St Brides Castle and Marloes Walk

The walk is well waymarked with minimal rise and fall, no steep gradients, and is uniformly easy underfoot. Leave the Castle garden and go down the access drive.

1. At the bottom immediately before the cattle grid turn left along a signposted narrow path, heading straight for St. Bridget’s Church. Go through the churchyard to reach the car park behind St. Bride’s Haven.

Turn left; to the right is an old lime kiln and fragments of coffins from an earlier monastic burial ground. Cross a stream and go through a little gate. The path is very clear, with good views to the castle. Pass a beautifully sited seat. Pass through the extensive estate wall at another gate; note the white acorn waymark of the coastal path.

The path winds its way along the top of low sea cliffs punctuated with steep, narrow, coves, predominantly sandstone, lined with a lovely selection of flowers – bluebells, primroses and the blazing yellow of the gorse.

Ignore a coastal path acorn sign pointing left, before reaching a two way signpost at Musslewick Sands is approached. Bear round to your left for Marloes.

2. The path bears to the left, inland, joining tracks rising from Musselwick Sands, below right, at a signpost. There is a tiny stream on the right. Rise to another signpost in a short distance, turn right and follow along the edge of a eld, with a hedge/bank on the left, rising gently to a gate at the top.

3. Join a minor road, turning left to walk by the roadside to Marloes village.

4. At Moriah Baptist Chapel, opposite the Lobster Pot, turn left (the restaurant, the Kensington Clock Tower and the shop are a little further along the village street). Straight ahead of you go through a kissing gate by the entrance to ‘The Fold’. There is another kissing gate, then a path along the left edge of a eld. After another kissing gate join a farm track, turning right. In a little more than 100m. leave the farm track in front of a house, through a waymarked kissing gate. Continue along the left edge of a meadow, go over a stile and along the left edge of the next field; Fopton Farm is to the right. After a kissing gate, turn left in 100m. over a waymarked stile and down a few steps on the other side.

5. Join a cart track, turning right down the edge of another field; Eastfield Farm is prominent to the left. Turn right at a ‘T’ junction at the bottom, along a farm lane. In a little more than 100m. leave the lane, through a waymarked wooden kissing gate on the left, immediately after a metal farm gate to rise along the right edge of a field. After double gates the castle is in view ahead. Continue towards the castle; there are more stiles before the castle grounds are reached, close to the tennis courts.