Weekend in Wales

There is no way I will be able to explain how incredible this past weekend was. Wales is cold, windy, muddy, rainy, smelly, and it's the most amazing place I have ever been.

We started the weekend by catching the train from London. Lynnsey and I arrived at the train station over an hour early so we went to get some coffee and almost missed our train because we were just sitting and talking! We did make the train though, but our seats weren't next to each other. I went to my seat and met a very nice man. He informed me that you don't actually have to sit in your seat and that the chances of someone checking your ticket were pretty low. So I went to find Lynnsey so we could sit with each other.

The train ride was gorgeous. We experienced all types of weather...snow, rain, wind, and sun. We arrived in Haverfordwest, Wales around 4:30 pm and had a couple hours to kill so we explored the town a bit. It was so quaint and picturesque. We took tons of pictures of this little church in the middle of town. Once we got cold, we found a pub and ordered some food and drinks. We moved on to another pub after that one. The rest of the group showed up around 6:30 so we met with them and got a ride to Preselli Venture.

Once we arrived, we were given our rooms and Lynnsey, Alicia, and I all shared the hats and barrels room. Lynnsey and I had a double bed lofted in the room and Alicia had a twin bed. They fed us almost immediately and it was fantastic! We had vegetable lasagna and some bread. We all hung out and talked and drank for most of the evening and soon headed to bed.

Saturday morning my group was assigned to hike. Anyone who's reading this knows how "outdoorsy" I am. We were given the option of a 7 mile hike or a 3.5 mile hike...I chose the 7! We walked all along the coast of Wales. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The cliffs are so high and you're so close to the edge walking along this tiny trail. The entire trail was muddy and had sheep poop all over, but the views more than made up for it. The pictures I took don't even do it justice. We completed the hike (we took longer than we should have and were about 30 minutes away from them calling the coast guard) and headed back to the lodge for lunch.

Saturday afternoon we went coasteering. This is the part that I was most nervous about. We were literally climbing along the cliffs and rocks along the Atlantic Ocean. The initial shock of going into the water knocks the breath right out of you. The guides said the water was 6 degrees celcius...probably around 50 degrees. We were in swimsuits and full winter wetsuits with booties and tennis shoes, gloves, and helmets. I did one jump from the cliffs and that was a big step for me. I don't know how high it was, but the rocks were enough to scare me. The tide was coming in so my group wasn't able to make it to the big jumps that most groups do, but we did get to climb around a ton. The cold doesn't really hit you until you're out of the water, changing alongside the road and you take your wetsuit off so you're only in your swimsuit. Then it's freezing. I honestly don't think I have ever been that cold. Saturday night we were all so exhausted from our activities that we pretty much showered, ate, and slept.

Sunday morning was our turn to sea kayak. The surfing group came along because the waves weren't big enough to surf. We actually got to go out on the Irish Sea (the group on Saturday had to go in a lake because the winds were too strong) and it was beautiful. The guides taught us how to paddle and steer and get out in case we capsized so we were pretty prepared. I was terrified of rolling over and not being able to get out of my kayak. We were strapped in with skirts so we stayed "warm" and dry. Warm seems to be a joke in Wales, especially when you're on the water. We had on swimsuits, fleeces, sleeveless wetsuits, shoes, windproof jackets, life jackets, gloves, and helmets. I absolutely loved kayaking. I think I caught on fairly easily and got the steering down. We actually saw some seals playing nearby and they stayed close the entire time we were out on the sea. Coming back we ran into some strong winds. It was nearly impossible to paddle into the harbor because the winds were coming off the cliffs. About half of us paddled ourselves in (I did!) and the other half had to walk in. I thought that Saturday had reached my cold tolerance, but today definitely topped it. The guides were so nice and once we all carried our gear back up to the trailers, they helped us strip off our wet clothes and put us in the vans so we could attempt to warm up. They have an amazing tolerance for cold weather.

We got back to the lodge and put on whatever warm/dry clothes we had left and packed up so we could get ready to head home. Our train left from Haverfordwest around 3:45. Lynnsey and I had purchased train tickets in advance and weren't going to get home until 2 am so we asked the conductor on the first train if we could just stay with the rest of the group and he worked it out all the way until Swansea. We had to ask the conductor at Swansea if we could ride with the rest of the group and thank goodness he let us. He was pretty hesitant, but he let us ride without paying the difference (that saved us about 50 pounds). We arrived in London around 9:45 and got back to our flat and couldn't have been happier! It's warm and dry here and it almost feels like home.

I wish my pictures did Wales justice. It's honestly the most spectacular place I have ever seen. Even when I was covered in mud or kayaking in the snow, it was one of the best times I have ever had. If I lived in Wales, I would spend everyday I could either in the ocean or on the coast (which is definitely not normal). When I told Mom about this trip, she thought I was crazy...who would have thought that I would be swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and climbing rocks; or sea kayaking in the Irish Sea; or doing a 7 mile hike covered in mud. This weekend was definitely a character building experience and I couldn't have been more blessed to see this beautiful place and experience the things I have. I cannot wait to go back to Wales!

Love from London,
Ellie