Pembrokeshire Coast Path emergency & health guide: hospitals, Coastguard, 999 and 111

Emergency numbers

If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech-impaired, register for emergencySMS before you go: text "register" to 999 and follow the replies. Mobile signal is unreliable on much of the coast, so carry a map, note the grid references on the location plaques and tell someone your plan.

Rules to know

• The Coast Path follows public rights of way across private land and is waymarked with the National Trail acorn. Keep to the path and leave gates as you find them.
• There is no right to wild camp on the Coast Path. Almost all the land is private, and camping without the landowner's permission is trespass. Use campsites, and book for June to September.
• Cliff safety: keep to the path, away from cliff edges and overhangs; supervise children; do not sit under cliffs or climb them; take great care in strong wind. Do not take shortcuts across beaches: the tide can cut you off.
• Tidal crossings between Milford Haven and Dale: Sandy Haven can be crossed only about 2.5 to 3 hours each side of low tide, and The Gann about 3 to 3.5 hours each side. Reach the first as the tide is falling and allow about 2.5 hours to the second. If you miss the tide, take the signed high-tide alternative (about 6.5 km each, mostly on roads); never wade a rising tide. Use the Port of Milford Haven tide tables (GMT: add 1 hour in summer).
• Castlemartin firing range: Range East (Stack Rocks – St Govan's – Broad Haven South) is closed on firing days, usually 7.30am to 4.45pm and sometimes for 24 hours, and is normally open at weekends, on bank holidays, in August and most evenings. Check the monthly Castlemartin firing notice on GOV.UK or call 01646 662367 the day before. When red flags fly, follow the Castlemartin Range Trail (tank waymarks). Range West is always closed except for a few guided walks, so the path goes inland round it. Never touch military debris.
• Penally range between Tenby and Lydstep: when the red flags are flying, follow the short signed alternative route.
• Dogs: keep them under close control and on a lead near cliff edges and livestock; dogs fall from these cliffs every year. Some stiles have no dog gate, and some beaches ban dogs from May to September. If cattle threaten you, let your dog go.
• Diversion in 2026: a short section near Amroth is closed after a landslide; follow the signed alternative route via the road.

Before you go, check the trail news on the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park website, the Wales Coast Path diversions page, the tide tables, the Castlemartin firing notice and the Met Office forecast. The coastal buses (Puffin Shuttle, Strumble Shuttle, Celtic Coaster, Coastal Cruiser) run daily only from late May to late September.

Nearest hospital for each stage

Hospitals

Minor injury units

Minor injury and same-day urgent care units treat sprains, simple fractures, cuts and burns on weekdays only (Tenby 10am to 5pm, Cardigan 8am to 6pm). They are not emergency departments. Call NHS 111 Wales first: it can tell you which unit is open.

Pharmacies, cash and supplies

• Pharmacies: Newport
• ATMs:
• Shops: Pembroke, Milford Haven, Solva, Goodwick
• Bus stops: Manorbier, Bosherston, Pembroke, Milford Haven, Broad Haven, Whitesands, Trefin, Goodwick, Newport, St Dogmaels

Wales has no duty-pharmacy rota: pharmacies keep shop hours, and out of hours NHS 111 Wales can tell you where to get urgent medicines. There are pharmacies in Saundersfoot, Tenby, St Davids, Fishguard and Newport, but none in small villages such as Bosherston, Angle, Dale, Marloes, Solva or Trefin, so carry a small first-aid and blister kit and sun cream.

Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.