TWO visitors steering a course for Caldey Island ran aground before they even touched the water.

The American pair were in their vehicle and set their sat nav for the monastic island off Tenby.

Their journey came to an abrupt end with their destination in sight as they drove onto the sand at Castle Beach and quickly got stuck.

Luckily, divine intervention came in the form of passers-by.

“Three separate attempts to tow out, much digging and three hours later they managed to get back to the safety of the slipway, courtesy of a local 4x4,” said a post on the Tenby Island Facebook page, which featured a photo of the hapless vehicle.

Pete Prosser, who opens St Catherine’s Island as a tourist attraction, said that the incident took place the weekend before last and had caused a lot of amusement.

“The couple were apparently surprised they couldn’t drive to Caldey, and highly embarrassed when they got stuck,” he said. “They won’t be the first to have their vehicle rescued from the beach, but possibly the first to have set a sat nav for Caldey."