New Year - New Challenge?

New Year – New Challenges – Pembrokeshire is calling…………

It’s the start of a new year and resolutions have already been made and a few have already been broken.  It’s a time when we think about the year in front of us and the things we would like to accomplish.  It’s a new year to set personal goals and a time to face new challenges.

Pembrokeshire is a diverse county with soft sandy beaches in the South to rugged hilltops, covered in moorland to the North.  With this diversity comes opportunity, an opportunity to experience something new and exciting. 2018 is ‘The Year of Sea’ and it’s a celebration of our outstanding coastline and for our visitors to experience fun activities around our shores.

The Pembrokeshire coastal footpath provides 186 miles of walks, a great way to take in the beautiful coastline and the warm atmosphere of the locals in scenic coastal villages and towns. Starting off in the North at St Dogmaels and leading to Amroth in the South. Not only are the vistas breathtaking, but it’s great for your health, fitness, and wellbeing.  Choose a section, plan your route, and enjoy the adventure. Its great to bring along a small group of friends and don’t forget the dog too.  North of the county is home to the Preseli Hills, so challenge yourself to conquer Foel Cwmcerwyn at a height of 536 metres.

The seas around our coastline provide the ideal playground! And there’s nothing more challenging than coasteering, a dangerous but exhilarating activity, one which was pioneered in Wales.  A pastime which should be carried out with an experienced coasteering guide. It involves jumping from rock to rock, plunging into the sea from vertical rock faces and discovering caves and getting friendly with the wildlife.  There’s lots of great locations around the Pembrokeshire coastline to find your Coasteering guide, there’s water sport activities at Stackpole near to the beautiful beach at Barafundle – but make sure your experience is fun and safe.

It may be a step too far to enter the Ironman Wales competition, based in Tenby and surrounding areas on the 9th September. Although being a spectator amidst all the atmosphere it generates is quite exciting, but don’t despair there’s always the Long Course Weekend on 13 – 15 July. Swim, cycle and run over 3 days, experiencing the idyllic Pembrokeshire landscape. One advantage is you can choose what activities you want to do, whether it’s a sea swim, cycle or run.  There’s also the TAFF kids for children aged 4 to 11 to enter, so why not make this a family occasion? There’s also the ‘Tour of Pembrokeshire’ a cycling event, starting on 19th May, over two days with legendary feed stations and a wonderful atmosphere for the whole family.

If you are interested in all things historic, Pembrokeshire provides an excellent selection of castles to browse, make it your mission to view at least 10.  Cilgerran Castle in the North of the county, is a 13th century ruin, to Manorbier Castle overlooking the sea, popular with surfers, in the South.  With a good sprinkling of interesting haunts in between. There are also a host of other interesting sites if you enjoy delving deeper into history, for instance, St Govans Chapel, the Tudor Merchants House in Tenby and the burial chamber at Pentre Ifan.

All you need to do is find your challenge, book your accommodation with local specialists, Powells Cottage Holidays, and accomplish the challenge you set. Bring it on!