It's good to walk, so why not step out and sample some of the walks your neighbourhood has to offer. This pleasant and interesting walk which starts and finishes at the church car park in St Nicholas is one of a number of town and country walks which have been produced by Pembrokeshire County Council.

Enjoy this short relatively easy walk from the church car park in the picturesque village of St Nicholas to Rhos y Clegyrn moor and back again.

Walking: The walk begins at the church car park in the north Pembrokeshire village of St Nicholas.
Bus: Strumble Shuttle - St Davids to Fishguard.
Train: Nearest station is at Goodwick. Transport for Wales
Road Map: www.multimap.com Search for "St Nicholas, Pembrokeshire".
Parking: There is a free car park at St Nicholas Church, where the walk begins and ends.
Toilets: There are no public toilets nearby. Fishguard and Goodwick, several miles away, have the nearest public toilets.
Refreshments: There are no refreshments available nearby. Please bring your own.

Start / Finish: St Nicholas Church car park.
Distance: 2.1 miles (3.4 kilometres), 1½ hours
Terrain: This is a short and easy walk over quiet country lanes and gravel, earth and grass paths. Fairly steep on the optional detour up to Cam Llys.
Stiles: 0
Gates: 0
Steps: 0
Bridges: 0
Car Park: 1
Views: several

This short, easy walk begins at the car park adjacent to the old school behind the lovely church (1), in the picturesque north Pembrokeshire village of St Nicholas. It meanders gently along bridleways, country lanes and farm tracks to Rhos y Clegyrn moor, suggested site of a Neolithic axe factory, where you may catch a glimpse of see several prehistoric monuments. This walk can be very muddy and marshy in places so ensure you have the correct footwear!

Begin the walk in the car park alongside the old school behind the church. Walk to the lane, turn left, and at the junction, alongside an old petrol pump, go straight ahead onto a lovely, but slightly uneven, wooded bridleway.
At the end of the bridleway you come to a crossroads, with a number of small standing stones in the hedgerow. Go straight across onto a farm track with a slight incline.
Where the tarmacked path bears right, go straight ahead onto a partly grassed and tree lined lane, past a small cottage on your left, then straight on along a narrow path and then through a stile by the side of a field gate,and onto Rhos y Clegym moor where there are marvellous views to the north and north east of the Pembrokeshire landscape and the brooding Preseli Hills.
The ground here can be quite boggy and overgrown but follow the path alongside a wire fence until the moorland opens out and ahead of you is a superb standing stone, 2.7 metres high.
Nearby are several large circular banks - go to the gate at the far end of the moor to see the largest such bank. Richard Fenton, in his A Historic Tour Through Pembrokeshire (1811) describes the site as a large ‘druidical circle' where an axe-hammer has been dug up. Excavations in the 1960s suggest the existence of other stones, possibly including circles, and as Rhos y Clegym means Moor of the Stones we can be fairly certain this was an important site in prehistoric times. The proximity of several other monuments, including burial mounds and a cromlech, probably confirm this.
When you are ready, retrace your steps but when you leave the grassy path and reach the tarmacked lane you might like to take a detour left up the fairly steep lane to Carn Llys and the impressive Ffyst Samson chambered tomb nearby where there are more fine views in every direction. Otherwise, head back to St Nicholas.
Upon reaching the end of the bridleway by the old petrol pump, turn right and walk through the village and admire some of the fine buildings here. Just before the Old Forge cottage, turn left towards the church. The church was heavily restored in the 19th century but evidence suggests there was a church or hermit's cell on this site from at least the 5th or 6th centuries AD. The three inscribed stones inside the church attest to such a foundation date.
The curious feature known as a ‘squinch' in the south transept is characteristic of many early Pembrokeshire churches. This evidence, combined with the nearby prehistoric monuments, suggests that St Nicholas has been a place of religious and spiritual significance for a very long time. And its not hard to understand why.
The landscape around here is beautiful!
Behind the church, alongside the old school, is the car park where you began your walk.


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ID: 235, revised 26/01/2023