
Cemaes Head (formerly Cemais, and historically anglicised as Cemmaes, Kemmaes or Kemmes) (
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
: ''Pen Cemaes'' or ''Trwyn Cemaes'') is a
headland
A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, John ...
and
nature reserve in north
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...
. It lies in the
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, villag ...
of
St Dogmaels
St Dogmaels ( cy, Llandudoch) is a village, parish and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the estuary of the River Teifi, a mile downstream from the town of Cardigan in neighbouring Ceredigion. A little to the north of the village, fur ...
, within the
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. To the west and north it overlooks
Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay ( cy, Bae Ceredigion) is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales.
Geo ...
, and to the east
Cardigan Island and the estuary of the
River Teifi.
Geology and structure

Although the headland, when viewed from across the Teifi estuary, is relatively unspectacular, its cliffs, which are most dramatic on its north-western side, and reach over 575 ft (175m) in height, are the highest in Pembrokeshire. This makes the bays below the cliff tops largely inaccessible. The bedrock is composed of
Silurian
The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozo ...
and (mostly)
Ordovician sedimentary rocks
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles t ...
,
more specifically of
Llanvirn-Caradoc black
mudstone
Mudstone, a type of mudrock, is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Mudstone is distinguished from '' shale'' by its lack of fissility (parallel layering).Blatt, H., and R.J. Tracy, 1996, ''Petrology. ...
, i.e. some 470 million years old. This rock stretches southwest as far as
Newport
Newport most commonly refers to:
*Newport, Wales
*Newport, Rhode Island, US
Newport or New Port may also refer to:
Places Asia
*Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay
Europe
Ireland
*Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
, but Cemaes Head lies north of the
Ceibwr Bay Fault, which runs largely WSW – ENE from
Ceibwr Bay to
Cardigan.
These rocks are severely twisted and buckled, with even acute folds, a feature easily seen from the clifftops, though appreciated better from the sea. The soft composition of these sedimentary rocks also means that
erosion by the sea through hydraulic action, abrasion and attrition is commonplace, and they are thus largely unsuitable for climbing.
In 1840, George Nicholson in ''The Cambrian Traveller's Guide, and Pocket Companion'', wrote :
The highest part of the headland, at Pengarn (189m / 620 ft), grid reference SN 13214 48500, is marked by a pillar
trig point (ref. 2097).
On the western side of the headland, at the foot of the cliffs, is a stony beach area called Traeth Godir Coch which is exposed at low water.
The western side of the headland is exposed to the full force of the south-westerly Atlantic weather; the eastern side is sheltered.
The whole headland to the north of the hamlet of Cippyn is a distinctive area; there is an absence of trees and to some extent hedges; fields have stony boundary banks; properties are small, and there is a general absence of modern development.
Nature reserve

Most of Cemaes Head comprises pastureland, but the headland contains a nature reserve – Cemaes Head Nature Reserve (site centre no. SN131500) – measuring 20 ha (49.4 acres) in size. It is also rated as a Marine
Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
(SSSI). Since 1984 this has been owned and managed by the
Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Natur De a Gorllewin Cymru) is a Wildlife Trust in south and west Wales, one of 46 such Trusts in the United Kingdom.
History
Forerunner of the WTSWW, the former West W ...
and its predecessor trust who purchased the tenure with help from the
Countryside Commission,
Dyfed County Council, the
Nature Conservancy Council and the
World Wildlife Fund. At the time it was the 50th nature reserve to be acquired by the Trust.
Wildlife
The headland is home to a large variety of wildlife. Birds such as
choughs,
raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
s,
kestrels and
buzzards are commonly seen, and the sea cliffs provide nesting sites for
herring gulls,
shags,
fulmars,
cormorant
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven ge ...
s,
razorbills and
guillemots.
Seals are commonly seen at the foot of the cliffs and in the bay – more
grey seals breed here than anywhere else in Wales from mid-summer – and the area is also home to
bottlenose dolphin
Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the common ...
s and
porpoise
Porpoises are a group of fully aquatic marine mammals, all of which are classified under the family Phocoenidae, parvorder Odontoceti (toothed whales). Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals an ...
s, which can often be seen swimming offshore.
The grassy western slopes of the headland are grazed by ponies and rabbits.
Welsh Mountain ponies were reintroduced here to trample down the bracken in order to encourage the breeding of choughs. This is also the habitat of voles. On the higher parts are varieties of maritime heather, such as
ling heather and
bell heather, and gorse also grows. Bracken and wild flowers commonly grow on the more protected eastern slopes;
efforts are being made to keep this bracken under control. Recent efforts have also been made to tackle the invasion of
Himalayan Balsam.
Access
Cemaes Head lies on the
Pembrokeshire Coast Path, close to its northern end. This is itself part of the much longer
Wales Coast Path. The remote section of path over Cemaes Head from
Poppit Sands
Poppit (), is a small, dispersed settlement which lies on the southern side of the estuary of the River Teifi, near Cardigan, in northern Pembrokeshire, Wales.
It is primarily known for its popular sandy beach, called Poppit Sands () whi ...
to
Ceibwr Bay is some 5½ miles long, with a considerable amount of ascent and descent.
All stiles and gates on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path are numbered from north to south; the stile on Cemaes Head carries the number 1.
It is possible to drive up part of Cemaes Head on the lane from Poppit Sands. This lane accesses a couple of private properties near the top, and stops at Allt y Coed campsite, some ¼ mile short of the furthest point of the coastal path; there is car parking available here, from where a two-mile round of the headland can be made on Rights of Way. A round of the headland can also be made from the hamlet of Cippin, a mile up the lane from Poppit Sands, where there is also a car park.
Both Cippin and Poppit Sands are on the route of the Poppit Rocket, a seasonal coastal bus service.
The Coastguard lookout post

On the cliff top above the beach of Traeth Godir Coch is an old
coastguard lookout post. This was originally built in the 19th century (it is marked on the O.S. map of 1887) and was subsequently enlarged seawards in
World War II by the addition of a brick wide-windowed extension. At the same time the main doorway was enlarged and edged with the same red brick. The site was accessed via a track and footpath from Pengarn, ½ mile to the south-east and from Alltycoed Farm upon whose land it lies. This was one of hundreds of wartime coastal lookouts which kept watch for enemy aircraft and submarines; the oil storage tanks at
Milford Haven
Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...
were only a short flight from here, and during the war they were heavily bombed.
The lookout post was abandoned after the war, it being replaced by the Coastguard lookout post across the estuary at
Gwbert (originally established in 1878 as a Board of Trade Rocket Life Saving Apparatus Station and since extended, and now part of the
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an executive agency of the United Kingdom that responsible for implementing British and international maritime law and safety policy. It works to prevent the loss of lives at sea and to prevent marine ...
Emergency Response).
Cantref Cemais
Ancient Dyfed showing the cantref of Cemais and its ">commotes
Cemaes Head lies on the northern edge of the former
Medieval barony (or lordship) of Cemais, known as
Cantref Cemais, one of the so-called 'Seven
Cantref
A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law.
Description
Land in medieval Wales was divided into ''cantrefi'', which were ...
s of
Dyfed'.
Cemais (sometimes spelled ''Kemes'' after one of several variations found in
Medieval orthography) occupied the coastal area between the Teifi estuary and
Fishguard, and the northern and southern slopes of the
Preseli Hills, and had an area of about 359 km
2.
Robert fitz Martin (c. 10?? – c. 1159), a Norman knight from the west of England who supported Henry I in his campaigns in Wales, became first Lord of Cemais and founded nearby
St Dogmaels Abbey
The Abbey of St. Mary (also known as St. Dogmaels Abbey) is Grade I listed ruined abbey in St Dogmaels in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the banks of the River Teifi and close to Cardigan and Poppit Sands.
It is the ruins of a medieval abbey, origina ...
.
Despite being occupied by the
Normans in the 12th century, and made part of the
March, it remained exclusively
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
-speaking.
It later became known as the
Hundred of Cemais, which was created from the cantref at the time of the
Acts of Union of 1535–1542, by transferring the
parish of
Llantood to
Cilgerran hundred and adding a small area of
Cantref Gwarthaf cantref.
Etymology
The word 'cemais' is the plural form of the old Welsh word 'camas', meaning a 'bend or loop in a river' or (less commonly) a 'bay/inlet of the sea'. As a name it is by no means unique in Wales:
Cemaes is a riverside village located on
Cemaes Bay on the north coast of
Anglesey, and was part of a similarly named
Cantref Cemais. Neither
Cemmaes
Cemmaes ( cy, Cemaes) is a village in northern Powys, Wales, in Glantwymyn community.
The population numbered 935 in 1841, this dropped sharply between 1881 and 1891 from 946 to 729.
There was a railway station in the village on the Mawddwy ...
(Welsh: ''Cemaes'') in northern
Powys, or
Kemeys Commander
Kemeys Commander ( cy, Cemais Comawndwr) is a village in Monmouthshire, in South East Wales.
Location
Kemeys Commander, north-west of Usk, comprises a few farms and cottages slightly off the main road leading to Abergavenny within a graceful b ...
(Welsh: ''Cemais Comawndwr'') in
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
is by the sea, but both have developed beside rivers.
In ''The Place-names of Wales'' (1912), the author Thomas Morgan puts forward another less-likely suggestion, namely:
Archaeologia Cambrensis (1904) had the following to say on the matter:
The Welsh name of ''Pen Cemaes'' (''pen'' = head) has been in use since at least as far back as the early 19th century.
In recent years the name ''Trwyn Cemaes'' (''trwyn'' = nose) has also been used by the Welsh Government and maritime authorities.
There was no recorded settlement here called Cemaes, only the Cantref/Hundred of that name. The earliest reference to it comes from
Gerald of Wales (c. 1146 – c. 1223), the
archdeacon of Brecon and
chronicler of his time, who referred to it in his autobiography:
[''De rebus a se gestis'', translated as ''The Autobiography of Giraldus Cambrensis'', Honathan Cape Ltd., 1937]
In ''Barons, Rebels & Romantics'' (2004), Alan John Fitzgerald erroneously refers to the ''town'' of Cemais:
It seems probable that the name ''Cemaes Head'' derives from the ancient Cantref, rather than vice versa, since the headland had no recorded significance in Medieval times.
Gallery
See also
*
Poppit Sands
Poppit (), is a small, dispersed settlement which lies on the southern side of the estuary of the River Teifi, near Cardigan, in northern Pembrokeshire, Wales.
It is primarily known for its popular sandy beach, called Poppit Sands () whi ...
*
Cardigan Island
*
List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Pembrokeshire
References
External links
A Walk on Cemaes HeadA short walk round Cemaes HeadTeifi Estuary Walks (see Walk 2 for Cemaes Head)The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales
{{coord, 52.11477, -4.72947 , type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Headlands of Pembrokeshire
Geography of Pembrokeshire
Nature reserves in Pembrokeshire
Cardigan Bay