Exploring Wales' Eight-Mile Beach: A 40-Year Journey of Ever-Increasing Wonder

nestled amidst the breathtaking landscapes of Pembrokeshire and Gower lies an overlooked treasure worth visiting. You might easily speed right through it without noticing, particularly when travelling west or east via the bustling M4 and A48 towards these better-known attractions.

Yet tucked discreetly along the shoreline of Carmarthenshire (a place more renowned for its lush emerald countryside than its seaside features) lies an extensive region that ranks among the top destinations within the nation. Spanning numerous hectares of forestland and boasting one of Britain’s most extended shorelines, this location offers ample activities to keep you occupied, be it for just a single day or an entire week.

Cefn Sidan Sands boasts an impressive stretch of Golden Sand extending over eight miles, bordered by the waters of Carmarthen Bay and the extensive woodlands and fields within Pembrey Country Park, located just west of Llanelli. While this beach holds top honours as a Blue Flag site, visitors have plenty else to enjoy: walking paths and cycling routes crisscrossing through nature, a thrilling adventure playground designed specifically for young explorers, miniature golf courses, bicycle rentals, and facilities like a sledging hill along with indoor skiing opportunities. A spacious camping area operates from March until October, enabling guests to return easily to their tents or motorhomes post-activity; moreover, there’s a licensed eatery offering fresh salads, pizza options, and kid-friendly portions right next door. And now, enhancing outdoor playtime further still, a brand-new pirate-themed structure stands ready at the entrance to the dining venue!

• Nestled within the Welsh woodlands lies a small Italian village, and it defies your expectations.
• This summer, you can enjoy helicopter rides around Cardiff and along the Welsh coastline for under £50.

The beach

Arugably the jewel in the crown of this wonderful area, Cefn Sidan beach is eight miles of flat, golden sand to walk, run, play and swim on. It was the first in Wales to achieve the Blue Flag award for its bathing water. On a hot day in summer, it will be busy but it's so big you'll still find room to set up for the day and there are lifeguards through the summer months.

However, this stretch of coastline has a sombre past, tracing back to an era when it served as a crucial maritime pathway for Wales’ thriving coal and tinplate sectors. It is claimed that around 300 vessels met their end buried beneath the Cefn Sidan sands. While numerous wrecks likely resulted from the perilous shoals in the region, several others fell victim to ruthless plunderers who deliberately guided them to destruction.

In 2019, coastal park ranger Emyr Richards stated: "A group of thieves would attempt to lure vessels onto the sandbanks with fake beacon lights. Once your ship was trapped in the sands and damaged, these individuals would swoop in to steal the cargo."

One such group of looters was known as "Gwyr y Bwyell Bach" (meaning "the men with the small hatchets"), so called because of the weapons they carried.

"The reason these hatchets were special was due to their design featuring both a claw hammer and a small hatchet," explained Mr Richards.

The primary motives were to amputate the fingers of the victims to remove their rings and to seize whatever they desired, including breaking into barrels of brandy and premium wines, making it quite a barbaric period.

Wales' coast is speckled with shipwrecks indeed. Just a short distance east of Cefn Sidan lies a small island that serves as a final resting place for numerous vessels close to Porthcawl and Ogmore. The remnants of these sunken ships, their metallic husks scattered across Tusker Rock, remain visible even today. You can find more of them here. And diver James Hedley Phillips also has unearthed over 30 shipwrecks along the coastline of Wales Once, after retrieving a collection of 100-year-old wine bottles from a shipwreck, he consumed them indiscriminately only to later learn they were valued at no less than £1,500 each.

In fact, there are just six "designated wrecks" in Welsh waters, which receive protected status under the 1973 Protection of Wrecks Act. Individuals wishing to visit, film, or survey these submerged vessels must obtain a specific license from the Welsh Government. However, numerous additional shipwrecks can be found throughout the area. lost ships of Wales herein .

At Cefn Sidan, the most prominent remnants can be seen at the westernmost part of the site. These vestiges originate from a substantial windjammer that ran aground there approximately a century ago, known as the SV Paul.

In 1925, the vessel departed from Nova Scotia and encountered fierce storms on October 30th. The harsh weather caused it to lose its sails and anchors before ultimately running aground on the sandbanks. At the time of this incident, it was transporting an expensive shipment of tropical hardwood timber.

Fortunately, no one was killed in the crash; however, the cargo tells a completely separate tale," Mr Richards said to BBC Wales. "A number of homes now contain extremely pricey tropical hardwood, and several robustly constructed garden sheds were also affected.

The shipwrecks at Cefn Sidan trace back to 1668. Among them is La Jeune Emma, which departed from the West Indies bound for France but veered severely off course in 1828. Tragically, thirteen individuals perished during this incident, including Adeline Coquelin, the 12-year-old niece of Napoleon Bonaparte’s ex-wife Josephine de Beauharnais; she is interred in a neighbouring church. Following the wane of Llanelli's tinplate sector, these vessels ceased arriving.

Just off the same coastline stands the Whiteford Lighthouse, a remarkable edifice completely enveloped by water during high tide. This particular tower holds the distinction of being Britain’s sole wave-swept cast-iron lighthouse. Astonishingly, someone could reside within this beacon amidst gales, surging waters, and what many consider some of the planet’s harshest tidal conditions. The responsibility fell upon the lighthouse keepers to ensure its upkeep; historical documents from 1880 reveal their weekly wage as £1 with stints lasting two continuous weeks atop the station.

Even though very few individuals might have laid eyes on it, the lighthouse retains elaborate Victorian details such as the surrounding railings. It ceased operation by the 1930s and has been deteriorating ever since.

The national park and its crucial part in Britain’s wartime endeavours

Despite Pembrey’s striking natural charm, it also bears witness to its significant part in some of Britain's more sombre historical periods. At one time, it housed the Pembrey Munitions Factory, where countless women endured severe health consequences, frequently sacrificing their lives, throughout World War I. The workers’ hair and skin would often take on a yellowish hue because of the chemicals they were exposed to.

Women would endure burns from acid. Vapors could lead to blindness for them as well. Seizures were common, along with loss of life. Yet, because of the covert aspect of their labor, these incidents remain largely unheard of.

The factory was constructed in 1882 by the New Explosive Company, only to be acquired by Nobel’s Explosives Company — established by the namesake of the renowned Peace Prize — around 1886 or 1887. When the First World War commenced, production ramped up significantly. It reached its zenith at an output rate of approximately 200 tons of raw TNT per week, accumulating to about 15,000 tons throughout the duration of the conflict.

At the conclusion of the conflict, 4,765 employees worked at the facility, with most being females. Due to extensive confidentiality surrounding the establishment, very little documentation has survived. However, the journal entries of Gabriella West, who came from a family in Gloucestershire and served as a sergeant within a recently established female police unit starting in 1917, offer valuable insights into this period. Her role entailed "supervising the women labourers." These excerpts vividly portray the challenging experiences faced by those women.

The girls around here are quite tough, and the circumstances are equally harsh.

Their language can be utterly horrifying at times! Yet, they are quite susceptible to influence as well.

Acid particles fall onto your face driving you almost insane – similar to pins and needles but far worse.

Their presence leads to brown spots appearing on your clothing.

They also irritate your nose, clog your throat, and enter your eyes, leaving you both blinded and mute.

On July 14, 1917, a catastrophic explosion claimed the lives of four men and two women. Among those who perished were the two young ladies, aged 18 and 19: Mildred Owen and Mary Watson. Thousands flocked from surrounding areas, including Swansea, for their grand funerals. Each coffin was transported via ornate horse-drawn carriages adorned with the Union Jack flag. Tragically, this wasn’t the sole disaster; just weeks following Armistice Day in November 1918, another blast took the lives of three more female workers at the same location.