The 'serene and beautiful' UK paradise island that is only accessible by boat

Angharad Thomas & Laura Mckenna
·3-min read
Priory Bay, Caldey Island
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)


Caldey Island, a peaceful sanctuary just off the Pembrokeshire coast near Tenby, is famed for its ancient history, tranquil beaches, and lush woodlands. This picturesque tourist hotspot, one of the UK's sacred islands, is just a brief boat journey away from the mainland.

The island has been home to inhabitants since the Stone Age and has welcomed various monk orders since the Bronze and Iron Ages. Since 1929, it has been in the possession of the Cistercian Order monks who continue to reside, pray, study, and work within their monastery on the island.

Priory Bay, the island's only public beach and a green coast award site, is ideal for swimmers when the sea is calm. For a quick bite, visitors can relax at the tea garden cafe with its alfresco seating area.

Priory Bay, Caldey Island
Caldey Island is off the south Pembrokeshire coastline near Tenby -Credit:Getty Images

Alternatively, those who fancy a picnic can find plenty of benches on the village green, lighthouse area, and Matthews Meadow, according to Wales Online, reports Wales Online.

While the Abbey and Monastic Enclosure are not accessible to the public, tourists can visit the Abbey Church viewing gallery and join in the services of Sext. Visitors can also discover St Iltyd's Church, St David's Church, and the churchyard where they can light votive candles.

Day-trippers can also explore the island's shops, which offer a variety of products, including perfume crafted by the monks. The Post Office houses a small shop and a museum that sheds light on the island's history.

A surprising treat can also be found on the island, as there is also a chocolate factory where visitors can tour and buy milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and fudge.

The island offers plenty to discover with numerous walking paths. Visitors can opt to amble along the coastal paths, take pleasure in cliff and woodland walks, head towards the lighthouse, or venture beyond the village through grass and gravel pathways.

How do you get to Caldey Island?

The island welcomes visitors from Monday to Saturday, from Easter until the end of October. Day-trippers can reach the island via boats.

At high tide, passengers can board the boats from the harbour steps in Tenby, while at low tide, a mobile jetty on Tenby Castle Beach is available. All children journeying to the island must be accompanied by an adult.

While there are no public car parking facilities in Tenby's harbour area, visitors can park in nearby car parks within a short walk. During the school summer holiday, a park and ride bus service operates from North Beach car park.

Is it possible to stay on Caldey Island?

St Philomena's, a retreat house on the island, provides a space for groups or individuals seeking 'a few days of reflection'. However, it is currently under renovation and is anticipated to reopen in 2024.

In the meantime, there is a Monastic Guesthouse available for men to stay for a short period or up to a week, where they can join the monks in worship, meals, and daily tasks. More details are available here.

If you want ideas and inspiration to plan your next UK adventure plus selected offers and competitions, sign up for our 2Chill weekly newsletter here

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • The quiet European city that rivals Majorca with £3 pints and stunning views

    As anti-tourism protests in Majorca continue on, some Brits are eyeing up different holiday hotspots where they are less likely to be caught up in the action

  • "This Is How You 'Trillionaire'": People Are Sharing Habits Of The Ultra-Wealthy That Sound Made Up, But Are Actually Real

    "I know a very rich person who hired a personal assistant to do this..."

  • The red flags to avoid when choosing a restaurant on holiday

    After a long day hobbling over the cobblestones of ancient Rome, fuelled by gelato and Campari, I succumbed to an overzealous Italian.

  • The seven golden rules of visiting the countryside that we seem to have forgotten

    Police were called to a Peak District beauty spot last Saturday after a fight broke out between men wielding large sticks. Video footage shows onlookers watching as they attack each other at the stepping stones in Dovedale National Nature Reserve.

  • I've been to 20 Caribbean islands. Here are 5 things you must do when you visit the region — and 2 you can skip.

    I've been to 20 Caribbean islands and know which activities are worth tourists' time. I recommend snorkeling, land sailing, and hiking.

  • The moment mass brawl broke out at Staffordshire beauty spot

    Witnesses say people hurling sticks in front of young children

  • Water rationing and fines for selfie-takers: What Britons visiting Italy can expect this summer

    Nothing beats Italy in the summer. Millions of people, including legions of Britons, are drawn to its beaches, cypress-lined lanes, Roman ruins and Renaissance monuments. But this summer, there are a few pitfalls to avoid. From intense storms in the north to scorching temperatures in the south, from congestion in Rome to the crush of overtourism in Venice, Il Bel Paese presents a few challenges to negotiate.

  • Spanish or French? Pheasant Island is about to swap nationalities — again

    The day of the handover, which happens twice a year, is one of the rare occasions visitors are allowed to visit this 200-metre-long island, one of only a handful of condominiums in the world.

  • UK tourists in Spain warned to follow strict clothing rule 'no matter where'

    An American woman who now lives in Spain has issued a warning to Brits about the country's strict clothing rule, saying residents 'really care about what they look like'

  • 'Vibrant' Celtic pub in Glasgow put on the market

    A 'vibrant' Glasgow Celtic pub has been put on the market

  • Couple slams Jet2 after £2,000 holiday horror with 'view from hell'

    A couple forked out £2,215 earlier last month for a six-night stay with Jet2, but were left angry and disappointed when they found they had a 'view from hell'

  • Fancy a Mr Whippy? 2 North East locations among cheapest for legendary ice cream

    Find out where in the North East is among the cheapest locations for a Mr Whippy ice cream in the UK, according to a new survey.

  • 'Mystical and romantic' uninhabited island off Skye listed for sale for £190k

    Fladda-Chuain is the largest island of the Fladda Island Chain, located three miles north west of the Trotternish peninsula on the Isle of Skye.

  • An Olympian effort: my struggle to cycle from London to Paris

    The 250-mile Avenue Verte cycle route opened in time for the 2012 London Olympics. One side of the Channel is a smooth ride, the other is not fit for purpose – but that could all change thanks to the vision of one man

  • A solo backpacker who has been to 40 countries says 3 things help her travel for free

    Claire Sturzaker took her first backpacking trip for free by working on a ranch. Now, she's a full-time solo traveler with multiple money-saving tips.

  • Israel targets Hezbollah commander in south Beirut strike

    Israel struck Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut on Tuesday in retaliation for rocket fire from Lebanon that killed 12 children over the weekend, saying it had targeted the commander responsible for the attack. "The IDF (army) carried out a targeted strike in Beirut on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians," the military said in a statement, referring to the Druze Arab town in the annexed Golan Heights where the children were killed on Saturday.A source close to the Iran-backed militant group confirmed that "a leading commander" was the target of the strike, which hit near the group's decision making body, the Shura Council. The source added that two people were killed in the strike, but was unable to confirm if the commander was among them.Minutes after the explosions rocked Beirut, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant posted on social media site X that "Hezbollah crossed the red line".Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had on Monday threatened a "severe response" to the attack which Israel and the United States have blamed on Hezbollah, though the group denies responsibility.Following Saturday's strike, the international community had raced to head off any escalation that might tip the two into a first all-out conflict since 2006.Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said on Monday he had received assurances from international diplomats that there would be only a limited response."Israel will escalate in a limited way and Hezbollah will respond in a limited way... These are the assurances we've received," Bou Habib said in an interview with local broadcaster Al-Jadeed.Analysts told AFP that they also expected Israel to temper its actions, with its leaders wary of having to fight a second war while its troops are still engaged in the Gaza Strip.- 'Constant anxiety' -At least 531 people have been killed on the Lebanese side of the near daily cross-border exchanges, according to an AFP tally. Most have been fighters, but the toll includes at least 105 civilians.The violence has so far killed 22 soldiers and 25 civilians on the Israeli side, including in the Golan Heights, according to army figures.There was further deadly violence earlier on Tuesday, with Israeli medics saying a 30-year-old civilian had been killed in the northern kibbutz of HaGoshrim. The military said it had killed a Hezbollah fighter during overnight strikes.Druze residents of the Majdal Shams -- the vast majority of whom have rejected Israeli citizenship and identify as Syrians -- had opposed threats of retaliation for the deadly strike.Scores of residents had come out to protest Netanyahu's visit after the burial of the last of the victims of the rocket strike.A paramedic from Majdal Shams, Nabih Abu Saleh, told AFP his community was "against any Israeli response", and asked: "Who will we strike? Our people in Syria and Lebanon?"A French diplomat told AFP earlier that Paris "alongside other partners, notably the United States, is making all-out efforts to call on the parties to exercise restraint and not to be drawn into spiralling violence".Multiple international airlines suspended flights to Beirut ahead of Israel's retaliation, although the chairman of Lebanon's Middle East Airlines, Mohammed al-Hout, said Beirut airport, its only international facility, "is not exposed to any threat, it is supposed to be a neutral place", state media reported.The Lebanese public, meanwhile, has been gripped by worry, with mother of two Cosette Beshara describing living "in a state of constant anxiety"."I'm always thinking about how I will escape with my children if war breaks out," said the 40-year-old, adding that "life goes on in Lebanon... but always with a looming state of anxiety."- Khan Yunis operation -Hezbollah has said its attacks on northern Israel are in solidarity with Hamas and the people of Gaza, who have been under siege by Israel since October 7.The Hamas attack on southern Israel that started the war resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Militants also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.Israel's retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,400 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, which does not provide details on civilian and militant deaths.Fighting has raged on unabated in the Gaza Strip, with the territory's civil defence agency saying on Tuesday that around 300 people had been killed in the southern city of Khan Yunis during an Israeli operation there that began on July 22."Since the beginning of the Israeli ground invasion of the eastern part of Khan Yunis province, the civil defence and medical teams have recovered approximately 300 bodies of martyrs, many of them decomposed," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.The military meanwhile said it had completed its operation in the Khan Yunis area, which had seen heavy fighting earlier this year, and had killed "over 150 terrorists".burs-dcp/hkb

  • Europe’s best holiday experiences for under £50

    Going on holiday is not, entirely, about the place you travel to. It is about what you do when you get there: the tiny trattoria found down a side street, or the excursion to an ancient temple with spectacular views. These are the things we remember from a trip, and are the elements that have the power to transform a lacklustre location into something spectacular. Often, though, the barrier to a wonderful experience is not for lack of trying, but, rather, the expense.

  • The one Welsh resort in the UK top 10 family holiday destinations

    The coastal town considered 'Britain's safest' has been recognised as the fourth best UK-wide

  • 30 destinations cracking down on overtourism, from Venice to Bhutan

    From tourist taxes to caps, here are the holiday hotspots taking measures to bring down escalating visitor numbers

  • Cornwall cliff collapse closes part of Newquay beach ahead of hottest day of the year

    Beachgoers are still spending time on the sure just metres from the fallen debris