Tucked into a glacial valley on the shores of St Brides Bay, Solva might be the best reason yet to drive the A487 through far west Wales. A former limestone trading port with centuries of history behind it, the village sits inside the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park — the only national park in the UK designated primarily for its coastline.
Solva comes in two halves. Upper Solva, the newer residential bit up on the hills, is home to Mrs Will the Fish, a seafood takeaway with a perfect 5-out-of-5 Tripadvisor rating from over 480 reviews — grab fresh lobster or crab packed to go and you've got yourself a beach picnic worth the drive. Down in the valley, Lower Solva is the postcard: the old harbour, pubs and eateries clustered around the water. The Hats and Barrels gastropub puts locally caught shellfish on the menu daily, while the Cambrian Inn on the way into town does chunky Welsh lamb burgers with a big outdoor seating area. For coffee with a view, follow the coast path south from the main car park to the marina, where Cafe on the Quay's terrace is a morning sun trap.
The real draw, though, is what's beyond the village. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path — 186 miles of marked trail stitching the whole park together — runs straight through town. Head southeast towards Newgale for harbour beaches with green-blue summer water, or west towards the ancient pilgrimage city of St Davids, a route that climbs along sea-grass-covered cliffs before dropping into pebble coves you'd otherwise never reach.
Camping makes it easy to linger. There are more than 40 sites near Solva alone, among roughly 95 across the wider Pembrokeshire area listed on campsites.co.uk. Llanungar Caravan and Camping sits a few minutes' drive from the village, while St Davids Farm Camping is a seasonal wildcard — open only in August, but its exposed field pitches come with views over a gold-sand bay and direct access to the coast path.
Fair warning: Solva is remote. It's a two-to-three-hour drive from Cardiff Airport and over three hours from Bristol's bigger international hub. The flip side is that the drive itself is half the fun — route in via the market town of Narberth and the walled seaside town of Tenby and you'll arrive already smitten.
For hikers, seafood lovers and anyone who'd rather trade city crowds for a working harbour and cliff-top walks, Solva is a quietly brilliant base for a corner of Wales that rewards the effort of getting there.
