Pentre Ifan

Pentre Ifan is one of the most impressive prehistoric burial chambers in the whole of Wales and this walk, unusual for Pembrokeshire in that it’s totally landlocked, links a visit to the spectacular stones with a scenic clamber onto the nearby hilltop tor of Carnedd-Meibion-Owen. It also passes through the moss-carpeted forest of Tycanol Nature Reserve to make a walk that is as varied as it is rewarding.

Leave the car park by turning right and walking down the drive towards Pentre Ifan farm. Just ahead of the buildings, bear right onto a track that then curves left, keeping the buildings to the left. Ignore a footpath on the left and continue past 2 turns to the right to a junction by a wall. Turn left and then right, through a gate, onto a sunken track. Now follow this past a drive to another gate, where you bear half left, onto a diverted section of footpath. Follow marker posts across the meadow and back into trees before emerging onto another meadow. Keep ahead, still following waymark posts that eventually direct you back into the wood. Keep ahead through a muddy patch to a gate at the top.

Follow the walled track ahead for around 200 yds and look for a gap in the wall and trees on the right by a huge oak. Turn right here and keep a wall to your left to walk along the edge of the field to a gate that leads onto a lane. Turn right to a farm and then keep right to a gate. Go through and follow waymarks around to the left and through a gap in a wall. Keep ahead, now with a fence to your left, and continue to a waymark that directs you sharp right. Climb up out of the wood and keep straight ahead to a gate in the wall ahead, close to the corner of the wood.

Go through and keep ahead with the wall to the right, now with great views all around. Continue past the various cairns that dot the top of the hill and then continue around to the left to a double gate that leads onto a track. Turn left onto the track and follow it downhill to join the road by a cattle grid. Keep ahead along this to the burial chamber of Pentre Ifan. This is reached by turning left through a gate.

Retrace your steps back to the road and continue around a left bend and then, as it bends right, turn left through a gate onto a waymarked footpath. Keep ahead with the hedge to the left and go through a gate to cross a track to the right-hand of two gates opposite.

Now keep left to a stile and cross this and keep straight ahead to ford a stream. Now bear half left to a stile that leads back into woodland. Follow the path easily through the wood to a gate that leads out into a field and turn left to walk along the left edge of the field to another stile. Keep ahead again, through a narrow scrubby field and this leads out onto the drive of Pentre Ifan farm. Turn right to finish.

 

Words & Pictures: Tom Hutton