At the heart of Pembrokeshire’s rugged coastline lies St Davids, a city rich with history, culture, and natural splendour. At this small but important location, where ancient stone buildings huddle beside the renowned cathedral, TYF Adventure has established its base to springboard into some of Wales’ most awe-inspiring landscapes and seascapes.
Here, adventure is always close. Step outside its staging post and you are minutes from headlands drenched in sea spray, quiet coves hidden from the road, and the boundless energy of the ocean.
It’s a place from where visitors arrive from across the world, leave the safety of the city’s old walls, and journey into landscapes that are raw, untamed, and infinitely inspiring. Uninhibited and truly unbound from daily life.
Immersion in wild places
Pembrokeshire’s coastline is often described as one of the most stunning in the UK, but until you swim into an emerald quarry pool, scramble along a wave-washed cliff, or glide silently across mirrored seas, the meaning of that beauty is only partial. TYF exists to close that gap – inviting people to fully immerse themselves in wild environments under the care of expert guidance.
One of the most iconic settings is the Blue Lagoon at Abereiddy, a deep cove of water framed by sheer slate walls, where the sea takes on shifting shades of green and blue depending on the light. Coasteering here becomes a sensorial flood of salt spray, the echo of waves against stone, and the shared breathless laughter of a group overcoming fears together.
Equally rich experiences can begin on Whitesands Beach, where the Atlantic rolls in over golden sand. Every morning is a good morning down here, though when the conditions are right, first-time surfers can be seen rising to their feet under the watchful encouragement of instructors who grew up on these waves.
On other days, adventures start in the sheltered waters of Solva Harbour. From here, kayakers slip quietly past moored boats and set out. Under the eye of their guides, they nose into narrow rock channels, explore sea caves, and drift over kelp forests swaying with the tide. These journeys follow routes known to those intimately familiar with the tides, wind patterns, and marine life.
Coastal connections with adventure
Yet for TYF, adventure is not just a matter of location, but of people. The experiences they offer bring together an extraordinary range of participants.
As the team puts it, “TYF attracts people from all walks of life, from all across the globe. We work with schools from across the UK as well as charity and youth groups, sports clubs, stags, hens etc. The unifying factor is that all participants are agreeing to take part in an activity that is likely to challenge themselves. The environment that the activity takes place in offers plenty of opportunity for groups to work together and bond over the shared experience.”
This diversity creates unexpected moments, be it a corporate collective learning to coasteer or a group of friends celebrating a milestone birthday on the waves. TYF’s guides skillfully shape each session so that even strangers can become companions, bound together by the shared physicality of moving through the wild. The point of these experiences is not simply to provide a thrill – though thrill there is – but to enable meaningful moments of challenge and reflection.
TYF describes it well: “Often with TYF’s activities, our customers are experiencing new things, in new environments. Challenging themselves and overcoming fears, which is a bonding experience in itself. Our instructors encourage reflection on what everyone has achieved together during the session, enforcing that shared experience.”
Local communities and responsibility
TYF’s connection to Pembrokeshire extends far beyond its paying guests. The team works regularly with local schools and learning centres, taking young people into outdoor environments many have grown up near but never truly explored.
As they say, “We work with local schools and learning centres and take them out on activities. We also used to run an adventure club for young local kids.”
These sessions offer more than physical activity, instilling confidence, ecological awareness, and a sense of belonging to the land and sea. For TYF, this is part of a larger vision: giving as many people as possible the chance to experience the challenge, beauty, and joy of wild spaces, guided by people who know them best.
Care for the environment
Working in such fragile, beautiful environments comes with responsibility. TYF is one of Wales’ first certified BCorp businesses, committed to high standards of social and environmental performance.
They were pioneers of coasteering as an activity and advocates for doing it responsibly. Their guides teach not only technique and safety but also environmental respect, such as how to approach wildlife without disturbance, leave no trace on the shore, and an understanding of the forces shaping coastal landscapes.
This attentiveness is part of what reinforces TYF as a third space – because ‘third spaces’ are not just physical locations, they are cultures.
And though TYF rarely uses the term ‘third space’ to describe itself, its spirit is unmistakable in what it offers, The wild becomes the meeting place, and the guides become facilitators not only of safety and instruction but of connection. Immersion here is not just physical – it’s social and personal.
Comments