Trefin chapel circular walks, Pembrokeshire

Start and finish

Trefin car park

Distance

• Walk route 1: 4 miles or 6 kms
• Walk route 2: 2.5 miles or 4 kms
• Walk route 3: 1 mile or 2 kms

Along the way

Heading west out of Trefin, this circular walk first takes you past the remains of Aberfelin mill. Though it ceased operation in 1918, it has been immortalised in verse in ‘Melin Trefin’ by the late Archdruid Crwys, one of the best-loved poems in the Welsh language.

You’ll then head up onto the rugged clifftop as the path traces the shoreline’s jagged twists and turns. Watch out for Trwyn Llwyd sea quarry where hedgebanks burst with colourful sea pinks and campions in the spring.

If you want a shorter walk, you can follow one of two link footpaths back to Trefin (see dashed yellow lines on the map)

At Pen-castell Coch you can spot an Iron Age fort, one of dozens of Neolithic sites found on Pembrokeshire’s stretch of the Coast Path.

Before you drop into Abercastle (also known as Cwm Badau or ‘Bay of Boats’) take the link path inland past Carreg Samson, an impressive Neolithic burial chamber steeped in legend and topped with a mighty boulder, before joining up with the road that leads you back to your starting point.

About the Sacred Heritage Place

Close to the walk’s start point is Trefin Calvinistic Methodist Chapel. Founded in 1786 and rebuilt in 1834 it was once a significant centre of Welsh Methodism, though it’s now preserved as a museum by the local community and Presbyterian Church of Wales.

Explore its time capsule interior of antique fixtures and fittings, peeling paint and creaking floorboards for an evocative glimpse into the past.

Trefin is also home to a Baptist Chapel, built in 1840 and rebuilt around 1870 as a branch of Croesgoch. But the village’s religious roots go even deeper. Set out in the medieval period as part of the estate of the Bishops of St Davids, Trefin was once the site of a Bishops Palace.

Thought to have been built by Bishop Thomas Bek in the late 13th century, its remains now lie hidden beneath the village’s streets.

Find out more about Trefin Chapel 

Walk highlights

Theresa Nolan, Wales Coast Path Officer says, “Trwyn-Llwyd (The Grey Point in English) coastal quarry and cliff top building remains is a good spot for a picnic and to watch out for chough feeding on the short turf.”

Need to know

There are public toilets and parking in Trefin, plus a pub. You can reach the village via the T11 bus and the seasonal Strumble Shuttle 404 bus hail & ride service. The Fflecsi bus service can pick you up and drop you off in a service area and not just at a bus stop. More details on the Fflecsi website 

• Shorter walk route options
  Walk route 2 is a shorter walk and there is a short cut near Pwll Llong on a permissive path to take you back to your starting point using the first link footpath at Ordnance Survey grid reference SM840332.
• Walk route 3 offers an even shorter walk, you can use the second link using permissive footpath across fields to the road leading to Trefin is at Ordnance grid reference SM834329.

Itinerary and map

You can also download the printable the walking itinerary and the route map to take with you on your walk.

• Download Trefin Chapel circular walks itinerary (PDF, 1.79 MB)
  Download Trefin Chapel circular walks route map (JPEG, 1.35 MB)

Acknowledgments
This walk was developed in partnership with the National Churches Trust. Visit their website www.explorechurches.org/cymru to find out more including bookable tours and experiences.