Weekend Adventure in Wales!!

As promised, here is the story of my awesome Weekend Adventure in Wales! This was a school trip organized by the University, so I went with 10 other students.

Day 1:
Getting there - We took a long 5 hour train ride from London to the western coast of Wales (Mathry, if you want to look it up on a map) and were then escorted to Preseli Venture Camp. This is a private adventure camp owned and operated by experienced guides. It's a very nice facility - with a big lodge with different rooms for guests, lots of nice clean bathrooms (shared by everyone), and a mess hall/lounge with games, a bar, and couches for relaxing. The whole place is situated in the middle of rolling farmlands with a great view of both the coast (20 min walk away) and the quaint town of Mathry on the hill. Meals were home cooked every night by a little Welsh woman - and the portions were huge! Over the weekend had vegetarian lasagna, chicken curry, Welsh stew, jacket (baked) potatoes, and big breakfasts. It was great to come back from our various activities and eat/drink/relax in the mess hall.
The Room - After arriving at Preseli we were assigned our room. There were 8 girls on the trip (plus 2 guys, and a faculty member)and all of us girls slept together in the same large "bunk" room. There were triple bunk beds as well as a loft! I, of course, took one of the top bunks. So much fun!
Exploring the Beach - After moving in we took a 20 min walk down to the private beach. Since there is no road access, only locals and Preseli guests use it. To get there you have to walk down narrow country roads and through a cow field... with cows! But the beach is GREAT. It was rocky and pristine. We spent the evening climbing on the rocks and generally having a good time before returning to the lodge for the rest of the night.
Click the picture below to see more photos from Day 1


Day 2:
Kayaking - For each of the days, our group was split up into smaller groups depending on the activities we wanted to do. I had originally signed up to go surfing, but the conditions were bad so our guide took us kayaking instead. We had single-person kayaks, which was nice because of the different skill levels, and lots of gear to go with it. Our guide, John, then took us to a nearby bay to paddle around. Unfortunately the tide was low and coming in, so the conditions weren't great. We couldn't paddle around the island because, with the low water, it wasn't an island any more! Plus the swells outside of the bay were BIG (8-10 feet), so paddling along the coast was a heart-racing roller coaster ride! I was having a blast, the waves were thrilling to ride on, but other girls who were less experienced were more nervous, so we returned to the bay to practice "riding the waves".
Hiking - After lunch and a quick shower, our group got to go on a hike along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. This is a trail running the length of the west Wales coast (Pembrokshire). The 7 mile section we walked had great, scenic views of the rocky coast on one side - and hilly farmland with lambs, friendly ponies, and cows on the other! There were fox holes, yellow gorse bushes, tons of sea birds (gannets!), and lots of other things to see. It was a great, relaxing walk back to Preseli from the drop point.
Fun at the Lodge - That night we stayed up playing board games, card games, and meeting the other guests. There was one other college group (5 friends from St. Louis) who was also studying abroad in London, so we even made new friends!
Click the picture below to see more photos from Day 2


Day 3:
Coasteering - This was the highlight of the trip. Coasteering is, essentially, climbing/swimming/exploring the coast and jumping off of cliffs! There was a lot of gear involved to protect us from the rocks and cold water (life vests, helmets, neoprene socks, two layers of wetsuit, etc.) but the fun made up for it. Our guides led us on a swim along the coastline, stopping to check out caves, tunnels, and natural canyons where the big waves carried us up/down and back/forth like a fair ride! It was SO much fun!! The best part had to be climbing up the cliffs and jumping back into the water. It sure took a lot of courage! Our biggest jump was about 30 feet, but it sure felt like more when you were standing on the top. At the end of the trip we swam/hiked/climbed our way back to Preseli for a shower and lunch.
Returning Home- After lunch we had to pack our things and, sadly, return to London via train. I was really sad to leave. The area was unspeakably beautiful, the weather was GREAT (especially the day we went coasteering, perfect!) and we had such a good time. I know I would like to return to Wales someday and spend more time exploring the small, quaint towns along the Pembrokeshire coast.
Click the picture below to see more photos from Day 3


So that's it! Thanks for reading about my fun trip to Wales. Only 2 weeks left until I return to Oregon! I'm so glad I got to take this trip before I left.