Caldey Access and getting around continued .......
Caldey is only accessible by passenger carrying boat, crossing time approximately 20 minutes.
For your comfort please bring suitable clothing for a sea trip in open boats.
All boats are licensed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Assistance for embarking wheelchair users or those with reduced mobility is available,
but please seek advice from the Kiosk or by telephone or email before purchasing your tickets.
Dogs (and their responsible owners) are welcome on Caldey but dogs must be kept on a lead at all times.
Parking and Arrival
There are no public car parking facilities in the Harbour area (Permit only)
Limited Disabled Parking
Pay and Display Car Parking is available at the Multi Storey Car Park, Salterns Car Park and North Beach Car Park. All within a 10 – 15 minute walk from the harbour.
Tenby Pedestrianisation Scheme (school summer holiday period ): A Park and Ride bus service, sign posted, operates from North Beach Car Park .
Public Toilets are located through the stone arch at the entrance to Tenby Castle Beach in the harbour.
Tickets and leaflets are obtained from the Caldey Island Kiosk in the harbour or, when closed, from the Tractor at the beach ramp. All children under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult and unaccompanied children may not purchase tickets nor travel to the island.
Boarding the Boats
Access to boats at High Tide is from Tenby Harbour Steps
At Low Tide from a mobile jetty on Tenby Castle Beach. Please note that reaching the mobile jetty may involve crossing up to 100 metres of soft sand, and can present a problem for wheelchairs and those with reduced mobility.
Visitors will be required to step down or step up when boarding and disembarking from boats with assistance from a member of the crew.
Landing and boarding at Caldey is via a wide concrete slipway, and at very low tides via a specially adapted landing craft
Boats and landing craft can take wheelchairs but do not have access ramps for independent wheelchair users, however all necessary assistance will be given.
Visitors are reminded that they use the boats, landing craft, ramps, jetties and slipways at their own risk.
All children travelling to the island must be accompanied by an adult who will be responsible for their safety at all times.
On Reaching the Island:-
The use of camera drones is forbidden anywhere on Caldey Island without prior written approval from island management. Please understand that part of the island appeal for many visitors is it's tranquillity and an escape from the noise and intrusions which are often a part of mainland life. Please refer to https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/drones/ for further information.
Please be aware that certain parts of the island have uneven ground, steep and unstable cliffs, deep water and strong currents. Only essential vehicle movements are carried out and a speed limit of 20mph is in force, apart from emergency vehicles.
There is a site map on arrival, and leaflets are available from the Island Post Office and shop in the village.
A limited number of wheelchairs are available to borrow, stored on the jetty or at the Gift Shop
A fairly level walk of approximately 500 metres on a concrete roadway leads to the village.
Benches are available en route.
Toilets
Toilet facilities are located in the village opposite the Post Office [Ladies and Gents toilets and a baby changing table]
A disabled cubicle is provided, fully adapted for independent wheelchair users.
Food and Drink
A tea garden café with an outdoor seating area is located in the village offering hot and cold snacks and drinks. We regret there is no indoor seating available.
The approach to the cafe is on flat level ground
There is a single step up in to the cafe and a manually opening wooden door opening inwards.
Menu boards are posted on the walls.
There is a chilled drinks and self-serve sandwich and cake counter through the main (corner) entrance, with a one-way system exiting from the centre of the premises through double doors with a single step onto the grass. A separate entrance along the side facing the road gives access to the ‘ice-cream shop’, for those solely requiring ice-cream or cold drinks, (which helps reduce queue times).
Staff are available to help with menu items and prices.
A large flat grassed area is provided with seating and tables, and a decked area at the far side of the building.
Benches are situated at numerous points around the island for those bringing their own picnic. (Village green, lighthouse area, Matthews Meadow, etc).
Village Centre Shops
Some shop doorways have steps – assistance is available from staff
Doors are wooden and need to be opened manually.
All the shops have a single storey and are well lit.
1. The Island Gift Shop offers a range of products for sale.
2. The Photography Shop offers a selection of prints in varying sizes and frames.
3. The Post Office also has a small shop as well as a museum charting the Island's history.
Abbey and Churches
The Abbey and Monastic Enclosure are not open to visitors.
Filming or photographing of monks or any activity in the Enclosure or Abbey is a breach of personal privacy and is therefore not permitted without express written permission by prior arrangement from all those so filmed.
Please respect all 'private', 'enclosure' and similar pictorial or text no-access signs.
The Abbey Church viewing gallery (situated upstairs) is open to visitors.
You are most welcome to watch or take part in the services of Sext at 1215pm and None at 1420pm.
Visitors are requested to respect the silence of the Church and refrain from talking or noisy activity whilst in the gallery and most especially during services.
Access to the Abbey Church is signposted via a set of stone steps with hand rail, opposite the cottages in the village
Alternatively by passing the flight of steps and continuing along an inclined concrete road which curves around in front of St David’s Church.
Entrance to the Abbey Church is by two steps up to a large wooden door which is manually opened.
The viewing gallery is accessed by climbing a stone staircase on the right (with a metal hand rail).
If mobility is limited you are most welcome to observe the services through the glass partition from the ground floor porch area.
St David’s Church and church yard.
A concrete ramp or steps gives access to St David’s grounds and a stone pathway leads to the church.
A single stone step up to the doorway , then two steps in front of a large manually opened wooden door.
Inside a stone tiled vestibule leads to two further steps up into the church.
Votive candles are available for lighting (donation welcome).
St Iltyd’s Church
From the village a smooth inclined road half way to the Light House, next to the Old Priory.
Entrance through a manually opened wooden door, with a single step down on to a cobbled floor.
An open space is lined on either side with wooden pews, in typical Monastic Quire style.
Lit by standard light bulbs.
Votive candles are available for lighting (donation welcome).
The Old Priory.
Access either from
1. St Iltyds via a gravel path and two steps up through a cobbled gateway.
2. The Nature Trail ( signposted ) through wooden gate, uneven, undulating pathway.
3. Priory Pond Path, two steps down to a gravel path care required (deep water to the left)
New Village Hall
A smooth concrete roadway from the village, past the cottages up a slight incline.
Entrance via two sets of manually opened wooden doors on to a wooden floor.
Seating provided to watch a continuously-looped DVD presentation which runs for approximately 15 minutes.
Beach
Priory Bay offers the only beach accessible to visitors, accessed by stone steps with handrails by the jetty or via the Cut, a sloping concrete ramp 150 yards further along the beach. Wind and weather regularly adds to or removes the sand at the base of that ramp, so at times there can be a significant height difference from ramp to actual beach.
The beach has a gentle slope but currents are sometimes affected by weather, and bathers should always take care.
Subject to normal precautions, and ALWAYS with responsible adult supervision of children, bathing is safe when sea conditions are calm.
No other beaches are open or available for public access.
Island Walks
There are several Island walks, with a variety of surfaces, and benches are provided along the way. Fences, walls and other barriers are there for a reason and should neither be climbed over nor crossed. The 'Right to Roam' is restricted to marked paths for reasons of your safety.
Access to the village and Monastery are on smooth roadways.
Waymarked cliff walks pass by steep cliffs and deep water so care should be taken.
Children must be supervised at all times
Beyond the village some routes cover undulating ground and a variety of grassed and gravel pathways and may be a challenge for those with reduced mobility. Please see map or enquire at one of the facilities before you set out, to ensure it is within your capabilities.
