A day at Barafundle bay
Pembrokeshire is renowned for its beaches, 26 of which have Blue Flag or Green Coast awards for their water quality and clean environments. Surfers, rockpoolers and dog walkers all have their favourites, but if you crave soft sand, sheltered swimming and the blissful absence of cafes and car parks, Barafundle bay is worth a special journey. This golden horseshoe backed by gorse-flecked dunes and woodland is accessible only via steep steps in the limestone cliffs on either side. It feels idyllically remote, but the National Trust car park and tea room at Stackpole Quay are just a 10-minute walk away – perfectly manageable with a bucket, spade and swimming cozzie in hand. For information on amenities and access at all Pembrokeshire beaches see pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk.
• Stackpole Quay, nationaltrust.org.uk
Meet endangered species at Folly Farm, near Tenby
The Madagascan fossa and Kenyan bongo are just two of the very rare animals in residence at Folly Farm, an award-winning zoo that participates in worldwide breeding programmes for many of its 50 species. Children can meet exotic insects, reptiles and mammals at the animal-handling sessions run by engaging and knowledgeable staff; the new elevated Giraffe Heights walkway even invites them to go face to face with an African giant. Folly Farm is also a country park, with traditional-breed farm animals, adventure playgrounds, a big wheel overlooking the sea and a charming retro funfair packed with vintage rides (and soundtracks to match).
• 01834 812731, folly-farm.co.uk. Adults £9.50, children £8.50, under-threes free. Boomerang ticket offers half-price re-entry within seven days
Step back into the iron age at Castell Henllys
History doesn't get more hands-on than the Fighting and Farming workshop at Castell Henllys, a reconstructed iron age hill fort overlooking the Nevern Valley near Newport. Young time travellers grind flour and bake bread on open fires, learn how to throw spears and build houses by flinging handfuls of mud at wattle-and-daub walls. Parents, meanwhile, get 90 peaceful minutes in which to explore the site's wildflower-rich ancient woodlands and savour the smoky baking smells billowing from thatch-roofed roundhouses, which are built on foundations dating from 300BC. The workshop runs twice-daily on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during school holidays, part of a rich assortment of children's events that include storytelling, shadow-puppet shows and bushcraft.
• 01239 891319, castellhenllys.com. Adults £4.75, children £3.50, family ticket £12.75. Fighting and Farming £2.50 per child (5-11 years), booking advised
Meet one woman and her dogs near St Davids
Take your seats for a charming outdoor spectacle as some of the cleverest collies in Cymru show off their skills. Tremynydd Fach near St Davids is the home of Pembrokeshire Sheepdogs, where every Tuesday at 3pm (gates open 1.30pm) a succession of dogs at different stages of training herd geese, round up goats and count sheep under the entertaining instruction of trainer Anna-Lou Daybell. Homemade cake and tea are available after the demonstration (which can be watched under cover if it rains), and the ticket price includes a farm walk across fields that connect with the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.
• 01437 721677, sheepdogtraining.co.uk. Adults £5, children £3, under-threes free, family ticket £12
Walk the Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Deservedly rated among the best long-distance walking trails in the world, this path traces 186 miles of spectacular coastal landscape, dipping and climbing past sandy beaches, seabird rocks and cliff tops jewelled with wildflowers. Thanks to a series of more than 200 circular walks, short sections of the path can be managed by mini ramblers, and many are linked by seasonal shuttle buses. Take the Strumble Shuttle from St Davids or Fishguard to Pwll Deri, for example, and you can choose between a gentle half-mile coastal stroll along Pwll Deri bay (a great spot for seal watching) or a more challenging four-mile circular route taking in some of the most dramatic cliffs in the national park. To search circular and short walks, including pushchair-friendly coastal routes, see pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk.
Visit the puffins of Skomer
Early to mid-July is the best time to see the puffins of Skomer, which breed on this two-mile-long island in their thousands before leaving for the North Atlantic in August. On a day trip to the national nature reserve you'll see them up close: the sight of them flitting in and out of their clifftop burrows, colourful beaks stuffed with sand eels to feed to their pufflings, is one of the most endearing sights in nature. The boat trip from Martin's Haven takes 15 minutes, during which you might spot porpoises or dolphins playing in the sounds. Boats leave at 10am, 11am and noon (Tues-Sun only); no advance booking so get there early.
• 01646 603110, pembrokeshire-islands.co.uk. Adults £10 return, children £7. There is an additional £10 fee to land on Skomer (children and members of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales are free)
Ride a 'rollercoaster' mountain bike trail, Preseli hills
Head for the hills if you don't fancy queuing for the Megafobia ride at Narberth's Oakwood theme park (oakwoodthemepark.co.uk). "Rollercoaster" is a nickname for part of the 6.5-mile mountain bike trail that circuits the Llys-y-Frân reservoir on the edge of the Preseli hills – its contours may be vertiginous in parts, but this traffic-free route offers a scenic challenge for family groups who don't mind pushing in places. The reservoir with its 100ft-high dam is the centrepiece of this 350-acre country park, whose visitor centre hires adults and children's bikes on a first-come-first-served basis (no tagalongs or child seats). Bikes are available to suit cyclists as young as four, who can potter along the easy family trail at the flat end of the reservoir.
• 01437 532273, cyclepembrokeshire.com. Bike hire from £6 for 90 minutes, including cycle permit and helmet. Adults on own bikes pay £1.50 to use cycle trails (children free). All-day parking £1.50
Bushcraft on the banks of the Daugleddau
Ever woken up on a wet camping trip to find your only box of matches disintegrating outside the tent? Then you have the perfect excuse to enrol on a family session with bushcraft instructor Chris Elliott. In the atmospheric setting of ancient oak woodlands on the banks of the Daugleddau, a series of drowned river valleys in south-west Pembrokeshire, you'll learn to make fire by friction, turn wild plants into string and carve sticks into wooden utensils. For you, it's a chance to leave the 21st century behind and rediscover your inner caveman. For your kids, it's three hours of lighting fires and playing with knives.
• 01834 871931, buzzardchrisbushcraft.co.uk. Adults £35, children (10-15 years) £20 for a half day (younger children free of charge by arrangement)
Birding at the Teifi marshes
Pack a picnic, a field guide and a pair of binoculars for a day of nature watching at the Teifi marshes. A network of boardwalks and footpaths takes you into the heart of a peaceful wetland, where warbling songbirds and rustling reeds provide an evocative soundtrack to inspire young wildlife spotters. Lying low in the otter hide or curlew hide, you might glimpse an elusive inhabitant. Failing that, you can read all about the resident otters, owls and adders at the Welsh Wildlife Centre, a striking wood-and-glass building on the edge of the reserve that hosts school holiday events including bat walks, willow-weaving workshops and falconry displays. The cafe serves cooked-from-scratch lunches with views over the marshes towards Cardigan, which can be reached via a mile-long traffic-free cycle path.
• 01239 621600, welshwildlife.org. Entry free; all-day parking £3
Jump off a cliff, St Davids
Coasteering was invented in Pembrokeshire – at least that's where the age-old pastime of scrambling over cliffs and jumping into the sea was given its own name. It was coined more than 20 years ago by St Davids adventure specialists TYF, the first to lead extreme rockpooling adventures in the enticing natural playground that is the Pembrokeshire coastline. Accompanied adventurers as young as eight can don wetsuits, helmets and old trainers to climb, swim and splash their way around rocks, sea caves and lagoons. If you want to look before you leap, head to Porthclais, a natural harbour near St Davids where you're almost sure to see cliff jumpers in action.
• 01437 721611, tyf.com. Adults £62, children £42 for half-day sessions in July/August
