A few months ago, we spent a few days in Fort William in Scotland and visited six Harry Potter filming locations, plus we rode the Jacobite steam train which appears in the movies as the Hogwarts Express.
One of the other Harry Potter movie locations that Shae had most wanted to visit was Dobby’s grave. That’s a bit trickier to get to as it’s down in the southwest corner of Wales. However, we recently headed down to Wales so that I could go to a concert there, so we decided to spend a few days in Pembroke.
One of the key reasons for staying there was to visit Dobby’s grave as that’s only a short drive from Pembroke town center. On a beautifully sunny, warm day, we started off the day by visiting Freshwater West beach where Dobby’s grave is located.
Where To Park To See Dobby’s Grave
Freshwater West beach has two main parking areas; one on the north side of the beach and one on the south side. We hadn’t realized there was that second parking lot on the south side when we visited, so we initially stopped at the north parking lot, only to find it full (it fits 12-15 vehicles). Here’s its location on Google Maps so that you can get directions to this lot. This parking lot appeared to be free as we didn’t see any pay and display ticket machines.
Seeing as that was full, we continued driving down the road. On the right hand side there were a few grassy areas with cars parked on them. There was enough space behind a van, so we pulled up on there behind them.
If it’s a busy summer day and you spot somewhere to park, the best thing to do is snap it up. If you want to park in the lot closest to Dobby’s grave though, continue down the road a bit further to try to find a space there. Here’s its location on Google Maps; this is what you’re looking for, although I doubt you’ll find it this empty if visiting in the summer:
How To Find Dobby’s Grave
From where we parked, we walked back up to the parking lot on the northern end of the beach, then walked through the dunes to the beach.
If approaching the beach from that direction, you then turn left and walk down to the other end of the beach which takes 5-10 minutes.
If you’ve parked in the main parking lot on the south side of the beach, head over to the beach, then walk up the beach to the right. No matter which direction you’re approaching from, you’ll see a section of the beach that has lots of smooth rocks. Beyond that, there are some sand dunes with a mound of rocks piled up – that’s Dobby’s grave.
We’d left our flip-flops further up the beach. Shae and I walked over the pebbly area in the photo above without many issues seeing as the pebbles are so smooth, but in hindsight it would’ve made things easier to not be barefoot.
It’s a lovely memorial, with people honoring Dobby by leaving decorated pebbles. In the past, many visitors left a sock in remembrance of Dobby. However, this resulted in environmental concerns and the local council considered removing the memorial entirely. Thankfully they agreed that it could remain, but on the condition that future visitors don’t leave anything that could be particularly harmful to the environment.
That includes socks, but also includes other items such as trinkets, painted rocks and more. Painted rocks are discouraged because the paint could chip off and be washed into the water, potentially having a harmful effect on wildlife. I only knew about this because Shae mentioned it and I subsequently read a newspaper article about it. However, I didn’t notice any signs at the site requesting that those prohibited items not be left, so I imagine a lot of visitors (quite understandably) simply have no clue that there are disallowed items. As a result, there was an occasional sock left there, as well as some painted rocks.
There were some really cute decorated rocks left on Dobby’s grave:
There appeared to be a second, smaller grave/memorial just a few yards away from the official grave. I’m not sure if that’s meant to signify something else, or if it’s the location where other Harry Potter fans believe the scene was actually filmed.
Seeing as Shae was the one who was particularly keen on visiting the site, here are her thoughts after visiting Dobby’s grave at Freshwater West beach:
Whew. What a special way to start my birthday. Dobby is my favorite character from the books. So much so that when I was a teacher and it was “dress like a book character day” at school, I dressed up as him.
So to go to this beautiful location that brought one of the most tragic parts of the Harry Potter series and films to life was bittersweet. It reminded me of all the good that the character of Dobby (and others from the series) did to help Harry Potter overcome the evil in his life. Not just the evil of Voldemort himself, but caring for Harry, keeping him safe, being a friend and much more.
The site was also a testament to how many people have been touched by the franchise – even just for the photo op at the beach – and it made me feel connected to the fictional and real world in a special way; especially with all of the ongoing challenges with JK Rowling sharing anti-trans views and supporting anti-trans legislation. So finding a way to connect with the story that I and many others love was a wonderful way to start my birthday adventure in Wales.
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