Freshwater East is a village in

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The majority of the village is on a cliff overlooking a bay. It is approximately from Pembroke by road, and south of

Lamphey Lamphey ( ) is both a village, a parish and a Community (Wales), community near the south coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales, approximately east of the town of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Pembroke, and north of the seaside village of Freshwater East. ...

, and is in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

of Lamphey. Freshwater East is the site of a Green Coast Award Beach.

History

There is evidence of prehistoric occupation to the east of the village, where there is an earthwork. Freshwater is marked on a 1578 parish map, but apparently as a coastal place, rather than a parish. The historic name for the bay is , and this is still in occasional use today. In more modern times, the stream would provide fresh water for ships, giving it its name. In Victorian times it became established as a bathing venue. The beach is named as Freshwater East on a pre-1850 parish map, with little sign of a settlement, apart from a large house named Portclew (probably built around 1800; the name is a form of the bay's historic Welsh name), and a chapel. In 1860, county horse races were held on the beach. The 2011 census population was 250.

Situation

The village is on the

Wales Coast Path The Wales Coast Path () is a designated long-distance trail which follows, or runs close to, the coastline of Wales. Launched in 2012, the footpath is long and was heralded as the first dedicated coast path in the world to cover the entire len ...

and in the

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Pembrokeshire Coast National Park () is a National Parks of England and Wales, national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales. It was established as a National Park in 1952. It is one of the three National parks of Wales, the others ...

. To the west is

Trewent Point Stackpole Quay - Trewent Point is a cliff on the Castlemartin Peninsula of South Pembrokeshire, South Wales and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It has been designated as a SSSI since January 1977 in an attempt to protect its ...

, 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 ...

(SSSI), covering some 64 hectares.

Amenities

A coastal bus service connects with Pembroke and Pembroke Dock, and the surrounding area including Lamphey railway station on the

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock () is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following the constr ...

branch of the

West Wales Line The West Wales lines () are a group of railway lines from Swansea through Carmarthenshire to Pembrokeshire, West Wales. The main part runs from Swansea to Carmarthen and Whitland, where it becomes three branches to Fishguard, Milford Haven and ...

operated by

Transport for Wales Rail Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom, publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Governme ...

. Trains stop on request. Surfing is possible in winter, and the beach is popular in summer. There is a cafe, toilet and parking. ''The Freshwater Inn'' is the village pub, serving food. The dunes, known as ''The Burrows'', are a nature reserve.

Notable people

Euros Childs Euros Childs (; Welsh: ; born 16 April 1975) is a Welsh musician and songwriter, perhaps best known as the frontman for the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and—as of January 2019—the keyboardist for Teenage Fanclub. His sister, violinist Megan C ...

(born 1975), a Welsh musician and songwriter, frontman for the band

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci Gorky's Zygotic Mynci () were a psychedelic folk and alternative rock band which formed in Carmarthen, Wales, in 1991. The group performed music in both Welsh and English, and they had eight Top 75 singles on the UK Singles Chart during their ...

References

External links