Neyland Marina

provides a snug

mooring, with

the Cleddau

bridge behind

 T

he distinct chainsaw buzzing sound of
a puffi n call greets our ears as my wife
Carol and I drink in the atmosphere
of Skomer’s South Haven. This classic
anchorage is just one of the delights of
Milford Haven. Nestled into the island’s
south-east corner, we are surrounded
by high cliffs teeming with avian
wildlife: Manx shearwaters, kittiwakes, razorbills, guillemots,
choughs, and buzzards busily crisscross the bay as they bring
home food from the nearby maritime larder. The song of
seals echoes in the cliff caves and their music can be heard
through the evening, whilst during the day their inquisitive
heads pop up between the boats. For me, there is no better
place to witness nature at her best.
It was the second night of our long weekend away on board
our Southerly 105 ketch Aurial, and again we were counting
ourselves lucky to have all of this on our doorstep.
Two days earlier we had left the shelter of Neyland Yacht
Haven and nosed Aurial past the boatyard of Dale Sailing,
giving the statue of that great industrialist Isambard Kingdom
Brunel a nod as we pass the remains of the ferry quay he
constructed for the Pembrokeshire terminus of the Great
Western Railway.
Lord Nelson described Milford Haven as ‘the fi nest port in
Christendom’ and even today, the 19 miles of Welsh estuary,
which has been used by seagoing folk since time immemorial,
still delivers, with its mix of green fi elds running down to the
water’s edge, historic forts and wildlife.
Our fi rst overnight stop was to be the picturesque village of
Dale on the northern side of the entrance to Milford Haven
estuary. We leave the soaring Cleddau Bridge that guards the
peaceful upper waters of the River Cleddau behind us and
add the ebbing tidal thrust to Aurial’s sails. In Pembrokeshire,
the tide is king and passages must be planned in concordance
with its fl ows. We take care not to be swept on to the many
navigational marks outside Pembroke Dock; while tankers
don’t come up this far, the Irish Ferry does, and we know to
watch out for its transits at
1230 and 1500. We approach
Carr and Wear Spits which
require large craft to dogleg
round them, but as its half-
tide, we can cut straight
across their shallows to enter
‘refi neryland’, the series of
petroleum pontoons that
extend out from the shore
on either side of Milford
Haven town.
The channel leading to
Milford Dock and Marina
heads away to port but we
are heading for the shelter

of Dale Roads, so sail past the immense LNG carrier’s berths

opposite picturesque East Angle and the allure of the Old

Point House pub.

Ahead are the imposing Napoleonic forts of Stack Rock

and Thorn Island rising up out of Milford Haven, a reminder

of the signifi cant role the port played in Britain’s seafaring

past. Here, we pick up a slight swell from the open sea as

we cross close to the estuary’s mouth. All becomes calm

as we continue past Dale Fort into the shelter of Dale Roads

and its many moorings. Eschewing the deep-water fl oating

pontoon for a shallow spot close to the village, we lift our

keel and rudder and drop the hook. Once all is shipshape,

we take to the dinghy for the short trip to the award winning

Griffi n Inn, and its promise of some of the best fresh seafood

in Milford Haven and Welsh real ales.

In the morning, we head out to sea past the sandy beach of

Watwick Bay, already fi lling up with leisure craft offl oading

families keen to enjoy its seclusion and lack of road access.

St Ann’s Head Lighthouse sits prominently at the Haven’s

entrance and we turn to starboard once clear to catch a fair

stream down Broad Sound towards the wildlife paradise that

is Skomer Island.

In front of the cliffs, the low sun glints through the haze

of spray made by the breaking swell on the rocks, while to

port, the RSPB reserve of Skokholm Island snoozes peacefully.

Ahead, the island nature reserve of Skomer glimmers like a

mirage, and a pod of dolphins bow-wave us before heading off

to gambol and feed. Beyond them, gannets plummet vertically

into the sea, keen to partake of a rich shoal of fi sh. We pass the

rocky portal of Jack Sound leading to St Bride’s Bay and enter

Skomer’s South Haven. This is arguably one of the best spots

to anchor in Wales, with its sheltered bays and dramatic cliffs,

and world-famous colony of manx shearwaters and puffi ns.

Equally tranquil is the gloriously colourful Upper Cleddau

River, where the only sounds come from cows lowing in the

fi elds – our next destination.

From Skomer’s South Haven, we pick up a south-westerly

breeze that wafts us back past St Ann’s Head, the Forts, Milford

Haven, and Pembroke Dock until the Cleddau Bridge soars

above us. The fl ood tide gives us a push as we pass fi rst the

AHEAD, THE ISLAND NATURE RESERVE

OF SKOMER GLIMMERS LIKE A MIRAGE

A LONG WEEKEND

Skomer is the perfect spot
to watch the wildlife