Hidden away out of sight is perhaps one of Wales' prettiest and least-accessible beaches which can only be visited with a special pass. Frainslake Beach, just around the corner from Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire, is absolutely stunning - a deserted windswept expanse of perfect golden sand punctuated by the occasional rocky outcrop.
Virtually untouched by the general public, it's more likely to get shelled by troops in training. Among the almost-white sand, flecked with fragments of seashells, are spent 120mm shells lying around on the downs behind the beach, which extend for hundreds of metres. It looks like a desert island with bleached tree trunks washed up on the high tide line and a perfect stretch of soft sand hemmed in by black rocks extending out into the turquoise blue sea.
Frainslake Beach was used to train troops for the D-Day landings and you don't have to look hard to see evidence of military training. A rocky section separates Frainslake from a second beach, Bluckspool, where there are remnants of an underground chamber used to recreate the German defences and train soldiers on how to attack from the sea.
The beach lies within the Castlemartin Range, a huge area extending from Freshwater East to Stack Rocks, owned by the Military of Defence where large-scale military exercises regularly take place. As a live firing range, it means parts of the Pembrokeshire coast path can be closed off to the public while Frainslake Beach itself is entirely out of bounds for most days of the year.
It is possible for anglers and surfers to get a permit to use the beach and the surf is often bigger here than anywhere else. To get such a permit requires attending a safety briefing. But around once a month, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park authority runs a guided walk along the section between Stack Rocks and Frainslake. Costing just £6, walkers get access to a number of interesting geological features including sea stacks, rock arches and a blowhole, as well as the two inaccessible beaches of Frainslake and Bluckspool.
Stood on the beach, you can look right across to St Ann's Head and Skomer Island beyond. The stacks and chimneys of Valero and the Pembroke Power Station peep over the sand dunes. Just behind the beach is Frains Lake Mill, an old millhouse that now sits in a lake which was created when the stream was dammed in the mid-20th century. It's a surreal sight to behold - a dilapidated mill seemingly floating on a pond.
The picturesque Frainslake Beach would undoubtedly rival the more well-known Pembrokeshire beaches for the title of best beach, if only it was more accessible. Its far end marks the boundary of the MOD Range and extensive rock outcrops along the shore separate it from the beach at Freshwater West, made famous for being the place to find Dobby the house elf's 'grave'.
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