Horseback Riding in Wales

Horseback riding at Parc le Breos was amazing. We took the train in to Swansea and then a shuttle late at night. It was so dark we could barely see where the van was going because there were no lights down the long, windy path through the woods to the cottage where we would be staying. We were greeted by an older woman who directed us to our rooms and gave us a late night snack. I shared a room with 5 other girls, including Michal, Joi and Katie who I already knew. The other two girls were from Wheaton College. I had hay in my bed, surprise surprise, and so the woman had to change my sheets. Jonah was given his own huge bedroom in the private area because he was the only boy.

The next morning we woke up early for a large breakfast followed by instruction and riding. My horse was named Rag, and he was a small, white horse typically used for small children. Yes, I am a short, scared horseback rider. In the first few minutes of riding he decided to trot around a corner that dipped. I bumped up and down and up and down violently, my feet nearly fell out of the stirrups and I almost lost the reigns and slipped off the saddle. It was a great experience... Anyway, after about 45 minutes the instructor was able to teach me how to move up and down on Rag as he trots. This was much less painful on my butt, and surely Rag's back. We stopped at the Heritage Centre for lunch. It also has a museum, a puppet show, bumper cars, and various entertainment primarily for children.

After lunch we continued by crossing the street and going down and up a huge hill along the beach. It was very nervewrecking to ride on all the rocks, but Rag was a good sport and didn't trip at all. I tried my best to lean in the right directions so it would be easier on him.

We came back for a big chicken and potato dinner with rhubarb crumble pie and ice cream. Then, we walked back to the beach and played around in the water and sand.

The next morning we decided to walk out to the ancient castle ruins up on a cliff overlooking the beach. It became clear to me at this time that it truly does have the 2nd highest change in tide in the world, at about 30 feet I believe. I barely recognized the beach at high tide because the day before we were so far out. The view from the ruins was beautiful, it was something you would see in a music video. We split in half as some walked down the side of the cliff to the beach and some of us walked back the way we came to see the ancient tomb and cave. Unfortunately, there was a mean dog growling and barking at us as we tried to pass, so some of the girls were brave and walked through, but I was too nervous. Michal waited with me until I saw that the next door neighbors were home. One guy came out with a big stick up to the dog as we walked by.

The tomb and cave were really neat, although I was concerned about wandering around on ancient open tombs and through an old cave. I only walked in a little bit, and we took some pictures.

We walked back to get the shuttle to Walkabout in Swansea for lunch, then we took a bus to Cardiff and switched to the train to London. It was a very different weekend from my others because it was not the sort of rushed tourism that I am used to. There were few sites to see, so we could really take them in. Overall, it was a very peaceful weekend and a wonderful way to (nearly) end the program.