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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Solva
Solfach
Base here 2 nights if you want a quiet harbour village on the coast path; skip it as a day trip from Tenby, which is 45 min by car each way.
Solva is a small harbour village at the mouth of the River Solva, on the north side of St Bride's Bay inside the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. It splits into Lower Solva, a single street ending at the quay, and Upper Solva up the hill. Two nights covers the village, the Gribin headland walk and a half-day at St Davids; walkers on the coast path often stay longer.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- Solfach
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (many places shut or on short hours)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–75 excl. bed · Mid £75–130 excl. bed · High £130+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · EU emergency number 112 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a village café | £3–4.50 |
| Pub main course | £13–20 |
| Pint of beer | £4.50–6 |
| Cream tea or cake | £5–8 |
| Bus fare, short hop | £3–6 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | £8–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CWL · Cardiff Airport
- About 2 h by car; the nearest airport with scheduled flights.
- BRS · Bristol Airport
- About 3 h by car via the M4 and A40.
Typical fares
- Bus Solva → St Davids
- about £3–4 single, 20–30 min (check)
- Taxi Solva → Haverfordwest station
- about £25–35, 25 min (check)
- Harbour Master (visiting yachts)
- +44 1437 721703
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The village is walkable, but Upper and Lower Solva are separated by a steep hill. Buses run along the A487 to St Davids, Haverfordwest and Fishguard; the nearest rail station is Haverfordwest, about 13 miles away. A car makes the beaches and St Davids much easier.
See and do
Known for
- Solva harbour and quay
- The Gribin coastal walk
- Solva Woollen Mill at Middle Mill
- Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| St Davids | Bus 411 or T11 along the A487, or about 10 min by car | About 20–30 min |
| Newgale | Car or bus along the A487 towards Haverfordwest | About 15 min |
| Tenby | Car via the A487 and A478 | About 45–55 min |
| Fishguard | Bus 411 or car via the A487 | About 30 min |
| Pembroke | Car via Haverfordwest | About 45 min |
| Freshwater East | Car via the A477 and B4584 | About 50 min |
Sleep
- Lower Solva
- The main street and quay: pubs, cafés and the harbour on foot. Best if you want to park once.
- Upper Solva
- Up Solva hill on the A487; quieter, more parking, but a steep 10–15 min walk down to the quay.
- Middle Mill and the valley
- Inland along the river, near the woollen mill; self-catering cottages and farm stays, car needed.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HeloHEH-lo |
| Thank you | DiolchDEE-olch |
| Please | Os gwelwch yn ddaos GWEL-ookh un thah |
| Goodbye | Hwyl fawrhoo-il VOWER |
| Where is the harbour? | Ble mae'r harbwr?bleh mire HAR-boor |
| Can I pay by card? | Ga i dalu â cherdyn?guy dee TAL-ee ah KHER-din |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- The hill between Upper and Lower Solva is steep: allow 10–15 min on foot each way.
- Parking near the quay is limited in summer; arrive before mid-morning or park uphill.
- The harbour dries at low tide and there is no lifeguard: check tide times before swimming.
- Many cafés and pubs run shorter hours outside summer: check before you rely on one for dinner.
Solva is a low-crime village; the real risks are the tide, wet coast-path rock and the steep hill between Upper and Lower Solva. 999 for emergencies, 111 for NHS advice.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Solva yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Solva harbour and quay
- The Gribin coastal walk
- Solva Woollen Mill at Middle Mill
- Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Solva Community Council: solva.gov.wales
- Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority: www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales
- National Trust — the Gribin, Solva: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1356404052394/
- Wikivoyage: Solva, revision 5302622 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5302622
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
SolvaSolfach
I'r cyfeiriad hwn, os gwelwch yn dda
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Solva; the US, Canadian, Australian and Irish embassies are in London, and most countries handle Wales from London.
Village of about 865 people: book beds and dinner tables ahead in July and August.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/solva). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.