The Ice Mile - 3 Years On
Cold water swimmer, Becca Harvey, takes us over the course of a year as she prepares for the challenge of an Ice Mile.
Solva Harbour, Pembrokeshire, West Wales
Written by Jess Davies /
Solva Harbour is idyllic and protected from the wind a lot of the time. Despite being the sea, the more sheltered parts are similar to a lake SUP experience.
When the tide is in, you can park at the lower village car park (outside The Harbour Inn, pub Solva) and launch directly from the carpark. Once on the water, you can paddle out and around the corner to a pebble beach called Guadn. There are a couple of caves that you can explore and on a still day, it’s lovely to paddle out of the harbour entrance and along the rugged Pembrokeshire coastline. The sea can be quite choppy so take extra care if you do venture out of the harbour!
Highlights
Solva Harbour, Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
Solva harbour is idyllic and protected from the wind a lot of the time. Despite being the sea, the more sheltered parts are similar to a lake SUP experience. When the tide is in, you can park at the lower village car park (outside The Harbour Inn, pub Solva) and launch directly from the carpark. Once on the water, you can paddle out and around the corner to a pebble beach called Guadn. There are a couple of caves that you can explore and on a still day, it’s lovely to paddle out of the harbour entrance and along the rugged Pembrokeshire coastline. The sea can be quite choppy so take extra care if you do venture out of the harbour! The water is almost aqua green in colour and you can often see spider crabs on the sand beneath you. A really special place, I like to take a picnic round to Guadn on a sunny day and mess around on my SUP!
Route directions
Along the harbour, around to your left to Guadn beach or go through the harbour entrance out to sea (but take extra care if doing this and check the state of the tide and weather conditions)
Local knowledge
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Sat nav
51°52'24.3"N 5°11'22.9"W -
Nearest parking
Parking is available in the lower village car park, outside The Harbour Inn, Solva
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Launch point
Launch straight from the carpark slip for free! No permission is needed if you launch from the car park. However, launching from the Quay further along is for members only.
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Places to stay
There are many b&bs and holiday cottages locally. The best bet is to google Quality Cottages, they’re a local agency who represent a lot of cottages in the area. Also worth looking at St Davids holiday cottages and hotels too, the beach at Whitesands is gorgeous too!
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Places to eat and drink
St Davids Kitchen, Cafe 35, The Meadow Cafe, The Bishops, The Farmers Arms
Things to know
Keep an eye on the tide times. Google Solva tide times to check when high tide will be as at low tide there is no water to SUP on until you go out of the harbour!
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