Carmarthenshire Coast

Pendine Sands and the Cliffs

Seven miles of flat sand where land speed records were set in the 1920s, with a coast path climbing the cliffs at the eastern end for the view along it.

Distance: 3.7 mi / 6 km
Time: 2 hr
Ascent: 150 m
Difficulty: Moderate
Shape: There and back

Where it is

The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.

The route

Walk the beach west as far as the tide allows, or climb the coast path east above the village towards Gilman Point. The beach is only walkable at low water.

Worth knowing

The sands are still used by the Ministry of Defence and sections are closed when firing. Check the notices.
Malcolm Campbell and J G Parry-Thomas raced here; Parry-Thomas was killed on the sands in 1927.
The Museum of Land Speed in the village covers the record attempts.

What you’ll see

The flat expanse of sand, the cliffs east of the village, and Gower across the bay.

Background

Five land speed records were set at Pendine between 1924 and 1927. The beach was chosen for being flatter and harder than any road then available.