As part of our Green Traveller's Guide to Pembrokeshire National Park, Paul Bloomfield picks out a selection of walks, kayaking, coasteering and other activities in this wonderful protected area in southwest Wales.
With all that beautiful coastline it'd be silly not to indulge in a little adventure, whether that means wandering the Coast Path or diving from cliff-tops into the ocean below.
Pembrokeshire's Coast Path is one of the best in the world, offering up no less than 186 breathtaking miles including Blue Flag beaches, stunning scenery and coastal towns. Not only does this make for great walking and cycling, it also means that there's plenty of scope for water-based activities, from sea kayaking and surfing to coasteering.
Google map: shows the location and details of all the places to stay, local food and drink, nearby visitor attractions and activities in our Green Traveller's Guide to Pembrokeshire National Park:
Green = Places to stay Blue = Local food & drink Yellow = Attractions Purple = Activities
Activities in Pembrokeshire
Preseli Venture
This activity centre has more than 20 years of experience and specialise in providing adventure weekend breaks and adventure holidays. There are a variety of different activity options to try your hand at, including sea kayaking, riding the Pembrokeshire surf and coasteering - an exhilarating passtime where thrill-seekers throw themselves from the clifftops into the ocean below. Ever innovative, Preseli are even offering the chance to swap speed dating for surfing with a number of singles' adventure holidays. And once you've done learning to surf, kayak, climb and jump off cliff tops you'll be able to head back to the innovative eco lodge for some home cooked food and a roaring fire. preseliventure.co.uk
TYF Adventure
Based in St Davids, activity providers TYF are sure to have the right adventure for you, whether you're looking for a gentle introductory climb or a multiactivity weekend break. The long list of activities on the menu includes sea kayaking, coasteering, surfing and rock climbing, not to mention a selection of tailor-made trips if you're after something specific. After all that you're going to need a good rest and where better than their own cliff-top campsite at Porthclais. Oh, and if you were wondering about their green credentials, you'll be pleased to hear that they are in fact the first carbon neutral outdoor adventure company in the world. tyf.com
Sealyham Activity Centre
Based right in the heart of Pembrokeshire, the Sealyham Activity Centre team have been organising trips since 1986 and offer a whole range of land and water based activities for adults and children. Join the team of fully qualified instructors and you could try your hand at everything from climbing, hill walking and survival training to throwing yourself off cliffs while coasteering. If you simply can't choose exactly which adrenaline-fuelled pastime to sample, why not opt for the 'multi activity' option, which can last 1-5 days and is built around your own personal requirements. As Green Dragon award winners and member of the Outdoor Charter, Sealyham have done much to make sure the activities on offer don't affect the local environment. sealyham.com
Cardigan Bay Active
The newly formed Cardigan Bay Active is a partnership between Adventure Beyond and fforest which aims at offering the very best activity holiday experiences. They offer one of the region's largest choice of activities on the sea, on the river and on the land from their base on the Afon Teifi. You'll be able to choose between a 2 or 3 hour introductory course or a full day of adrenaline-fuelled adventure, with family favourites including the likes of family coasteering and surfing lessons, while adults tend to prefer sea kayaking and 'adventure days'. cardiganbayactive.co.uk
Sea Trust
This fantastic UK registered charity run a variety of activities throughout the year, most of which revolve around surveying cetaceans in the seas around Pembrokeshire. Join in with one of the outings and you're likely to encounter common, bottlenose and Risso's dolphins, harbour porpoises, whales, seals, sharks, fish and even turtles. If you're keen on getting up close and personal with any of these species, you can head out on the Celtic Wildcat with skipper Nick O'Sullivan to survey dolphins and take some pictures of the seals and birds you pass along the way. seatrust.org.uk
Walkalongway
Quite possibly everything you'll ever need to set up a walking holiday in Pembrokeshire, Walkalongway began life as a simple guide to walking in the area, helping visitors and locals alike plan the routes they were going to take, thus helping walkers spend less of their holiday staring at a map. Having grown since the early days, the company now also offers an online e-book to help plan your route, as well as a popular luggage transfer service for anyone walking the Coast Path. walkalongway.com
Pembrokeshire Coast Guided Walks
A fantastic range of guided path walking along the Pembrokeshire coast with an expert marine biologist to help give you an insight into the area and local wildlife. Between the months of August and November you'll be able to head out for a half or full day to see newly-born seal pups and monitor behaviour. You'll also have the chance to monitor porpoise, as well as studying the ecology of the National Park whilst find out about the life found inside rockpools. Groups of up to ten people are accepted. guidedwalks-pembrokeshire.co.uk
Adventure Beyond
As well as offering a wide range of other activities, the team at Adventure Beyond provide great gorge and hill walking trips around Pembrokeshire. Gorge walking is a fantastic day out, where you'll squeeze, float and scramble down every rapid, waterfall and canyon you can find, all under the guidance of an expert. This is also a great opportunity for anyone wanting to learn more about the river environment. Opt to go hill walking and you'll have the freedom to explore higher environments, with wonderful wildlife and seaside vistas to match. adventurebeyond.co.uk
For information on characterful places to stay, local food and drink, and nearby visitor attractions, see our Green Traveller's Guide to Pembrokeshire
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