Coasteering in Pembrokeshire | Getting Active on the Welsh Coastline
If you can catch Pembrokeshire’s ‘mother nature’ in a kind mood, you’ll be provided with some of Wales most idyllic coastal scenery. Calm seas, blue sky and acres of coastal cliffs, caves and coastal shores. The perfect chance to explore coasteering with our excellent guide Tommy from Preseli Ventures.
As we were helping to write an article for the ‘Wales Online’ newspaper about ‘RoadSchooling our Children across Europe’….(see here) it dawned on us that Wales is famous for many things… From Male Voice Choirs to Coal/mining, Leeks, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Daffodils, Welsh Cakes, The Eisteddford, Richard Burton and Dylan Thomas…. but did you also know that the rapidly growing sport/hobby/pastime of Coasteering also originates from these Welsh shores?
So how would you describe Coasteering in Pembrokeshire
Peerfect for young adventurers! Most regular readers will know just how much we love combining a coastal road trip with an opportunity to get active…. So with Wales offering over 1,370 miles of coastline, just slightly less than Brittany’s 1780 miles in France, we simply couldn’t miss a chance to see Abercastle on the Pembrokeshire Coast national park from a truly unique perspective .
For those that will have seen our Sea Cliff Jumping/Kayaking in Croatia or our adventure antics in Norway’s adventure capital at Voss…. You’ll know that we encourage our girls to embrace a little adventure whilst being respectful of the danger of the environment…. However Pembrokeshire’s ‘mother nature’ was kind to us this week providing us with a calm sea, blue sky and acres of coastal cliffs, caves and coastal shores to explore with our excellent guide Tommy from Preseli Ventures.
A sea based activity that’s fine for all abilities. Equally enjoyable for adults & children (min age 8 years)… it’s probably worth mentioning that you need to be able to cope with swimming to undertake this adventure… But the thermal wet suit, buoyancy aid and helmets make sure it’s a safe activity that most active families will love…… It’s not all about testing yourself by flinging yourself of ever increasing jumping platforms…
Look at those happy smiling faces, do you think we enjoyed it!!!
You’ll see a unique landscape each time courtesy of the changing tides, waves and wildlife. Plus there’s plenty of chances to work together as a family to overcome the many obstacles you might face…. Call it an eco-adventure and you won’t be far wrong!!!
From the very moment we turned down the twisting narrow lane in Preseli’s white minibus to reveal this view (check out this webpage for more ideas on views in Pembrokeshire) we were hooked…. Having enjoyed seeing Pembrokeshire’s coastline from a surfboard, a climbing harness and by foot… we’ve really fallen in love with this laid back part of Wales. Perhaps even more so now we’ve clambered along it’s beautiful cliffs, jumped in off precipitous ledges or even got friendly with its local jellyfish!!
want to see it from a different perspective?
We enjoyed our Coasteering Adventures at Abercastle, but it’s just one of a host of bays/coves that you can discover by taking the coastal footpath (map here)… For us, it more than matches the beauty you’ll find at Aberreidy or Barafundle Bay.….But if you’re interested in hearing more about Pembrokeshire’s award winning beaches, then you might enjoy this blog article here.
For us as parents, our European Roadtrip has been about celebrating what’s available across Europe… Not just learning about it in a book but actually experiencing it at first hand… Just imagine the smell of sea salt in your nostrils as the sea kelp catches your leg before you drift down past rocks towards a cave full of seals… As Libby shows above, it just doesn’t get much better than this! The perfect chance for a Geography & Marine Biology lesson!!
You’re never too old or young to enjoy Coasteering
It really does make sense that Pembrokeshire is the home of Coasteering. It has it all, action, adventure, and adrenaline. Picture yourself scrambling over rocks, wild swimming, jumping from cliffs, exploring sea caves and discovering incredible wildlife. If you’re looking for excitement in Pembrokeshire then you’ve found the right activity. Just remember to push past your comfort zone and you’ll guarantee yourself a day you’ll never forget.But if you’ve got kids who love being on dry land as much as under or on the sea, then there’s plenty more fun to be found in Pembrokeshire, just take a peek at a few of these other options
Put simply, Coasteering can be raw adrenaline! Cliff jumping, bouldering, climbing, belly flopping, rough treatment by waves, clambering and using the rugged coastline as an adventure playground. So as you stand over that ledge looking down at the 7m drop into the green water below… it’s fairly reassuring to know you’re jumping into the right depth of water!! So although we all have thermal wetsuits from our bodyboarding/surfing… we reckon it’s well worth trying to use a company you trust… or at the very least do plenty of research before venturing out to go Coasteering.
But Coasteering is so much more than just an adrenaline seekers paradise..It really offers a unique experience to discover the beautiful shallow coastal caves, hidden coves and little islands around Pembrokeshire’s breathtakingly, rugged coastline.
With origins from the late 19th Century and initially referred to as ‘sea-level traversing, Coasteering takes about 2-3hrs and can easily fill part or the whole of a day on the coastline in Wales. But take it from us, we’re hooked and can’t wait to return as a family to do our own exploring…..
To reserve places on a half-day session with Preseli Venture call 01348 837709
www.preseliventure.co.uk or perhaps add a climbing session with Climb Pembroke contact Henry Castle on 07732 972 643, or www.climbpembroke.com
For details of other things to see and do in Pembrokeshire see www.visitpembrokeshire.com
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so where did we park the bus for the night?
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Great post!! combines all the words with such amazing pictures. These are the best Outdoor adventure activities in north east UK. Even I had a great experience with these water rock activities at such places and I was with the north east OA team. We were the group of juniors and well experienced hikers and yes not to forget with the amazing instructors. They were lot experienced in any activity we asked for. I would advise to go for tour once with them. Do visit their site to get such amazing experience.