Opened by pupils from Roch Community School, a new path at Newgale has been created to give the local community better and safer access to nature.

The new permissive path on the Southwood Estate, a third of a mile long, connects with existing routes on the farm cared for by National Trust Cymru.

The path starts at the layby on the left just outside Roch on the A487 heading to Newgale and gives pedestrians from the local village a safer route to access Newgale beach and the surrounding landscape away from the busy main road.

The entrance to the new footpath at Southwood
(©National Trust Images Sue Jones)

Walkers to the ancient estate can expect to enjoy patchwork fields and sea views, all whilst benefitting from being surrounded by nature.

National Trust Rangers have also created a traditional Pembrokeshire hedge entrance at the start of the path, constructed from stones found nearby on the estate which would have originated from Newgale beach.

The new path will make a real difference to local school pupils who were excited to open and explore it. Teachers from Roch Community School have plans to return for outdoor science lessons now that they can access Southwood and Newgale safety from the village.

Carl Evans, Roch Community School Headmaster said:

“The path is absolutely brilliant. We can now access Southwood and the coast without having to transport our students in a bus. Recently we took our year 5 students for an art day on Newgale beach, and we were able to walk there from the school and access the environment safely on foot. It’s a real game changer for us”.