Pembroke Castle Visiting?

Yellow Ballad

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Ok, humour me, it's Wednesday and I'm dreaming of the weekend. The wife and I are thinking of a bit of camping in a few weeks time (although we're not on the boat I like to get something boatie in when we go away) and Pembroke is on the shortlist. I started looking at charts and noticed you can/could anchor in Crow pool at the entrance to Pembroke river, I then cast my eye up and there's a barrage so to speak up by the castle. Having a gander on google maps it looks like there's moorings laid (if the link works below). I looks like it could be a nice place to wake up in the morning.

Does anyone know the craic? Who runs the lock and can a fin yacht get in there (looking at the tides it looks possible)? Although not on the cards just yet I do want to get round that way at some point so would be nice to know.

Tom

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.678...=6.679312&pitch=0&thumbfov=100!7i13312!8i6656
 
I looked into this some time ago for our 1.2m wing and I agree it should be possible at the top of the tide. SWMBO was and is more keen on it than me and it has dropped off the radar lately.

I think most boats visit in organised club cruises presumably led by someone who knows the pilotage well.

More details I think in the ‘sea guide to pembrokeshire’, including (I think) the barrage arrangements (council? And probably by appointment)
 
Thanks, I have Cumberlidge's book but it's on the boat. Good to hear it's buoyed well, to be fair looking at Google maps satellite view gives you quite a good idea.

It's the sort of thing I could talk the wife into having a week or so on the boat with a setting like that.
 
I wouldn’t spend too long in Pembroke from a beer/food/midnight zombie POV it is a bit of a hole. One night should do
One day would be enough. Two nights perhaps. My son works there and did live there for a short while. It has little to offer other than the castle and the walk by the river. There is ( or was) a very nice shop by the pool called the Cornstore and hiding your credit card might be a plan.
 
We may be off that way camping in a few weeks so can have a scout about. The thought would be I'll sail round and the wife would drive down with the little may for a couple of nights, maybe head up river a couple more nights but we would have the car to explore and the boat to sleep on.

We'll see, waking up next to a castle is her sort of sailing.
 
She might like the pub pontoon at Lawrenny more. Deep water and a good cheap pub at the end of it with a campsite and a nice cafe too. Don’t think you’re supposed to stay overnight on it but late season I would chance it. It’s small, you’d fill the hammerhead at 25ft (we overhung it at 30ft when we went there). Or you could pick up one of their moorings (better have an engine on the dinghy though for the tide).

Even better, if you wanted to mix sailing and camping (I know that’s not the plan but) there is an amazing very small bookings-only campsite on the headland at Dale, google greener camping club Dale. You could put the boat on a mooring by agreement and camp there then get bladdered in the Griffin and still have your boat at hand to sail a bit.

If you are only going for a couple of nights it also saves getting the boat up and down the Haven/Pembroke river.
 
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Have visited Pembroke Pool twice while at Seafair festival. Big rising tide needed, keep to the line of buoys rigidly and dont cut corners but still a chance you will touch putty on one bend and float off on the rise. Just leave Pembroke promptly at high tide and return trip easier as you will know the way back. Pembroke not that bad and we enjoyed both chips and beer there. I can also commend Lawreny and mid river mooring not to costly, and the free pontoon at Dale lets non drying boats row ashore to the Griffin for excellent food and beer
 
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