to be working anymore! The weather station seems idiosyncratic & their computer seems to have the wrong date set.

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Directions to the right place:

Be aware that there are actually 2 Broad Havens within about 10 miles of each other (where else could this happen?). The one of interest is on St Bride's Bay (OS Ref: 860135), the other one is by Bosherston, S of Pembroke (OS Ref: 978940). From Haverfordwest, take the B4341 & keep going until you drop into Broad Haven.

Click here for a location map.

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How the winds work:

The beach faces WNW and has a big headland at the S end separating Broad Haven from Little Haven (walkable over the beach on spring lows). Unfortunately, this headland does cause a fair old wind shadow with corresponding flukiness in S & SW winds. Although it's a long walk, the beach is best at low tide in S & SW winds because you're clear of the headland then.

N - Ideal

NW - Ideal

W - On shore

SW - Best at low tide due to the headland between Broad Haven and Little Haven

S - Best at low tide due to the headland between Broad Haven and Little Haven

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Tidal conditions:

HW springs tend to occur around 07:00 - 08:00 (19:00 - 20:00). HW neaps around 13:30 (GMT).

No real problems with tides or currents.

You can't sail here on spring highs as there'll be no beach left.

On spring lows, you'll have a 300-400m trek to the water, but it's firm sand all the way.

The waves tend to flatten out as the tide comes in.

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Hazards:

Spring highs come up to the small shingle bank - don't think of sailing at this state of tide. Also like Newgale, it's sand all the way - just a couple of small rocks towards the N end of the beach & then a bit of a rockpile at the N extreme. Ie: Don't sail there. I've not noticed any rips but I have noticed a slight northbound current from time to time as the tide comes in. Slight southbound current on a falling tide.

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Facilities:

Car park close to beach - pay and display. 60p for 2 hours £2 for the day (2006).

Toilets in the car park opposite Haven Sports.

Ian Heys, Haven Sports can do sail repairs & can organise board repairs.

There's a good Londis shop on Broad Haven's sea front - useful if you're self-catering. They also do good rolls, hot pies & pasties & fresh, hot coffee.

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B&B's / campsites

South Cockett campsite, on the Haverfordwest side of Broadway just before you reach Broad Haven on the Haverfordwest - Broad Haven Road. Tel: 01437 781296
Nolton Cross capsite, on the cross roads outside Nolton (not surprisingly) on the Broad Haven to Newgale road.

The Anchor B&B right on the beach front at Broad Haven has recently changed hands and appears to be doing well, providing plenty of off road parking where your windsurfing kit is well out of sight. It is, however, very expensive now. There is also another (Lion Rock) on the road to Newgale.

Broad Haven has a 3 star rated Youth Hostel.

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Pubs and eateries

Update - April 2004 (From the owner/proprietor):
Nautilus cafe, bar & restaurant is located on Broadhaven seafront with fantastic views of the ocean and sunsets. Food & drink wise .. its got everything you could possibly need and more .. all very reasonably priced too .. a must do!

[Update, Aug 2004: I visited Nautilus Cafe in April and it was still a building site which makes the validity of the above information seem somewhat inaccurate. When Nautilus eventually opened in late July i found the food over-priced and pretentious.

The cafe next to Haven Sports has made some improvements this year (2004) and i find the food inexpensive and of good quality. ]

The Galleon on the sea front has recently been re-painted on the outside. The landlord either wanted to become a beacon for ships mooring up in St Bride's bay, or he was offered a job lot of paint surplus to requirements from a previous Boddingtons marketing campaign. The outside is now a vomit-inducing canary yellow. When the Boddingtons dray truck arrives & parks in front of the pub, it can't be seen, the colour match is so good!

I have mixed feelings about the Galleon - It's always busy; they do good food; the Wadworths 6X is usually excellent [update, 2002 - no Wadworth's 6X anymore]. However, the beer's approaching London prices; the place is full of kids (what else is there for them to do?); and there's a juke box (although I've never heard it turned up too loud). The service & the attitude of the landlord can be appalling. Thursday night is curry night!!!!

Update - Aug 2004: The Galleon seems to be going downhill slightly: Food is ok - nothing special. Beers are overpriced, overchilled & an uninspiring choice (Flowers IPA, Boddingtons bitter & something else unremarkable).

There's also the Royal (amazing a small place like this can support 2 pubs, especially out of season) which is tucked away behind the front. Follow the road past Haven Sports, keep bearing left & it's there on the right - about 300m from the front. Often quieter, and definitely more convivial than the Galleon, they play host to the local Whist club who take over the bar & consume vast quantities of tea on Tuesday(?) nights out of season. I think they do meals these days, other than by prior arrangement (Ie: Just turn up & beg). It seems The Royal has recently been bought by Brains (Aug 2004) & they now have a guest real ale on handpump.

In Little Haven, The Swan is a Good Pub Guide featured pub and the Castle & the St Bride's are both listed. I believe all of them offer the dreaded Worthington's Draught but may - if you're lucky - offer an alternative.

[Updates, September 2005 - Wayne Thomas]
Avoid the Galleon (bingo and karaoke) on weekends and the Swan in littlehaven has shut and is up for sale!
The Castle is reasonably OK but gets busy at mealtimes and they do not take table bookings.
Nautilus is good but expensive - booking essential.
Best pubs are the Griffin in Dale, Georges and Pembrokeshire Yeoman in Haverfordwest and all the pubs in Solva!!

Update - Sept 2006 - Dean Francis...
I visited the Galleon over the past few weeks following a friends recommendation, as the pub had recently changed hands. It has been given a pleasant facelift and the new managers seem to have revitalised the place (reading from previous comments). The food was great, and the service was likewise - a pleasurable evening was had by me and the family, and I would highly recommend a visit if you're in the area.

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Content supplied by . Updates from Gary Pitchford - Aug 2004, Wayne Thomas - Sept 2005. Anon contributor, Aug 2006; Dean Francis - Sept 2006. Many thanks to all.

Note: All comments and opinions mentioned in this section of the site are the personal opinions of the various contributors. Inevitably, one person's favourite may be another person's least favourite.

The information provided here is provided in good faith. We can take no responsibility for the consequences of any inaccuracies. Should you find any inaccuracies, then please take the trouble to tell us, using any of the update links.

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