Intro to Sea Kayaking in Wales
Learn sea kayaking skills for a unique way of exploring the spectacular Pembrokeshire coastline
Trip Ref #10482
Intro to Sea Kayaking in Wales
Learn sea kayaking skills for a unique way of exploring the spectacular Pembrokeshire coastline
DURATION
2 nights
LOCATION
United Kingdom
ANNUAL LEAVE
1 day off work
SEASON
May—Sep
GROUP SIZE
Up to 7 people
MEETING POINT
St Davids
ACCOMMODATION
Classic
Campsite
DIFFICULTY
Moderate
You’ll be on the water for 4-5 hours each day, so a reasonable level of fitness is required
Explore the secluded bays, hidden sea caves and towering coastal monoliths which form the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Cool down with salty dips in the sea, keeping your eyes peeled for curious seals sharing the surf
Bed down in a clifftop campsite near St Davids, big skies and epic views guaranteed
Day 1
Welcome to Pembrokeshire
Kayaking
3hrs
Meet your crew at the host's base in the centre of St Davids for lunch and to have an initial briefing about the adventure ahead. Hop in the bus for a short 10-20 minute drive to Solva Harbour where you'll get set up with your kayaks. You'll have a skills session before heading out to explore the hidden caves and coves of the rugged St. Davids peninsula. Next, it's back to camp for some dinner and fireside chatter.
Day 2
Coastal paddling
Kayaking
4-5hrs
Time to hit the water once more, armed with a set of new skills and confidence in a kayak. Paddle along Pembrokeshire’s stunningly varied coast, keeping a watch out for the local marine life, and discover why National Geographic magazine once declared it the second best coastline in the world. Drop in at secluded beaches - one of the most spectacular is Forbidden Bay, where you'll pause for lunch and a swim, if keen. Then it's back to camp for big skies, sunset and a campfire feast.
Day 3
The final stretch
Kayaking
3hrs
More exploration of this unique coastline is in order today. You'll discover long-forgotten smugglers' steps, kayak through huge arches and take a break on the big black slabs of Tug Beach. The final stretch of sea kayaking explores the steep cliffs, grassy headlands and the kelp forests of the southern bays, with the chance to dive into a natural plunge pool at Nine Wells beach. Then it's back to the campsite for final goodbyes after your weekend in the wild.
Included
Guides
Qualified local kayaking experts
Accommodation
2 nights camping under the stars
Meals
2 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners
Transfers
All transfers to and between activity locations
Equipment
All your sea kayaking and camping equipment
Not Included
Travel to and from the start point
Visas where required
Day 1
Campsite · Twin tent
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Campsite · Twin tent
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
For breakfast, think energy-filled porridge, fruit, cereal bars and tea or coffee. Lunch will be a packed sandwich with a choice of ingredients, some fruit and trail mix and other snacks. Dinners are likely to be either a home-cooked coconut and sweet potato curry with wild rice, naan and pickles, or a tasty veggie pasta bolognese with garlic bread and wild rocket.
If you would like a tipple while camping, please pack your own - cups will be provided. Vegan and gluten-free diets can be provided for, just let your host know in advance.
What is the accommodation like?
Camping
On this wild experience, you'll stay overnight at the Porthclais Farm Campsite. Perched on the edge of the cliffs, awesome views are guaranteed and several nearby coves offer plenty of empty beaches for those that fancy a nighttime walk. The tents will be pre-pitched and will sleep two per tent - however, each tent is actually a four-man, so you can be sure to have some space to spread out.
Upgrades
For those who would prefer their own tent, this can be arranged with your host for an extra charge. Please see Optional Extras for details.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Host’s base in St Davids, Pembrokeshire
12:00 on Day 1
Ends
Host’s base in St Davids, Pembrokeshire
13:30 on Day 3
Transfers
Your adventure starts at your local host’s base near St Davids, Pembrokeshire at midday on Day 1. If you drive there, the host’s base is easy to find and they can help you arrange parking nearby for a small fee - details of this will be sent in the pre-departure information they send out. There is free on-street parking, but it can be difficult to find a spot at the weekend.
If you would prefer to travel by public transport, the nearest train stations are found at Haverfordwest and Fishguard (they’re on different lines so it’s worth checking times for both). It takes around 30 minutes to get to the start point from either of these stations by taxi. Alternatively, your host can provide a shared shuttle transfer between Haverfordwest train station and St Davids at set times to coincide with the trains - please see Optional Extras (prices shown are per person one way, based on at least 2 people taking the shuttle. The cost is double if only one person).
Your adventure ends at your local host’s base near St Davids, Pembrokeshire at approximately 13:30 on Day 3. Again, please see Optional Extras if you'd like to book a Shuttle back to Haverfordwest train station.
Travel options
There are regular trains to Fishguard and Haverfordwest, the closest stations to St Davids.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What's included?
- Sea kayak
- Wetsuit or CAG (kayaking cagoule) to wear while on the water
- Buoyancy aid and helmet
- Tent
- Sleeping roll mat
- 25 litre dry bag for personal items while kayaking
- Camping mug, bowl and cutlery
What do I need to bring?
Clothing:
- Suitably warm clothing and footwear for the evening (fleeces, warm trousers, woolly hat, etc)
- Waterproof jacket with a hood for evenings
- Baseball cap or hat
- Long-sleeved top or two that you don’t mind getting wet (a thermal top is ideal, but not cotton)
- Comfortable swimming costume/shorts to wear kayaking
- Old pair of trainers to wear in the water (or wetsuit boots)
- Lightweight sandals or trainers for the evening
- Something to sleep in
Camping:
- Sleeping bag (three-season ideal)
- Sleeping bag liner (optional)
- Camping pillow (or use a bag of clothes if better)
Other:
- Plenty of snacks (high protein bars, flapjacks, nuts etc)
- Quicky dry towel
- Reusable water bottles (two x1 litre)
- Any personal medication
- Torch (headtorch is ideal)
- Hand sanitiser
- Suncream
- Sunglasses
- Plastic bag to store wet clothes
- Toiletries
- Eye-mask & ear plugs (optional for those who need a little help falling asleep)
If you forget anything or need some last-minute supplies, your host has a fully-stocked outdoors shop in St Davids, filled with everything you might need. You are entitled to a 15% discount if travelling on this trip.
Optional Single Tent Upgrade
Payable Before Departure
Optional Single Tent Upgrade
…
Shuttle between Haverfordwest Train Station & St Davids, one way, per person (min. 2 people)
Payable Before Departure
Shuttle between Haverfordwest Train Station & St Davids, one way, per person (min. 2 people)
…
Booked this and was apprehensive in the lead up not really knowing what to expect. The trip was exhausting but so much fun and so many laughs were shared with people who were strangers Friday lunch time. The instructors were fantastic and the scenery stunning.
Knowledgeable, confident guides helping make the most of the amazing coastline and to develop kayaking skills
The trip was brilliant!
We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 65kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal for 2023 to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
You really do not need any kayaking experience. Your guide will give you full instructions and a safety briefing at the start. You’ll just need reasonable levels of fitness to handle up to 4-5hrs of relaxed paddling each day.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
You can store anything you need at the host's booking office where you will meet at the start of the trip.
As is the case with UK summers, every now and again the weather, swell, or wind conditions can take a turn for the worse and it may be the case that kayaking the original course isn't a viable option. Although this is rare (we will make it work in most conditions), safety is of course the priority. Plan B is to head to the north Pembrokeshire Coast around Fishguard and Newport, where the coastline is a little more protected. This is still very much a beautiful part of the coastline - think black sand beaches and rocky outcrops to negotiate on your kayak. In this case, you'll stay at the Harries & Sons campsite on the cliff edge in Newport.
You will be using a mixture of Perception, Dagger and Virgo kayaks - these are mostly solo kayaks but if you would like to share a tandem kayak with a friend, please let your host know when booking. The sea kayaks used on this trip are not suitable for a paddler weighing over 160kg. If you have any queries regarding this, please contact our friendly customer support team pre-booking.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our adventures. Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure.
Your insurance policy should also include specific Covid-19 cover, including cancellation and curtailment cover if you, your travel companion or a close relative are diagnosed with Covid-19.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're in good company. Our adventures are typically made up of a mix of solo travellers and small groups of two or three friends who simply love adventure, pushing themselves and meeting awesome like-minded people. See here for more info about our lovely bunch of Much Better Adventurers.
Want to book a private trip? Just tap ‘Private Group’ in the dates and prices tab.
Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.
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