Freshwater West, Protected beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Freshwater West is a beach in Stackpole and Castlemartin, Angle, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom, stretching for three kilometers between rocky headlands and backed by tall dunes. The shore reveals wide expanses of sand at low tide, with jagged rock formations emerging from the water line.
Shipwrecks from the 18th century still rest offshore, where storms drove trading vessels onto the rocks. During World War II, the military used the strand for invasion training exercises before the site later became a protected area.
The name comes from a nearby freshwater stream that flows into the sea, once providing drinking water for local families. Surfers gather year-round at the northern stretch, where consistent swells have made it a well-known training spot.
Access is through a short path from the parking area, which can be covered with windblown sand during strong coastal breezes. Swimming is risky due to unpredictable currents, so most visitors stay on the dry shore or watch the waves from the dune line.
Several film productions have used the remote landscape as a filming location, with the dunes and rocks serving as a backdrop for coastal scenes. At very low tides, submerged tree stumps from prehistoric forests emerge in the sand, preserved for thousands of years beneath the sea.
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