BE ADVENTUROUS
IN ST DAVID'S

Why St David's?

St David's is a small place that punches well above its weight. Britain's smallest city (technically a city because of its ancient cathedral) has barely 2,000 residents, no traffic lights and a single main street. What it does have is one of the best stretches of coastline in the British Isles right on its doorstep.

The headland west of St David's is as wild and remote a piece of coast as you'll find in Wales. The rocks here are among the oldest in Pembrokeshire: Precambrian volcanic formations, a completely different thing from the gentler limestone coves further south. What you get is huge sea caves, very blue water and, on a clear evening, some pretty special light over the headland. This is where John Byrom has been running adventures for over a decade.

John Byrom & Be Adventurous

John Byrom is one of the most qualified and experienced coasteering instructors in the UK. He's an NCC Trainer of Guides (the highest coaching level in the sport), which means he's the person who trains other people's guides. He's paddled, swum and climbed every channel, cave and jump line on this coastline over many years, in every season and most conditions going, and it shows.

His operation, Be Adventurous, runs under the Coastal Play brand, and offers coasteering, sea kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding from the St David's peninsula. The groups are small, the briefings are thorough, and John manages to be properly technical and very relaxed at the same time. He clearly loves what he does, and that rubs off on the group.

"This coastline is unlike anything else in Pembrokeshire. The geology, how clear the water is, the size of the caves. You notice it the minute you get in."

Day One Morning: Coasteering the Volcanic Coast

Start your weekend with coasteering, the activity this stretch of coast is best known for. Be Adventurous operates on the old volcanic coast around St David's, where the rock is dark and angular and looks more like Iceland than West Wales. It's a big contrast with the red sandstone coasteering routes further south.

The water out here is unusually clear. On a bright morning it goes from turquoise at the surface to deep green below, and the sea caves here run a long way into the headland, opening into chambers where the only light comes from behind you. John knows every one of them.

Expect a morning of swimming channels, moderate jumps (nothing is compulsory), cave exploration and a fair bit of scrambling in and out of the water. You'll be back at your vehicle by lunchtime, and probably pretty hungry.

Day One Afternoon: Kayaking the St David's Peninsula

After lunch (and a proper coffee at one of St David's good cafés) the afternoon shows you the same coastline from a different angle. Sea kayaking with Be Adventurous takes you out along the peninsula from a sheltered launch point, pushing west towards some of the most dramatic sea stack and sea arch formations on the Pembrokeshire coast. It's a calmer outing than the morning's coasteering, quieter and more spacious, and you get a much better sense of the size of the headland as you move along the cliffs.

The paddling is really varied. Sheltered coves alternate with exposed headlands where the Atlantic swell rolls straight in, and the birdlife in summer (razorbills, choughs, the occasional peregrine) is a big part of the trip. John reads the sea conditions carefully and routes change depending on wind and swell, so you'll go wherever is best on the day.

Saturday Evening: Sunset at St Justinian's

After two sessions on the water, your legs might be happy to walk for a change. St Justinian's, a small, old lifeboat station and tidal harbour just two miles west of St David's, is a great spot for the evening. It takes fifteen minutes to drive, less to walk if you're staying nearby, and you get some of the best coastal scenery in Pembrokeshire at the best time of day.

St Justinian's sits directly opposite Ramsey Island, separated from the mainland by Ramsey Sound, a fast tidal channel that really churns at full flow. The island rises to around 130 metres and catches the light as the sun drops toward the Atlantic. On a clear evening the sky above Ramsey goes from pale gold to amber and then to the deep blue that hangs around long after the sun has gone. Ravens and choughs work the updrafts above the cliff edge, and grey seals haul out on the rocks below.

There's a small car park and the historic lifeboat station (still operational) at the end of the lane. Walk north along the coast path for 10 minutes for wider views across Ramsey Sound, or just find a comfortable rock and watch the light change. Either way, you'll be back in St David's in time for dinner.

Where to Eat: Saturday Night in St David's

For a city of fewer than 2,000 people, St David's does really well for food. There are more good restaurants in the centre than you'd expect, which is handy after a day outside.

For a Special Occasion

Blas Restaurant at the Twr y Felin Hotel is the headline act. It's set inside a converted windmill and widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in West Wales. The menu is built on Pembrokeshire produce cooked with serious technique: local seafood, Welsh beef, foraged ingredients. Book ahead, especially in summer. After a full day outdoors you'll feel you've earned it.

For Something More Relaxed

The Really Wild Emporium on the High Street is a multi-award-winning café and restaurant that has become a bit of an institution. The menu is seasonal and creative, with dishes built around whatever is local and good that week, a strong commitment to Welsh ingredients and a friendly atmosphere. Good for post-adventure hunger without the formality of a fine dining booking.

Classic Pub Dinner

The Farmers Arms in the city centre is the reliable choice: a traditional Welsh pub with proper pub food done well, including fresh Pembrokeshire fish, hearty pies and a good selection of real ales. After a day outdoors it's exactly what you want, warm and unpretentious with no fuss. Dog-friendly too.

Day Two Morning: SUP on Calm Water

Sunday morning calls for something gentler. Stand-up paddleboarding with Be Adventurous is a good contrast to Saturday's coasteering: quieter, slower, and well suited to the glassy mornings the St David's peninsula often gets in settled weather.

John's SUP sessions launch from sheltered spots picked to make the most of the conditions on the day. The pace is relaxed and the instruction clear and unrushed, and it doesn't take long before you're standing up on flat water with a stretch of Pembrokeshire coastline to explore. It's also the activity that catches most people out: they arrive thinking it'll be the easy option after coasteering, then find that staying balanced and paddling efficiently is a decent workout in itself.

Sunday Evening: Carn Llidi at Dusk

Before you head for home, there's one more thing worth doing. Carn Llidi is the rocky hill on the skyline north of Whitesands Bay, an old volcanic peak that rises to 181 metres above the beach and is probably the best panoramic viewpoint in Pembrokeshire. On a clear evening the summit view takes in the full length of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Ramsey Island to the south-west, the Preseli Hills inland and, on the best days, the Wicklow Hills across the Irish Sea.

The approach is straightforward: park at Whitesands Bay and follow the coastal path north and west towards St David's Head, then pick up the path that climbs directly to the rocky summit. It's a 45-minute walk to the top, with some easy scrambling near the peak. Take your time in the evening light, with the St David's peninsula laid out below you and the sun going down over the Atlantic to the west. You'll be looking down on most of the places you've been all weekend.

Carn Llidi is also a very old place. The summit area has the remains of a Neolithic burial chamber and Iron Age field systems, so people have been making their way up here for at least six thousand years. Presumably some of them came up for the same reason you will: to see the whole peninsula at once.

"From the top of Carn Llidi on a clear evening you can see further than you can from anywhere else in Pembrokeshire. Ramsey, the Preselis and, if you're lucky, Ireland."

Practical Information

St David's is approximately 2.5 hours from Cardiff, 3.5 hours from Bristol and around 5 hours from London. The most practical way to get here is by car, which makes it easy to reach the activity launch points and the evening walks. There is no direct public transport to St David's from the major rail hubs, though National Express coaches serve Haverfordwest (10 miles east), from where a taxi or local bus can complete the journey.

Accommodation in St David's ranges from camping and glamping at several nearby sites to B&Bs and boutique hotels in the city itself. The Twr y Felin Hotel (home of Blas Restaurant) is the most distinctive option in the city; for something simpler, several well-regarded B&Bs operate within walking distance of the centre. Book accommodation well in advance for summer weekends and bank holidays, as St David's fills up quickly.

Be Adventurous activities run April through October. John Byrom's sessions are popular and tend to fill up at peak times. Booking a week or more ahead is strongly recommended for summer weekends. Check the activity pages for current availability and to book.