Rickets Head north mining activity panorama

Nolton Haven to Newgale
The small Nolton-Newgale coalfield is separated by faulting from the main Pembrokeshire coalfield. It lies mostly within Pennant Sandstone Formation of the Upper Coal Measures rocks.

This northward panoramic view from the coast path shows Rickets Head. The westerly, seaward, dip of the strata (approx 20°) is well seen.The present-day profile of the headland is a result of former coal mining activity; the rounded gap in the centre of the photo is at least partly due to the removal of overburden to access the Rickets Head Vein coal.

On the right of the photo, behind the fence are old shafts and degraded, grassed-over, spoil heaps of Rickets Head Colliery which worked the underlying Black Cliff Vein.

Stratigraphically, the rocks of Rickets Head are the highest (youngest) in the Carboniferous sequence of the Pembrokeshire coalfields.