Michael's Outdoor Events 2023
*Information Site*
This site gives members up to date information of 2023 events organised by Michael
All photos are taken by members, the images on this site will be the views you will experience on your event.
The Best of South Wales Pembrokeshire, Gower & Brecon Beacon
Pembrokeshire, Gower Peninsula and the Brecon Beacon - South Wales
Saturday 26th to Monday 28th August bank holiday weekend
We will be exploring 3 wonderful area in South Wales - Pembrokeshire, the Brecon Beacon and the Gowers "Jewel in the Crown" it is indeed very special and known to be the finest Areas of Outstanding Natural beauty. We will be walking through surfing bays, nature reserves, dramatic cliffs and wonderful golden beaches along the coastal paths of Pembrokeshire and the Gower Peninsula on Sunday and bank holiday Monday.
On Saturday we will start with the Brecon Beacon National Park with a 3 hours forest waterfalls walk and will visit the 2 best waterfalls . We will walk behind the largest waterfall Sqwd Yr Eira waterfalls, a fantastic experience. During the 2nd part of Saturday, we will walk up the height mountain in South Wales - Pen Y Fan at 886 metres. This is the easiest mountain to conquer as the footpath is very well maintained and the gradient are very gradual and consistent. An person of average fitness would be able to hike up to the summit of Pen Y Fan within an hour and after a long break to enjoy the summit views return back down within 3 hours.
On Sunday our linear coastal walk (10 miles of continuous outstanding coastal route) along the Pembrokeshire coast will finish in St Davids, the smalliest town in the UK. On Monday we will walk to 3 cliffs with its dramatic cliffs and beautiful sandy beaches.
For more details scroll past the photos.
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Transportation: Cars and/or a minibus transportation is provided if departing from London, Hatton Cross. I will sort out all of the transportation logistics for the whole group. Organise the departure point, exchange drivers and members contact details in advance and ensure the drivers get to every location during the event on time. All my volunteer drivers are experienced, regular and confident drivers. I will co-ordinate the whole group to meet at Hatton Cross tube station for Saturday 26th at 8am. The M4 to South Wales is generally the quietest motorway from London so we will start walking after less than 4 hours of driving. The hired mini bus is very comfortable with lots of space and will have a good group atmosphere.
Accommodation: We will be staying at a Premier Inn Cardiff Zip hotel for our stay on Saturday and Travelodge for Sunday at Llanelli with 2 sharing with en suite bathrooms. Room allocation will be based on gender or your own room if you attend with a friend. Many other groups would book a youth hostel with 4-6 sharing a dormitory with bunk beds which can be noisy and over crowded.
PROPOSE SCHEDULE
Saturday 26th August 2023
08:00 - Meet at Hatton Cross tube station
08:15 - 11:15 Drive to South Wales for our linear waterfall walk
11:30 - 14:30 Start of Watefall walk, finishing at Pontneddfechan
14:30 - 15:00 Take a short break at the many cafes & pubs at Pontneddfechan
15:15 - 15:45 Drive to the heart of Brecon Beacon
16:00 - 19:00 Walk up the height mountain in South Wales - Pen Y Fan
19:15 - 19:45 Drive to Brecon for Dinner
19:45 - 21:15 Dinner at Brecon
21:15 - 22:00 Drive to Cardiff Premier Inn
Sunday 27th August 2023
07:00 Leave Cardiff for Pembrokeshire
08:30 Breakfast on route to our walk
11:00 Arrive at Whitesand Bay for our Classic Pembrokeshire walk to St Davids. This will be a linear walk along coastal viewpoints. Coastal views the whole way.
18:00 - 19:30 Various restaurants booked for our dinner at St Davids
19:30 - 21:00 Drive to Travelodge in Llanelli.
Monday 28th August 2023 (Bank Holiday)
07:00 - 08:00 Breakfast
08:00 - 08:45 Drive to Oxwich the start of our Gower coastal walk
09:00 - 13:30 Gower walk coastal walk from Oxwich - Three Cliff Bay coastal views for the whole route
13:30 - 14:30 Lunch break at three Cliffs
15:00 - 19:00 Drive back to Hatton Cross tube station
Meals: I reserve good restaurants in advance to give members a choice of cuisine and budget. Most other groups that stay at hostels will be catering at the hostel. Hostel food is ok but there are many good restaurants in South Wales, it would be a shame not to experience regional food.
Flexibility: My approach and itinerary is flexible. If bad weather is forecasted, I am happy to change the itinerary. Weather can be localised in South Wales so willing to drive to a different region for a dry walk.
Securing a place: My events are normally over subscribed. You can reserve your place on any event, months in advance with a £50 deposit. I understand that member’s work, family & personal situation can change therefore do not require the balance until 7 days prior to the start of each event. If you can no longer attend before transferring the balance, deposits can be transferred to any other event within the year's programme.
KIT LIST
Essentials:
Good waterproof jacket. Even with no rain forecasted a waterproof jacket can be used to keep your warm during our early morning starts.
Hiking boots (with good grip and ankle support) - don’t forget to bring good quality hiking socks
2 change of clothing. A few warm items for our early morning starts: warm fleece,
Items for hot conditions: broad beam hat, a cap, sun block, sun glasses
Other items:
Wash kit. towels will be provided at the hotel. A daypack to hold your day kit (water, snacks, jacket)
Trainers to wear in the cars/minibus
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At the Gower Peninsula during low tide we will cross over the highly distinctive profile of Worm’s Head, land that is normally cut off from the mainland. Several photos of my group crossing over Devil's bridge and walking to the very end of the Worm's Head. At Rhosilli we will continue along the finest stretches of limestone coastline with dramatic cliffs and superb views. Rhosilli was voted the best beach in Wales and 3rd within the UK.
Transportation: Cars and/or a minibus transportation is provided if departing from London. I will sort out all of the transportation logistics for the whole group. Organise the departure point, exchange drivers and members contact details in advance and ensure the drivers get to every location during the event on time. All my volunteer drivers are experienced, regular and confident drivers. I will co-ordinate the whole group to meet at Hatton Cross tube station for early Saturday morning. The M4 to South Wales is generally the quietest motorway from London so we will start walking after only 4 hours of driving. The hired mini bus is very comfortable with lots of space and will have a good group atmosphere.
Accommodation: We will be staying at a Premier Inn hotel for both nights with 2 sharing with en suite bathrooms. Room allocation will be based on gender or your own room if you attend with a friend. Many other groups would book a youth hostel with 4-6 sharing a dormitory with bunk beds which can be noisy and over crowded.
PROPOSE SCHEDULE
Saturday 28th August 2021
08:00 - Meet at Hatton Cross tube station
08:15 - 12:00 Drive to Oxwich beach (Gowers)
12:15 - 18:15 Walk from Oxwich to the Mumbles - coastal walk
18:30 - 19:00 Drive to the Travelodge hotel
19:10 - 20:00 Check in - wash and relax
20:00 - 21:30 Dinner near hotel
Sunday 29th August 2021
08:00 - 08:30 Drive to Port Eyon (start of the Gower coastal walk)
08:30 - 09:30 Breakfast (drivers move cars to finishing point)
09:30 - 17:30 Gower coastal walk - coastal views for the whole route - undulating terrain
17:30 - 18:30 Relax at the pub or Rhosilli beach
18:30 - 20:00 Dinner at the range of restaurants at Rhosilli
20:00 - 20:30 Drive back to our hotel
21:30 Drinks at the hotel bars for those that are still awake
Monday 30th August 2021 (bank holiday)
07:30 Breakfast
08:15 - 09:15 Drive to a variety of South Wales walks - Pen-y-Fan, Sugar Loaf or Forest Fawr (to be decided dependent upon weather)
09:30 - 14:30 Walk
14:30 - 19:00 Drive back to Hatton Cross tube station
Meals: I reserve good restaurants in advance to give members a choice of cuisine and budget. Most other groups that stay at hostels will be catering at the hostel. Hostel food is ok but there are many good restaurants in South Wales, it would be a shame not to experience. I will send members details of the restaurants selected and ask members to choose. Meals are not included in the cost as we are not staying at a hostel and I want the group to experience regional food.
Flexibility: My approach and itinerary is flexible. If bad weather is forecasted, I am happy to change the itinerary. Weather can be localised in South Wales so willing to drive to a different region for a dry walk.
Securing a place: My events are normally over subscribed. You can reserve your place on any event, months in advance with a £50 deposit. I understand that member’s work, family & personal situation can change, so your deposit or balance is 100% refundable 7 days prior to the start of this event, no quibble. All I need is 7 days notice and I refund you fully within 24 hours. I only require the final balance 7 days before the start of the event, again being flexible to members needs.
KIT LIST
Essentials:
Good waterproof jacket. Even with no rain forecasted a waterproof jacket can be used to keep your warm during our early morning starts.
Hiking boots (with good grip and ankle support) - don’t forget to bring good quality hiking socks
2 change of clothing. A few warm items for our early morning starts: base layer, warm fleece, gloves, beanie
Items for hot conditions: broad beam hat, a cap, sun block, sun glasses
Other items:
Wash kit. towels will be provided at the hotel. A daypack to hold your day kit (water, snacks, jacket)
Trainers to wear in the cars/minibus