Ruthless Combat Vs Pampered Bliss

As I mentioned at the beginning of July, decisions were looming around the office for our July Team Thrash Bash!

After much thought, the hard nuts in the office thought it would be a marvellous idea to test their pain threshold, and have a go at a Paintballing battle at Heatherton! Myself, and the majority in the office however, were more than happy looking forward to being pampered and soothed in the hands of a qualified masseuse!

But, whether our choice was to be battered and bruised by blobs of paint, or to float between sensual aromas that left us feeling dreamy, soothed and beautiful, what a fabulous time we all had!

Arriving at St Brides Hotel and Spa, we were shown into the robing room, to slip into something a little more comfortable than our work uniform, and take a dip in the Vitality Pool, overlooking the fabulous views of Saundersfoot Bay. Luckily, we had terrific weather in Pembrokeshire that afternoon, and I'm pretty sure I could have caught a few sun rays if I had stayed there long enough!

Each of us floated around the Spa in whichever direction we fancied, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere and stunning views in which we were surrounded.

I chose to test my ability to survive an intense 20 minutes in the Sauna, which I did, leaving me desperate to cool down. So, I felt smothering myself in crystals of ice that were to hand, and hydrating myself with ice cold water a rather good idea!

After we had all enjoyed our truly invigorating, individual treatments, we all met on the balcony area overlooking Saundersfoot Harbour, feeling refreshed and stimulated.

Okay, now to have a complete contrast to our exhilarating Spa experience, I shall move on to report the ruthless combat that had taken place just down the road at Heatherton Country Sports Park!

I have received a detailed report from my fellow colleague Leanne, to ensure that I have the occurrence's of the Paintball battle correct and accurate for your reading, so (guys in the office), if I have mentioned anything that you feel not to be sufficient or exact, then please address Leanne!!

Two teams were chosen, (slightly unfairly) with having only three on one team, Leanne (team captain), Jake and Nik, and four on the other, Sarah (team captain), Matthew, Mickey and Carl.

The excitement (and fear), was clearly rife among them all as they paraded to the war zone, as Leanne took a sneaky shot at the opposition, leaving Carl with a nice, healthy bruise somewhere he would rather not mention, but trust me, he is finding sitting down for long periods of time a painful experience!

Other painful relations consist of Matthew (unarmed) pitifully rolling around the ground losing all control of his faculties, targeted by the 'Mighty Mickey' taking cheap shots at the wounded wherever possible! ( I know, they were on the same team, I don't understand it either).

However, I have been told that each member, at some point during the five games, was on the receiving end of a few impressive, fierce shots which they have been constantly reminded of for a few days after!

The end of the Paintball war zone, brought commiserations for Leanne and her alliance, and expressions of admiration to Sarah and her forceful tribe.

At the end of the blissful, and painful happenings of the day, showered and changed, we all lounged on the balcony awaiting our feast for the evening, exchanging stories of the afternoon gone by. For some, the angry war wounds they inflicted shall fade, and the essence of tranquil oils shall vanish, but the stories of the eventful afternoon shall remain forever!

Watch Out...Shark About!

Living in South Pembrokeshire, I was quite relieved to find out that a Porbeagle Shark was spotted in Goodwick, North Pembrokeshire recently, and not cruising around the Cleddau Estuary, where I probably would have had a nasty surprise during my wakeboarding session! (I can only just about set my mind to ignore the jellyfish tickling my toes, but would find a shark's sparkling white dentures simply too much to stomach!)

So, yes, an estimated 8ft long shark surprised onlookers in Fishguard last week, by making an unusually up close and personal appearance in the local waters, proudly showing himself off for video and photograph opportunities I believe!

The rather large fish was noticed to have fresh abrasions around his snout and tail stock, which is believed to have been his war wounds, a result of being beaten up by a group of Bottlenose Dolphins, that had been filmed earlier that day feeding on mackerel at the harbour mouth.

It seems that the dolphins didn't take to kindly to the sharks presence, and certainly didn't feel like sharing their breakfast!

But fear not everybody, as a member of The Sea Trust has noted, that although Porbeagle Sharks were described as potentially dangerous, there were no records of the species attacking anyone in British waters. Phew!

If you are visiting North Pembrokeshire this summer, or any time in the near future, then I would certainly recommend an offbeat Jet Boat Wildlife Adventure with Venture Jet, bringing the excitement of New Zealand water-jet technology to Pembrokeshire! Offering RIB ventures through caves and coves, exploring Ramsey, Skomer, Skokholm and Grassholm Islands, their unique experiences are not to be missed.

Choose from a 1 hour Jet Therapy experience to a Wet and Wild Adventure exploring Ramsey Island, trust me, there is something for everyone!

Dulais Valley Quads

Here at Activity Wales, we are always looking to welcome fantastic new providers on board, and recently, I am delighted to announce terrific reports for Dulais Valley Quads who joined with us at the beginning of June.

Mandy Godleman noted: 'I just wanted to say what a wonderful time we had at Dulais Valley Quads. We were given a warm, friendly welcome and a very comprehensive and interesting safety talk. The bikes were in good condition, and the terrain was beautiful, interesting and most of all fun to ride on.'

If you feel that you would like to pass on your feedback for any Experience Days you have had through Activity Wales, then please feel free to e-mail holidays@activitywales.com as we are always welcoming and appreciative of your comments.

Relentless Wakestock 2008

After a fantastic long weekend away at Relentless Wakestock (I will explain in a second!), I felt I had to write up the outstanding event as it truly was an experience to remember, yet again!

Myself and my partner are entertained for many evenings, the warm and sunny, and the raining and dull, on the waters of the Cleddau, developing our skill of Wakeboarding, so two years ago, when we heard of Relentless Wakestock, we just had to go and see what all the fuss was about, and have been addicted to the sport ever since!
The only disappointing part of the weekend, is when you witness the ability of the pro-riders at Wakestock, and you realise just how much more developing we need to do!
But, you can't take it away from them, the guys are simply pure class.

While most people are getting geared up for their Summer Holiday away in the sun, packing their sunnies and suntan lotion, myself and my partner are loading up the car with our wellies, pringles and beer, to begin our drive to Abersoch, North Wales for an inspiring Wakeboard and Music Festival!

What is Relentless Wakestock?
Relentless Wakestock is Europe's largest wakeboard music festival, combining the cultures of music and the world's fastest growing water sport, in a weekend of high-octane excitement!
The event is primarily held in Abersoch dubbed 'Little Cheshire', but this year, the event took a proud leap by announcing a second location of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. I am sure that the palace as a backdrop and terrific lake on site made the festival shine as much as it did in Abersoch.
At the event in Abersoch, the Wakestock rail course is located down the road at Pwllheli Marina, which challenges the worlds best riders to not only make it to the end of their run, but to bring their own style and technical rail tricks to the table in order to come out on top in front of the contest's 8,000 spectators.

If you have never been introduced to the intriguing watersports before now, then fear no more, as I am about to tell you all you need to know, including how you can begin your learning curve through Activity Wales and our exciting new provider.

What is Wakeboarding?
Wakeboarding is the latest action sport to take over the world. Born through a lack of waves and a desire to further surfing, wakeboarding has grown from its routes in Carlsbad, California to cover every continent around the world, from Cuba to Russia and everywhere in between.
This high-speed action sport is predominantly participated behind a purpose built speedboat with the rider towed behind at around 25mph where they use the boat's wake to launch into the air, pulling technical inverts and spins of up to 1080 degrees.

We have recently had a fantastic new provider join Activity Wales, Quadra Boats, and they offer Wakeboarding located off the Pembrokeshire Coastline.
So, if Wakeboarding appeals to you, for more information please click here.

Team Thrash Bash!

The 'Thrash Bash' is a welcomed get together the whole team enjoy throughout the year, a chance for us all to kick back and relax outside of the office!

This will actually be my very first attendance at a Thrash Bash as I only started with the company in January of this year! I unfortunately couldn't make the last one at CC2000, as I was away exploring the slopes in Andorra, which makes this one even more exciting!

Ideas have been floating around the office for a little while, with the conclusion now being a choice of indulging in a luxury spa treatment, (an opportunity for everyone to become princess for the day!), or for the more adventurous, a chance to let out their wild side for an hour with a session of Quad Biking! Difficult choice I know, but which would you prefer, a chance to be Kate Moss, (if only for an hour!), or to look like farmer Giles in your overalls! So, on that note, my choice just had to be the Spa!

Thoughts are then to head into the quaint town of Tenby to round off the evening and to carry on the party at a local pub. Perfect end to the day I feel.

If this sounds like your cup of tea then why not check out our selection of Experience Days in Tenby.