Milford Haven/Aberdaugleddy, the industrial and urban heart of Pembrokeshire, is dominated by the relatively recent structures of the oil and gas industries. Milford Haven is a great ria or drowned valley, partly submerged by glacial melt- waters after the last Ice Age, and forms a divide in the south Pembrokeshire landscape. Much of the waterway cuts through the strata of the Old Red Sandstone, visible in the vibrant pinkish reds of the coastal cliffs and the ploughed fields inland. Access to the Haven for large tankers is through a narrow passage, passing beneath the lighthouse on St Ann's Head, although the opposing headlands stand over two kilometres apart at their narrowest point. Milford Haven is one of the few deep water natural harbours in the British Isles capable of being entered in all weathers and at any stage of the tide. It is a classic `harbour of refuge?, and for this reason it has been home to the Royal Navy and is now an integral part of Britain's oil and gas infrastructure. Currently the Milford Haven waterway is the fourth busiest port in the British Isles, with freight tonnage expected to increase in the coming years. The waterway extends some 16 kilometres from Dale in the west to Neyland in the east, and a further 10 kilometres inland along the muddy, wooded reaches of the Daugleddau.

T. Driver, RCAHMW, 17th July 2008.