Pembrokeshire Coast Path on Google Streetview

An image taken from the Google Streetview sequence, showing the classic raised beach platform at Broad Haven South, on the south coast of Pembrokeshire

 Well done to the Pembs Coast National Park Authority!  Google Streetview arrives.....

This reminds me of the time when I slogged all the way round the Pembs Coast Path / National Trail, having been commissioned by HMSO and Aurum Press to write the definitive trail guide.  I did it in the winter -- which was less than ideal.  200 miles or more, exploring every nook and cranny, braving high winds, pouring rain and even snowstorms.  By Jove, it was Hell out there, as they used to say on the Goon Show.   Actually, it was rather a lot of fun, prior to sitting down and writing it all up.

Anyway, two brave souls have now flogged their way around the coast path on another crucial expedition, lugging the Google Trekker camera so as to provide all of us with a Streetview version.  Mostly, it is useful for walkers and armchair explorers, but it is actually very valuable for geomorphologists, geologists and botanists too, since we can examine minutely every step of the way.  At long last, all those places to which I have referred over the years on this blog can now be examined or "interrogated" by anybody who is interested.  I anticipate that I will use it a lot..........

(By the way, the coast path is 186 miles long, and the coast is 200 miles long, more or less.  The path cuts off quite a few peninsulas.)

https://www.google.com/streetview/#pembrokeshire-coast-path

Press release:

Panoramic views of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path just a click away

You can now view the Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail from your computer, mobile or tablet as the world-famous walking route has been added to Google Street View.
Google loaned the National Park Authority one of its back-pack mounted Google Trekker cameras last spring, making it possible to film the spectacular coastal scenery of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
The task required filmmakers that were physically fit as the camera and equipment weighed 25kg, about the same as a sack of potatoes. Luckily two of the Park Authority’s Wardens were up to the task, with Alex Payne and Ainsley Corp swapping their mowers and strimmers for the Trekker to film the Coast Path.
National Park Authority Access and Rights of Way Manager, Anthony Richards said: “One of the main challenges was finding enough dry, bright and sunny days to film. We all had to be flexible and jump in at short notice, seizing every fine day to film. In the end it took 28 days, between April and June, but it’s worth it as it shows the National Park at its absolute best.
“The Coast Path provides a spine for dozens of circular walks, which are promoted on the National Park website; it will allow people to preview a walk to work out if it will be suitable for them in terms of its terrain and cliffs. You can also now just scroll along and enjoy the views of iconic landmarks such as the Green Bridge of Wales, or some of the more remote and lesser known stretches of coastline.”
The online footage of the Pembrokeshire Coast now joins iconic landscapes such as the Grand Canyon and it is hoped it will help promote Pembrokeshire as a destination for visitors from all over the globe.
The 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path, which is part of the Wales Coast Path and International Appalachian Trail, is managed by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority with funding from Natural Resources Wales.

For more information or to view the Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail on Google Street View visit

 www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/trekker.