Season: autumn
The mile long, south facing beach at Whitesands Bay is a magnet for day trippers, surfers and water sports enthusiasts. There are views across to South Bishop lighthouse and Ramsey Island. Despite its popularity, there is plenty of room for everyone. The beach is the proud holder of a European Blue Flag and features St David’s at the end of its headland. With the St David’s golf course, a hotel and beach shop all to hand, most people will be catered for. On this occasion I remember the gentle, rolling nature of the waves as they came ashore on an ebb tide. The flat, sandy beach glistened, recently washed by the receding sea.
The beach as a place for work and pleasure.
The natural peace and tranquility of the beach.
The expansive beach at Whitesands Bay.
It doesn’t matter what the weather is doing or the time of year, I find beaches wonderful. They are natural playgrounds for all ages. There is always something to see and something to do. I love nothing better than packing up my picnic and heading for the beach then walking, swimming, rock pooling, drawing in the sand, finding shells, skimming stones, building sand castles or stone cairns, spotting wildlife and looking for treasure. Winter, spring, summer or autumn, beaches are refreshing, invigorating, revitalising and some of my favourite places to be.
We have had close connections with Whitesands Bay beach for over 50 years, starting with a family holiday in 1963 at Warpool Court Hotel.
We started a much closer connection in the early 1980s, when we married and camped every year with our growing family, spending many happy days on Whitesands Bay beach.. sandcastles, rock pools, surf, amazing skies and sunsets and the continuous motion of the sea at high and low tide….ever changing and always therapeutic and restoring. We often walked up and down the beach with buggies in the evening..looking across to Ramsey Island and South Bishop lighthouse.. When we’re in St Davids, we have to visit Whitesands every day. It provides peace and tranquility… as well as power and energy. For us there is no better place to be… just to be!