Swimming in the sparkling emerald water beneath the fern covered cliffs walls of Rosebush Quarry is an experience you won’t forget. It’s beautiful, it’s secluded and the pool is really big, so you can have a long leisurely swim. I love a good plunge pool, but there’s nothing quite like being able to have a proper swim!
It’s very easy to reach the pool, so it can get busy on warm weekends and during the school holidays, but you can go early or late if you’re looking for some solitude.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Rosebush Quarry.
The walk to Rosebush Quarry
The stats
Distance: 680m (0.4 miles) each way
Elevation gain: 30m
Difficulty: Easy
Summary: The walk to reach Rosebush quarry is almost entirely flat and the terrain is good. There’s one very short uphill section at the end, but as far as wild swimming walks go, this is one of the easiest!
It took us around 10 minutes to get there at a leisurely pace.
The trail
On leaving the car park (details below) you need to turn left, heading along the road. You’ll initially pass some houses before the path narrows and becomes tree lined. It’s a good gravel path and it’s flat, so it’s a very leisurely start to the walk.
After 170m you’ll come to a gate, don’t pass through the gate and instead head right, on the trail leading slightly uphill (there’s a yellow arrow pointing you this way).
There are some pretty views looking out to rolling green hills and there were plenty of wildflowers lining the path when we visited (in summer).
As you head along the grassy path, which flattens pretty quickly, you’ll see the start of the quarry in the distance.
Once you’ve been walking for 330m you’ll head left on to a gravel road and shortly after pass a series of ruins. They are the remains of some old quarry buildings, but unfortunately there weren’t any signs to enlighten you any further than that!
Just 100m after the buildings (and 500m into the walk) you’ll see a path heading uphill to the right, alongside the huge slate pile. The path itself is made up of gravel and a bit of slate, but when it’s dry it isn’t slippery at all.
The path goes uphill and it will curve right, taking you in between the cliffs before arriving at the pool. The pool is just 180m from the turn off and 680m from the car park.
If you’re not looking to swim, it’s a peaceful spot to simply sit and relax by the water.
Swimming at Rosebush Quarry
The quarry is beautiful, with gorgeous emerald water and high rock walls which are covered in trees and bracken, giving this man made spot a truly wild feel.
The walls give the pool an air of seclusion and it has a very serene atmosphere, especially on a sunny day. The water is really clear and bright blue damselflies skim its surface. It’s one of my favourite wild swimming spots in Wales to date!
Accessing the water is very easy, especially if you enter at the first point you’ll come to from the path.
There are no large rocks to climb over and the water deepens fairly quickly, so there’s not much in the way of awkward shuffling like you often find at waterfall pools.
There is some slate in the water, but it’s not too slippery and you can swim off quickly anyway due to the depth of the water.
The pool is a great size and despite swimming for quite a while, I never bumped into any rocks, which made it really relaxing. It does get shallow and rockier around the edges, but the main part of the pool is perfect.
The water is cool, but in summer it’s not freezing, and you can swim to warm up. There are pockets of warmer and cooler water, but overall it’s a decent temperature by UK standards!
When you’re ready to head back, you simply retrace your steps to the car park, or you could choose to explore a bit more of the quarry before leaving.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the park, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Quarry safety
As with all wild swimming spots, you need to know your own limits. The water in Rosebush quarry is very deep and can be very cold. Quarries are also prone to rockfall, so entering tunnels and climbing up the slate piles can be risky. Slate can be slippery, especially when wet.
Getting to Rosebush Quarry
By car and parking details
The best place to park to access Rosebush Quarry is in the Rosebush village car park. It isn’t listed on Google Maps, but you can find the exact spot by clicking here. Parking is free of charge and time is not limited. It’s a gravel car park which has a decent amount of space, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble parking.
Rosebush village is 14 miles (25 minutes) from Haverfordwest and 24 miles (45 minutes) from Pembroke.
By Public Transport
Getting to Rosebush by public transport isn’t easy, but getting back is harder! At the time of writing, there’s only one service per week to Rosebush on a Tuesday afternoon and one service back on Tuesday morning (so you’d need to organise a lift back!).
If you want to come by public transport, the best place to start is from Haverfordwest. From here you need to get the 313 and get off at Clarbeston Road Railway Station. At this point, you need to get the 644 to Rosebush.
You can see the current bus timetables by clicking here.
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