We are staying at Preseli Venture, Pembrokeshire for a weekend of outdoor activities celebrating James' 30th birthday. Our adventures for today are coasteering and hiking.
1. I'm scared of jumping into water. I'm not scared of water or heights -- it's the act of stepping off the edge that frightens me. And I really suffer from cold shock when I jump in -- I lose breath control and for a couple of minutes can do nothing but gasp uncontrollably, sucking down whatever air and water get into my nose and mouth. So my first beautiful thing is... every time I jump into water, I know that I am beating the fear; and that the next time I want to jump in, it'll be easier. And also, I always get used to the water, and after the first ducking, I'm in control of my breathing again.
2. Coasteering takes you to places that you are normally not supposed to go. Cliffs, for example; the white water at the bottom of cliffs, and rocks just offshore.
3. Julia -- the American girl that we stole from her group to be our friend -- spots a sign saying 'Access to burial chamber' so we divert from the prescribed walk along the coast path and investigate five stones with an enormous boulder balanced on the top. Other Points of Interest include: some very cuddly-looking black cows; a furry bear caterpiller; seals rolling in the blue water far below us; a shiney black beetle.
