Solva, Cwm Bach and Pointzcastle

by Nigel Summerley · May 6, 2021

***Above: Newgale seen from Cwn Bach. Below: Solva seen from the east. ©Nigel Summerley***

I think I’m beginning to believe in miracles…

I was sitting in the sun, high up above the sea at Cwm Bach, looking east towards Newgale and having a brief rest after walking there from Solva Harbour when I reflected that I had been foolish not to have brought a drink or a snack with me. In fact, what I really wanted was an ice cream.

Cwm Bach is a great Pembrokeshire Coast Path viewpoint from which to take in the beauty of St Brides Bay but it certainly has no café, snack bar or tea shop.

My original plan was to retrace my steps back to the carpark at Solva, but as I bemoaned the lack of available refreshments on this hot April day, I noticed on my OS map that there was a footpath heading north, away from the coast, that could take me to the main A487 briefly and then make it possible to follow paths to Pointzcastle and Lochvane and complete a circular walk instead.

Taking the lane forking left off the A487 to quiet and tiny Pointzcastle I beheld in the distance what had to be a mirage: two people emerging from a small café holding ice cream cones.

I found my pace quickening. There couldn’t be an ice cream parlour here, could there?

I walked out of the sunshine and through the entrance to a shady interior graced with a full-on display of gelati. There wasn’t just ice cream here… there was pretty much every flavour you could wish for and it all looked amazingly good and authentic.

A large cone with two dollops of chocolate ice cream set me back £4 but at that moment it was worth every penny. A small miracle – courtesy of Pointz Castle Ice Cream – had made a thirsty walker’s dream come true.

Hiking from Solva I had already had the pleasures of standing on St Elvis Rock and passing the dramatic peninsulas of Dinas Fawr and Dinas Fach. But the second half of the walk was full of delights… and not just chocolate ice cream.

From Lochvane there was a lovely path leading west to St Elvis Farm (the parish of St Elvis is named after the man who baptised St David, not the one who advertised Heartbreak Hotel – although some have claimed a serious historical link between Preseli and Presley).

And from here the way leads into beautiful wooded hills and unsigned junctions where you will have to follow your nose to take the right path back to Solva. Whichever you choose, you’re bound to get there eventually – and every step, even the steep ones, will open up breathtaking views.