Founded in 1790 by Sir William Hamilton, Milford Haven overlooks a historic port at the mouth of the River Cleddau. It was originally established as a whaling centre before being developed as a Royal Navy dockyard and went on to become a major hub for the refining of oil and natural gas.
Things to do in Milford Haven
Spend an afternoon strolling around the Milford Waterfront, where you’ll find boutique stores, art galleries and a ten-pin bowling alley. You can watch the boats coming and going from one of the local cafes or restaurants, such as the Impasto Pizza Bar, the Spinnaker Cafe and the Harbourmaster. On the other side of the quay is Milford Beach, where you can go swimming, kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding.
Watching over Gelliswick Bay is Fort Hubberstone, which was built in 1863 to provide a final layer of defence for the Royal Naval dockyard at Pembroke Dock. It was used as an air raid shelter and army camp during World War II and is now Grade II listed. A hiking trail leads east of the ruins to the rock pools of Conduit Beach.
If you’re interested in the maritime heritage of the town, head to the Milford Haven Museum, which houses exhibitions detailing the area’s fishing, shipbuilding and oil refining industries. It occupies the rubble stone-built Custom House, which dates back to 1797 and was originally built to store whale oil. In addition to model ships and vintage costumes, the museum exhibits a Bronze Age wooden trough that was discovered nearby.
Getting around Milford Haven
Milford Haven is around two hours’ drive from Cardiff and Cardiff Airport, which has flights to destinations across Europe. Regular trains connect to the Milford Haven railway station and the town is compact enough to explore on foot.