Total Eclipse

I am not writing to you in relation to a Solar Eclipse where the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, resulting in the Sun becoming wholly or partially obscured. Nor am I writing to tell you the sequence in how I eat my Jaffa Cakes, revealing a Full Moon, Half Moon, Total Eclipse.

Instead, I bring the many delights of Eclipse Spa in Pembrokeshire. An extensive list of beauty treatments are on offer, from Body Exfoliation to a Detox Foot Spa, Hot Stone Massage to Pembrokeshire Indoor Sunshine. All served with a welcoming, friendly smile and performed in a professional manner. Perrrfect.

Now then. I know it's slightly premature to mention that jolly festive season that comes knocking at our doors only once a year and has our streets decorated with bright lights and beaming colours. You know, the one where you try to steal a sneaky kiss under the mistletoe and fill your belly with delicious homemade mincepies? Well, I love it how everybody tries to convince themselves that they don't start shopping for pressies or even thinking the word CHRISTMAS until at least November, but we all do. Don't we?!

So, what better present can you think of than to surprise your beautiful older sister or reliable, hard-working mum, than a Gift Voucher to pop along and visit Eclipse Spa in Pembrokeshire?!

Our Experience Day Gift Vouchers are an ideal Gift for any occasion, whether it be CHRISTMAS, a special birthday or simply a good will gesture for a close friend. For more information and many more Experience Days to choose from, click here.

Autumn is in the Air.....Soon!

Waking up to the sun shining, air brisk and not a cloud in the clear blue sky. It's Autumn (well nearly), and I am already loving the fresh feeling that my favourite season brings.

Autumn officially starts on September 22nd, but I woke up this morning, opened my curtains and the sun beamed through my window. I was immediatly convinced that Autumn had arrived. An excuse in my opinion, to tell everyone how awesome Autumn really is.

I think that Autumn bursts individuality, the riot of colours that appear, its a gold rush for Snow Whites Seven Dwarfs. I bet even Grumpy cracks a smile or two when he is witness to the beaming shades!

Well last night, for the first time in around 3 weeks, myself and partner saw the sun shimmering, water as flat as a pancake, and decided to kit ourselves out in our penguin gear, and do a spot of Wakeboarding along the Cleddau Estuary. You could say, that as I confidently leaped into the rather chilly waters, I would have been grateful to have actually been a penguin for that split second!

I couldn't be more certain of my harmony with Autumn after last night though guys. As my desire for Autumn and it's fruitful nature appeared powerfully through my cheeks, fingers and toes. I became a fiery glow of purples, deep reds and oranges, as the icy waters seeped through my wetsuit, and reminded me of how things become, much cooler when Autumn knocks at the door!

However, I do have a method to madness and a reason for sharing my experience with you all. Lets not worry that our Summer time warmth has passed. Instead be active, positive and fearless.

Even when the brisk mornings nudge you to put an extra layer on, or prompt you to turn the heating up, that shouldn't stop you from getting out there and doing what ever you want to do. Whether that be Surfing in St Davids, Kayaking in Pendine or Kite surfing in Newgale; blow yourself away this Autumn and by Spring next year, you'll be diving into a Welsh Indian Ocean!

Brand New and Exciting Tree Tops Trail!

Heatherton Country Sports Park have launched a brand new and adrenalin fuelled challenge for visitors and residents of Pembrokeshire, their very own 'Tree Tops Trail'.

Calling all fit and limber candidates who fancy their chances 25ft up in the trees and being monkey for the day, let's congregate together and experience the adventure!

A combination of rope and wooden bridges teamed with a testing zip line, on both Adult and Junior courses await you, with the help of your experienced instructor to assist you along the way. Separating the sprightly young guns from the antique veterans and the taller from the smaller, your selected course is determined by your love of sweetcorn and aspiration to become the Jolly Green Giant. In other words, your height decides which course you shall go on and tackle.

So, if the 'Tree Tops Trail' appeals to all you daring primates and Tarzan wannabes, please click here for our Experience Days available or give one of our experienced team a quick call on 01437 765 777.

Proud To Be British!

As probably THE biggest event for the next four years is happening in Beijing at the moment, I thought that I would have to post the success of our GB Team at the Olympics for you all today. 17 Gold Medals and still going strong, and our best, most successful Olympics so far. What more can I say than flipping well done guys!!

My first and foremost congrats just has to go to the Scottish mean machine powered by mighty tree trunks for thighs, Chris Hoy. Isn't his Cycling triumph just amazing? He is 'the' man of the Olympics for me, becoming the first Briton in 100 years to win three Gold Medals at an Olympics.

Fellow Cyclist Victoria Pendleton, aka 'Queen Victoria', who also blitzed her rivals to win the Gold she craved, is feeling totally inspired by the 'Real McHoy', and is voting, 'Chris Hoy for Superman? Yes!' I know I'd vote, wouldn't you?!

My title outlines how proud I am to be British, but doesn't the victorious Cyclist Nicole Cook from our very own Swansea, remind us all how amazing it feels to be Welsh? Fair play to the girl and her thrilling sprint finish in the challenging 126km race.

Rebecca Adlington sure knows how to keep us all glued to our television screens during her performance in the 400 metre freestyle. Producing an astonishing finish by the length of a fingernail, (and if it is the length of mine, there was certainly not much in it at all!), pipping American Katie Hoff to snatch her well deserved Gold.

Aged only 19, the teenager blew the opposition out of the water in her favourite event, the 800m, to smash the world record, gaining the title of Britain's most successful swimmer of the last 100 years. One massive hand shake to you!

I am not sure whether our typical British weather of rain, wind and occasional sunshine has something to do with our Brit's doing tremendously well in the water based events, but the performance by them all has had me wondering whether in a few hundred years a number of our British population will have grown tails, fins and developed a five second memory.

Whether it be Rowing, Sailing, Swimming, Windsurfing or Canoeing, our Brits have certainly done us proud. You know who you all are, so give each other a good old-fashioned tap on the back!

From previously being a keen Equestrian competitor along with my loyal companions Trixie and Finn, I still carry a fondness for the amazing abilities of the Horses and their Riders, knowing how much they rely on each other to tackle the obstacles and strive forward to achieve.

Our battling Equestrian Britons are continuing to fight for that Gold Medal, but have rightly claimed two Bronze Medals in the Olympics so far.

Tina Cook and her gem Miners Frolic made their dream come true in the Women's Individual Eventing category to pocket the first glistening Bronze, followed by them performing alongside William Fox-Pitt and Parkmore Ed, Sharon Hunt and Tankers Town, Daisy Dick and Spring Along, Mary King and Call Again Cavalier, to take the second Bronze in the Team Eventing, a true team effort.

All that is now left to say, is well done and congratulations to all our Britons, we are truly proud.

'Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.'

Morfa Bay Adventure Bargain!

I am delighted to offer you a fantastic opportunity at Morfa Bay Adventure, that is one not to be missed by any folk!

On Sunday 10th August, Morfa Bay are offering a Gorge Walking extravaganza, for less than half price of it's normal session cost.

You can snap up a 3 hour adrenalin adventure in the stunning Neath Valley, otherwise known as Waterfall Country for only £20.00 per person, (normal price £45.00)!

If you are unsure of what Gorge Walking entails, then here is the low down for your reference:

Gorge Walking, an activity with a tempting twist, involves making your way upstream through narrow canyons, deep pools, tunnels, whitewater, and climbing and jumping from waterfalls. An awesome and exhilarating experience with plenty of adventure for all!

If you require any further information on Gorge Walking at Morfa Bay Adventure, or would like to grab a bargain and book your place on Sunday's session, then please do not hesitate in contacting our Activity Wales Team on 01437 766 888.

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!