Sun and Salt Escapes

Well, where do I start?

I guess a good place would be how I came about going on this retreat in the first place! Thanks to lots of my friends tagging me in Sophie's - aka @theflyingfitfoodies Instagram post, as rightly they believed it looked to be 'right up my street' encompassing everything fitness and outdoorsy that I could hope for, I won the giveaway!

I was off to Pembrokeshire on a retreat of my dreams as a complete freebie, and still can't believe it now. Sophie was even kind enough to give me first dibs on bringing a friend if that made me more comfortable. But I decided it was a good opportunity to experience my first solo trip!

The Location

Based in St.Davids, Pembrokeshire, south Wales, the ten of us were housed together within a large, multi-story terrace beach house right in the heart of the town. The location couldn't have been more perfect. With a large communal space, large bedrooms, and plenty of bathrooms we had plenty of space to make ourselves at home. Oh and let's not forget the amazing views either!

As a solo guest, I shared a room with a fellow solo guest. Sophie did a fantastic job of pairing us all up with our roomies!!

The Schedule

Ok, so what did our days look like? I must admit, as a bit of a control freak I didn't think I'd be so relaxed about having my days all planned out for me. But honestly, I've never felt so relaxed and happy to hand my daily itinerary over to the capable hands of Sophie. She explained how she'd planned the retreat around how she viewed her own dream timetable would look, and it turns out that's very close to my own.

Each day was structured to make the best out of our time in Pembrokeshire. Starting the morning off sipping on freshly brewed coffee from @mor_tenby, before heading to the beach for our morning workout. ... time to re-fuel with our first meal of the day supplied by @alissas_supperclubs. Breakfast!

After filling ourselves up with all the vegan, nutritious goodness you could possibly want to start your day off right, we headed out for a walk to explore the coastal sights of Pembrokeshire. Sophie guided us along different sections of the coastal paths, each route having a chance to jump in the sea for a mid-walk dunk (my personal favourite part of the day).

The afternoon was all ours to fill as we saw fit. For me, this meant it was time to fit in more activities and exploring! Later, we re-group in the afternoon for some afternoon tea, coffee and sweet treat before heading down to the garden for our yoga class. At this truely ~zen~ point it was time for dinner before heading to bed for some much-needed sleep 😴

Now let us dive into the details!

The Workouts

I couldn't think of a better location to distract you from any usual pain and misery you could feel during a workout, than the beach. I do not believe it is physically possible to be unhappy whilst on a beach. Maybe this I just me, but I see Sophie's PT distraction tactics...

Sophie led and guided us through fun, yet challenging workouts that were adjustable to all fitness levels. BUT!! that does not mean that they were soft, but I enjoyed being able to push myself as much as I saw fit on each particular day without feeling like I'd been signed up to some army BootCamp... We were on holiday after all.

Coastal walks

What better way to explore and enjoy the beauty of Pembrokeshire than to get your walking boots on and head to the coastal path. Biasedly, a coastal walk is one of my favorites anyway. I mean, who wouldn't enjoy a walk with a constant view of the open ocean and coastal edges; every step is a viewpoint.

This time also allowed us to get to know other guests much better, as we all spent this time talking, and learning about each other's lives, making this part of the day eye-opening in multiple ways.

Often the best beaches are only accessible by foot too. So each daily walk led us to a different beach, which leads to my favorite time of each day... Our daily dip!!

This is truly where I believe truly relaxed and felt my mind let go, and immerse myself into the retreat experience. Being in the sea always gives me a calming experience, no matter the weather or temperature, It's the only time I feel present and completely shut off from the world. And having the chance to do this each day with other people who can get excited about the same feeling, was magical!!

Yoga

This is where I got skeptical. I have been to a variety of yoga classes, be that in my local leisure centre or at Hot Pod Yoga, and my opinion and enjoyment for it varies greatly between classes and instructors. I participate rarely, and it has never been a priority form of movement for me. BUT I went on this retreat with a completely open mind and willingness to learn, be free, and indulge in the benefits I knew yoga could provide me.

I utterly loved each and every class we did during the retreat. Sophie's yoga was such a lovely mixture of movement and stillness, enjoyment only enhanced by participating next to the people I had grown so close to, I had never felt so comfortable, to let myself feel and be so vulnerable. I truly soaked up the benefits of yoga within this week, and have dedicated time to yoga since leaving too!

Food

I keep thinking I have covered my favourite part of this retreat, and then we get onto the next thing. And I think, maybe not??

As I explained, coffee, breakfast, afternoon tea, and treat and a dinner were all provided within the retreat. Cooked and prepared by the lovely Allisa @allisasuperclubs.

All meals were plant-based, health, and wealth goodness. But, whether you are vegan or not, you would never feel like you are missing out on flavour with any of Alissa's dishes. Alissa explained she has traveled much of India, indulging herself in the culture and cooking whilst she was there. She now incorporates what she learned on her travels in her cooking, which means we all got to enjoy a rainbow of new flavours and experiences, which I simply couldn't put into words.

Extra activities!

Each day we had the afternoon to spend as we will. This section truly let you tailor your retreat experience to you. Whether you wanted to have a relaxing spar treatment or try a new adventure activity, Sophie would help you get the most out of your time in Pembrokeshire.

Perfectly positioned in St. Davids is the outdoor and adventure company TYF. This company hosts a range of activities for you to be able to get involved with.

During this retreat as a group, we signed up for both coasteering and paddleboarding! Due to a change of weather and circumstances, we actually did coasteering on our very first day on the retreat. This actually turned out to be a perfect bonding activity for all of us, as we were lead around the coast scrambling across rocks, and motivating and supporting each other to take the plunge (quite literally). The team and guides and TYF were so passionate, friendly, and informative so we all had the most fantastic first experience of coasteering, getting to know Pembrokshires coast on a much ~deeper~ level.

As you may have seen before, I'm a frequent and keen paddleboarder. So, it was so lovely to have the chance to get on my board whilst away and share the experience with my newly made friends too.

Just to remind you, all these extra activities were completely optional. So, if I'd rather have spent each of my afternoons sitting and reading on the beach, or exploring St. Davids as I did on other afternoons, this was more than an option! There was always a fellow buddy that was happy to accompany me too :)

Would I recommend it?

Well, if you haven't gathered the answer to this yet by reading this, or if you have simply skipped to this point... the answer is 100% yes!! As I said, I was lucky enough to not have to pay to go. But, I definitely think that you get far more than your money's worth, and could not recommend it enough.

If you like all things active, outdoorsy, meeting new people, and exploring new food and sites, Sun and Salt Escapes are going to be for you. The retreat is somehow both an adventure holiday and a wellness escape all into one; busying the body and quieting the mind, I left this retreat feeling completely refreshed and free!

PHOTOS - Most photos are my own, however, some are supplied and taken by @duffys__photos, @seanellison, or the TYF team :)