Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), drawn by Global Adventurer.
The walk
The walk starts from the car park by the café at Nash Point, on the lane from Marcross. A track leads out to the two lighthouses at Nash Point, built in 1832 after the Frolic was wrecked on Nash Sands, and the Wales Coast Path follows the cliff top east for about 2 km, with the layered limestone cliffs dropping to the shore. At St Donat's the way turns inland by a bridleway past St Donat's church, climbs on paths across farmland to Marcross, and comes back along the lane to the car park.
It is 6.9 km with 134 m of ascent; allow about 2 hours. The grade is Easy.
The cliff-top path runs close to unfenced edges and is muddy after rain: keep children and dogs close. The large fissure that the Wales Coast Path warns of is above Traeth Mawr, between Southerndown and Nash Point, west of the lighthouses, and is not on this walk (notice of 16 January 2026, no end date). About a third of the line is on lanes.
No official page names who runs the car park at Nash Point or gives a charge, so check on arrival; guide sites mention a charge paid at the café. The Wales Coast Path says bus 303 stops at Marcross, 1.5 km from Nash Point.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- The lighthouses at Nash Point were built in 1832 after the Frolic was wrecked on Nash Sands in 1831
- Two lights stand about 300 m apart, and the lighthouse was automated in 1998, the last staffed one in Wales
- Wreckers are said to have lured ships on to the rocks with lanterns tied to grazing sheep
- St Donat's Castle dates from the 12th century and was bought by the newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst in the 1920s
Getting there
Start: Nash Point car park. 51.40383, -3.55910
Directions to the start
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Llantwit Major: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line is drawn along OpenStreetMap paths and the figures are worked out from it; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.