Pembrokeshire Coastal Challenge

Group size

Our typical group size for this challenge is between 80 and 120 people.

CoppaFeel! will allocate you into 3 or 4 teams of between 25-30 people.

Typically, there will be one celebrity captain per team and one challenge leader for every 10 participants.

Depending upon the number of teams it is intended that each team will walk a different route from the other teams each day, to ensure we give everyone a better wilderness experience. On the final day it is intended that we all walk together to the finish line.

Keeping safe post-covid

This challenge is planned to run in Summer of 2022 when we hope that we will live in a ‘post-Covid restricted’ world. Please rest assured that Charity Challenge will continue to monitor all the latest advice from both the government and local authorities and will ensure that all of our safety systems and protocols are up to date. Our safety advice for our UK challenge’s can be viewed here. This document will be amended as and when the advice changes.

Emergencies

Your leadership team are all trained to deal with emergency situations in remote areas and will be carrying a mobile phone and radios in case the emergency services need to be contacted. The event is not run as a race and you will never be encouraged to walk at a pace ‘beyond your ability’. There will always be a wide variety in people’s walking abilities which will be carefully managed by the leaders. If we find that you are unable to complete any day of the trek, then we will arrange for you to be collected by the support vehicle and taken to the campsite. 

Accommodation

During the challenge you will be camping. You will be provided with a 3-person tent for 2 people to share, so there is plenty of space in each tent.

Please note: Because of the number of people taking part in this challenge, and the capacity of the campsite, it is not possible to offer single supplements for people to have their own tents.

If you know someone on the challenge that you wish to share with, please indicate so on your booking form or in your account area. 

Challenge timings

On the day of arrival, you should plan to arrive at the campsite for 5pm. Dinner is intended to be around 6pm, with the welcome and safety briefing taking place immediately after dinner.

On the day of departure, you will be free to leave any time after breakfast.

On each day of the trek, you can expect to start with breakfast at around 7am, with the aim to start trekking by 8am. We aim to finish each day by 3-4pm. However, these timings will be adjusted according to weather forecasts, the group’s ability etc.

On some days there are short minibus transfers to/from the trek area.

Please note: Precise details and timings will be made available in your Final Details that are sent out one month prior to the challenge.

Responsible Tourism

At Charity Challenge we are committed to sustainable and responsible tourism. On this challenge, we liaise with the local authorities to make sure that we minimise our impact on the local environment.

We believe that acting responsibly should add to your enjoyment of the challenge. Our leaders care passionately for the environment and will be keen to talk to you about how you can do your bit to conserve the local environment and enhance your experience.

We would like to encourage all our participants to spend a little extra time in this beautiful corner of Wales. Why not consider booking an extra night, and go out for a meal in one of the excellent local pubs after the challenge? Not only will you be able to celebrate your achievements, but you will also be putting more money back into the local economy. For lots of ideas about places to stay and things to do please visit the excellent Visit Pembrokeshire website. (https://www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/plan-your-visit/)

For extra information, please visit our Responsible Tourism pages, where you will be able to view a list of the other projects that we currently support.

Terrain

The terrain mainly follows good quality footpaths but the nature of any footpath, means that in places these can be muddy and indistinct. This is a coastal challenge and there is continuous ascent and descent throughout each day. Each day of walking is remote and away from roads and immediate access to support vehicles.

There are several sections where there are short but sharp sections of ascent or descent. However, none of these sections are sustained for more than around half an hour.

The route follows the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and therefore there are sections along cliff tops with sharp drops. The footpath always keeps you away any edges and your leaders will make you aware of any of these sections.

Weather

The Welsh weather can be extremely variable so please read your kit list carefully and make sure that you bring all essential kit.

Trekking along coastal footpaths is a serious undertaking and is contingent upon appropriate weather conditions. If weather forecasts predict strong winds, heavy rain or poor visibility then your leaders may take decisions to alter the itinerary. This challenge has been designed with several ‘contingency’ routes in case of bad weather. Any decisions to not trek along the coastline will be taken by your leaders and we ask you to always respect their decisions.

Getting to and from the challenge

The campsite is in a remote location 2 miles from St David’s. The postcode for the campsite is SA62 6RR. Car parking is provided at the campsite.

St David’s is not easily reached by public transport. The closest train station is at Haverfordwest, 16 miles from St David’s. Buses are available from Haverfordwest to St David’s but we would recommend that anyone travelling by public transport considers booking a taxi to take them from the train station to the campsite.

Why book with Charity Challenge?

• Fully supported multi-day UK challenge
• Learn all about the local history and environment along the route with our highly experienced, knowledgeable, and fully qualified and experienced Mountain Leaders
• Campsite crew to set-up tents and ensure you are well fed and looked after
• Celebration meal and medal at the end of the challenge
• The same high-quality Charity Challenge experience that you would associate on our international challenges, but in the wilds of the UK!

Toilets

During the days of trekking, toilet facilities are limited to the great outdoors. Your leaders will be able to give you advice on the appropriate toilet etiquette when trekking.

The campsite has a toilet block and washing facilities. Showers at the campsite can be paid for. We always try to ensure that all our campsites have enough toilet facilities, but on occasions this is not possible. In this scenario portable toilets are used. Depending on the size of the group it may be necessary to allocate each team a specific ‘shower day’ so that we do not put too much pressure on the campsite facilities every day. This may mean that you will be unable to shower on certain days. We would encourage everyone to see this as part of the challenge!

Safety

Charity Challenge considers the safety of all our participants and staff to be a top priority, and as such we set up Challenge Safe, a thorough safety management system. Challenge Safe formalises our ethos when it comes to safety and brings together the procedures and risk management strategies that we use to audit all aspects of our challenges, from vehicles to accommodation to the challenge activity itself. Your welfare is paramount!

Here are a couple of important points that you should be aware of:

• Make sure you have all the kit listed as essential on the kit list.
• Although the challenge takes place in June, coastal weather can be extremely variable, so we recommend that everyone has multiple hats and gloves and warm layers to ensure that they always have a dry item to wear on each day.
• This is a significant physical challenge over a prolonged period. Please make sure that your fitness level is suitable to take on the challenge.
• Make sure that you take care around the campsite as there are lots of trip hazards.

Training

This is a tough, multiday, endurance challenge that requires everyone to have taken their training seriously. It involves early mornings, long days and sustained periods of ascents and descents. It is certainly not for the fainthearted, and it should ideally be undertaken by someone who has trained on similar terrain within the UK.

The ideal training for this challenge is, naturally, walking in the outdoors, including some hills so that you can be comfortable with the ascent and descent experienced on this challenge. However, if you do not have the luxury of living near any hills, then the stairs at home (or an office block) are a great place to start. Most training should be part of an ongoing lifestyle, but if this is not the case then you should begin training three to four months prior to the challenge and gradually build up as suggested. Remember to use the kit that you will be using on the challenge (boots, rucksack, poles etc) to get them worn in. There is no substitute for walking in the hills so try, if possible, to get out on a weekend and train in an area with steep hills. The more you exercise before the challenge, the more you will get out of it.

The CoppaFeel! Pembrokeshire Challenge is a real endurance event, and you should gear your training towards being comfortable doing exercise for prolonged periods of time. Recovery times are also important to consider, and again you should structure your training so that you are comfortable exercising again after only a night’s rest. We would recommend that all people training towards this challenge should aim to be able to comfortably do two long days of walking (6-8 hours) on back-to-back days as a minimum.

Clothing and equipment

During this challenge you will need to have two bags. One day pack that you use to carry everything you need for the day of trekking, and one kit bag that contains all your camp clothing and other equipment (sleeping bag etc) and spare clothes. This kit bag is left at the campsite in your tent each day.

What to carry during the day? This challenge takes place in a remote and rugged environment, away from roads and immediate access to the support vehicle. It is therefore extremely important that you come prepared with the correct kit for this challenge. Please ensure that your waterproof jacket can keep you dry when subjected to rain for several hours at a time (although we hope in June it won’t be needed), and that you also have waterproof trousers, as legs get just as wet as tops. Footwear should also be waterproof and most importantly should have good grip. Sports trainers are not appropriate for the terrain of this challenge. We also ask you to ensure that you bring with you, multiple warm layers, along with at least two sets of hat and gloves. If clothes get wet, then the only way to dry them is by hanging them up in tents.

Clothing and equipment for the campsite: We recommend that you have at least one pair of clothes that you can change into when you reach the campsite. This will ensure that you always have a dry pair of clothes at the end of the day.

Tents are provided for you, but you will need to bring a sleeping mat and sleeping bag. Please refer to the kit list for more information about what is appropriate. The full kit list for this challenge can be viewed in your account area or on the website.

Please be aware that because of the environment that this challenge takes place in our leaders may ask to see the vital parts of your kit, to make sure are well prepared before heading out on the challenge.

How is the group managed?

This is a fully supported, leader led challenge. The itinerary is designed to be fully supported and so you will always be accompanied by our leaders. Our leaders are there to assist you and to try to ensure that everyone can complete the challenge and have a great time.

Like all our challenges, we manage the trek as a team challenge, and we encourage everyone to see themselves as part of the team. Our aim is to walk at a speed that is appropriate for all group members. It is important to remember that this is a multiday trekking itinerary, and so we will walk at a pace that is appropriate to keeping you going for all five days of walking. Your challenge leaders are very experienced at setting the correct pace, and they will be with you at all times.

Should it be necessary for the group to split into different walking speeds during the day then your challenge leaders will facilitate this. However, a challenge leader must be with you at all times.

Should anyone develop any problems during the day then the leaders will be in place to deal with them. As this is a remote trekking challenge it is not always possible for our support vehicle to access your location immediately.

Leadership

You will be accompanied by fully qualified walking leaders who are all first aid trained. Our leaders are the very best, and many of them lead on our overseas challenges. They have a broad range of backgrounds and experiences and are there to keep everyone safe and happy. We always ask all our participants to respect any decision that any of the leaders has to make.

Food and drink

All of your food and drink is included from dinner on the first night through to a celebration dinner on the final night and breakfast before departure on the final morning. During the trek, breakfast and dinner will be provided for you at the campsite.

Breakfast will include porridge, cereal, fruit, hot drinks. Dinner will be a mixture of good, hearty, trekking food - Soups, pasta, rice, different sauces, stews, and a dessert will be provided each day. A packed lunch will be available for each day. To allow people to choose their own packed lunch we will provide bread and a variety of sandwich fillings so that people can make their own sandwich each morning after breakfast. Crisps, fruit, and snack bars will also be available for you to carry in your packed lunch. You will be required to carry your packed lunch with you each day.

Due to the remote nature of the trekking routes, you will need to carry all your drinking water with you each day. There are no re-fill points available. We would recommend you carry between 2 and 3 litres, depending on weather conditions.

We can easily cater for most dietary requirements. Please indicate your dietary requirements on your booking form. If you have any concerns about this then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Eating equipment for the meals: You will be required to bring your own eating equipment for at the campsite (plate, bowl, mug, knife, fork, spoon) and after each meal you will need to wash this up and store it in your tent. We would recommend plastic plates and bowls.

Level of difficulty

The CoppaFeel! Pembrokeshire Challenge involves five days of between 7 to 10 hours of trekking each day. It involves a good level of fitness, and you’ll need the endurance to do multiple days of consecutive trekking. The terrain follows mainly good quality coastal footpaths, but the nature of any coastal footpath means that in places these can be muddy and steep. This is a coastal challenge and there is continuous ascent and descent throughout each day. Each day of walking is remote and away from roads and immediate access to support vehicles.