Tenby has been voted as one of the prettiest seaside towns in Europe. And in 2014 Tenby’s harbour beach was ranked the most beautiful beach in Europe. It’s name in Welsh means little town of the fishes. So unsurprisingly, it has a fisherman’s church right in the harbour by North beach.
Tenby has three fabulous beaches: north beach; south beach; and castle beach. All three have wide stretches of golden sands.
North beach has the added attractions of a picturesque harbour, and Gosker Rock, a huge rock outcrop. Because of the harbour it is a lot more protected from wind than the other two beaches. From the harbour you can board one of the cruises to nearby Caldey Island, or take a trip in search of the plentiful wildlife of this South West coast of Wales.
South beach stretches for miles towards Giltar Point and is backed by sand dunes and a golf course. Walk along Tenby’s South Beach toward Giltar Point and the start of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path for fantastic views of Caldey Island and look back to see the colourful houses of Tenby from a different perspective.
Castle beach sits between the north and south beaches and is a narrow beach that lies between St Catherine’s Island and Tenby castle. It’s a great beach just to chill out or to explore this beautiful location, The excellent water quality makes castle beach popular for swimming and paddling, and a bit of surfing takes place on stormy days too.
Tenby can be a serene, attractive destination sure to charm you, and those in search of spending time by the beach are spoilt for choice here, but Tenby can also offer plenty to do for the more active holidaymakers with yachting, sea kayaking, paddle boarding, windsurfing, surfing and for the more extreme sporting enthusiasts coasteering (jumping off the cliffs into the clear blue seas!). Let’s have a look at how we can get you into one of those sports in Tenby.
For yachting in Tenby the Tenby Sailing Club is your place to go to. The Tenby Sailing Club is situated in the heart of the harbour at north beach. Sailing takes place all year round in dinghies and cruisers with a regular racing, regatta and training programme. It is also a very popular venue for National Championships and has been hosting national competitions nearly every year since 1960. Boat storage facilities, parking, safety equipment, changing facilities and a well stocked club bar with stunning views over the Harbour and North bay, all help to make this a very popular and welcoming sailing club.
Visiting sailors are always welcome as are potential new members, regardless of sailing experience.
South beach is most suitable for windsurfing partly due to the extra space and offers more freeride style conditions than most other options in Pembrokeshire. Generally it is a great bet for kitesurfing and windsurfing. There is even some surfing when the swell is very big at other locations or when a northerly wind is messing up the quality of the surf. Caldey, just offshore also offers good wave-riding in Westerly winds.
Tenby South Beach faces SE and offers good sailing at all states of the tide. The best conditions are at low tide and in SW, as the wind is clean and the water is generally flat you should be able to blast out to Caldey Island. The beach on Caldey can offer ideal wave riding conditions in W winds and low tide can also bring good waves from the sand bar at the far end of the bay. Tenby will also work in E and SE but these directions can bring lumpier waters. The main dangers for this location are the strong rip tide between Caldey Island and the mainland and the shore-break at high tide, which can make launching difficult at times.