Newgale () is a village with an almost stretch of

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

in the parish of Roch,

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 ...

West Wales West Wales () is a region of Wales. It has various definitions, either covering Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, which historically comprised the Welsh principality of ''Deheubarth'', and an alternative definition is to include Swa ...

. The beach is situated 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 ...

and on the

Pembrokeshire Coast Path The Pembrokeshire Coast Path (), often called the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, is a designated National Trail in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales. Established in 1970, it is a long-distance walking route, mostly at cliff-top level, with a total ...

and has rugged coastal scenery with the path winding up and down the cliffs. Newgale is one of over 40 Welsh Blue Flag beaches, which means it has the top certification for quality, cleanliness and facilities.

Name

Newgale phonetically is rendered in Welsh as Niwgwl. It was recorded as Nivegal, Niwegal and Neugol in the 12th century, and the origin of the name may be Irish.

Village and beach

The beach is backed by a large pebble bank which was created by a major storm on 25 October 1859, and which acts as a sea defence or

storm beach A storm beach is a beach affected by particularly fierce wind wave, waves, usually with a very long fetch (geography), fetch. The resultant landform is often a very steep beach (up to 45°) composed of rounded Cobble (geology), cobbles, shingle be ...

; however, it is often breached, and rocks are washed onto the main road. In the January 2014 storms the sea washed the pebble wall across the road and a large wave washed the early evening Richards Bros bus into the adjoining field. Newgale is popular with holiday makers, windsurfers, surfers and canoeists throughout the summer months. NewgaleBeachPembs2

There are two caravan parks, a camping site, some shops and a

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

, The Duke of Edinburgh Inn. The surf at Newgale is good for beginners, with the waves usually backing off a bit even on large swell. Surfing is best on the rising tide. The beach is a favourite place for the local people, who promenade on

Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...

every year. Many campers on lower ground experience flooding during rain in the summer months. Newgale, along with Abereiddi, appeared in the music video for the

Delerium Delerium is a Canadian new-age ambient electronic musical duo that formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act Front Line Assembly. Throughout the band's history, their musical style has encompassed a ...

(featuring

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing (album), Surfacing'' (1997), for which she won two G ...

) song "Silence" in 2000. Newgale marks a boundary between English and Welsh-speaking Pembrokeshire, with the next beach north of Newgale being called Pen-y-Cwm. A physical example of the boundary is Brandy Brook which runs through Newgale, splitting the English-speaking South Pembrokeshire and the Welsh-speaking North Pembrokeshire, remarked upon by

Richard Fenton Richard Fenton (January 1747 – November 1821) was a Welsh lawyer, topography, topographer and poet. Biography Fenton was born in January 1747 in St David's, Pembrokeshire, and was baptised in St David's Cathedral on 20 February 1747, "being t ...

in his ''Historical Tour'' of 1810. Niwgwl, Sir Benfro, Cymru June 2021 Newgale, Pembrokeshire, Wales 03.jpg, The landmark stream which passes through Newgale File:Niwgwl, Sir Benfro, Cymru June 2021 Newgale, Pembrokeshire, Wales 06.jpg

References

External links

Pembrokeshire County Council – Blue Flag Beaches – NewgalePhotographs of Newgale and surrounding area on Geograph
{{authority control Beaches of Pembrokeshire Coast of Pembrokeshire Villages in Pembrokeshire Surfing locations in Wales