UKC

I have been challenging myself with traversing all the UK National Parks, solo , unsupported and by human powered means. This is to raise funds for cancer research. So far I completed 10 traverses (1 by kayak, 2 by bike and the rest by hiking).

My next on the list is the Pembrokshire Coast. The ideal route would have been the coastal path but it seems too long to walk it while carrying everything, especially food for 12/14 days (can't buy in shops on the way or it wouldn't count as unsupported).

I then tought that biking will reduce the amount of time and supply needed to carry but unfortunately I discovererd that you can't bike on most of the coast path.

the remaining option is to get the OS maps for the area and trace a route along small country lanes and bridal ways that follows, more or less and as close as possible, the profile of the coast.

Before I do that, I would like to ask the UKC community if anyone has already planned something similar or can suggest an already established route or link of routes. 

Thank you.

I live on the Pembrokeshire coast and cycle round here a fair bit. Great cycling,  but even if you follow closest country lanes to the coast, you will not see the sea very often. Not many stretches of road actually hug the coast. This is good if you are walking the coast path, but means you are not really following the coast very closely if cycling.

Why not walk it, why do you have to be self supported, why not stock up on food at shops along the way?

Thank you for your feedback Martin. The reason to do it unsupported (and transiting through the highest point) is part of the ethic I am imposing on my challenges. Since I am doing this to fundraise, I thought it needed to be slightly more challenging then the ordinary walk. The coast path seemed to be a good route but is not necessarily the objective. The idea would be to get across the National Park while enjoying the "wildest" possible sceneries. Being close to the sea would not really be the point of the traverse (although highly appreciable) as long as I would manage to stay in the countryside and away from towns/big villages as much as possible. 

Do you think I can work a route through it with this in mind and, possibly, with a few detours to visit the most pictoresque parts of the coast path...??

Sounds like a nice challenge.

It might be a good idea to use a mapping and route planning app such as Komoot? 

You can set your mode of travel (walking, road cycling, bike touring… even gravel biking is now available), your fitness level, one way/return etc.

I’ve just quickly plotted a route from Camaes Head to St Anne’s Head, via about 4-5 coastal points en route. 

It’s produced an ok looking route of 118km, +/-1900m with an estimated 9.5 hours in the saddle when set to ‘average’ fitness. How does that sound?

I realise using an app like Komoot won’t give much insight into the best views, nicest sections, local knowledge etc, but it seems like a good way to get the start of a pretty good and logical route.

If you already use komoot or similar, then I hope you’ll be able to get a bit of help or insight from locals and those with more knowledge than me

Whilst I've no doubt cycling round pembroke backroads would be a pleasant few days excursion you could basically be anywhere and miss the whole point of what makes the PCNP great (I.e. the magnificent coast). You also would go through numerous towns and villages (including the rather industrial milford haven) so I would have thought it wouldn't feel very 'wild' and being self support would be a bit contrived. Of all the British national parks I think pembroke might be my last choice for this sort of thing.

That sounds great, i never used Komoot but i will certainly have a look at that! Thanks!

Yes, I agree with all your points. I am conscious how contrived it sounds. I am also aware that the pembrokeshire coast is not the right place to look for wild landscapes but, having already done 10 UK national parks and having 5 more to go (including much more appropriate "wild" places for such challenges as the Cairngorms), I would like to get this one done too in the same fashion, hence my request for information. 

Hopefully I will have more opportunities in the future to enjoy the best of the coast but for now I would rather stick to the plan and find the best possible way to accomplish it.

Not clear what you'd call a "traverse" of the pncp. It's not really the shape for that. I don't think you can get from one end to the other without leaving the park or swimming can you? And in places the closest road to the coast isn't even within the park.

Could you do the coast path in multiple legs? Would that work?

I suppose it's out of the question to do it by kayak?

How would you navigate range west? You can sail through if they're not firing, but they're probably not ok with people poking around in the coves and bays without a briefing so wonder where they stand on kayaks. Can't find any solid info.

Yes, I guess the discontinuity is a factor. To be honest I thought that there would be options to bike from end to end within the park, although it is a narrow bit of land. I considered the multiple legs option and also tought about caching supplies beforehand. If biking doesn't work, then i will have to give it another thought.

I have a full time job and I have to give 3 weeks notice for annual leave, that would leave me exposed to the possibility of the weather being rough at the time I select and I don't have enough sea kayaking experience to deal with that. Biking or hiking with bad weather is almost the norm in UK so I wouldn't mind it so much... all the previous traverses have been 50/50 weather wise, so I sort of expect it..

Taking your points about sea kayak experience - what about a packraft? Might let you cut off some bits in good weather, but if it’s bad can just hike.

I will look into it! It might be an alternative although I think that carrying the raft all the way, on top of all the usual stuff, would be at least equivalent or heavier than carrying supplies for 15 days. The weight and volume of the pack I would need is what is putting me off the hiking option. 

Biking seems to be the logical solution as I can cover more miles per day and can carry the load much more easily than on the shoulders.

As suggested by Joe J, the route planner seems to give a good route on quiet country lanes, gravel roads and bridal ways, all withing the national park and "roughly" following the coast contour. The only down side seems to be that Pembroke, Milford Heaven and all the industrial area around there can't be avoided but it would be part of the route even on the walk

I just ordered the OS maps so I can check the route in details. 

Thanks for the suggestions!

Have you thought about kayaking and walking it, I think by not sticking to the coastline of  Pembrokeshire you really are missing a lot of the beauty. Can you not do some food drops or is that still counted as supported? I'm not 100% sure but is it not just the coastal path that is the national  park? 

Sorry, I can't help with Pembroke (only climbed there) but I'd be fascinated to know how you went through some of the other national parks? Particularly the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District if you've done them as they're the ones I'm most familiar with. No camping spots required but an idea of a route would be good.

If time is tight, you want more of a challenge than walking, and the coastal path is the obvious choice, plus you can't bike it and don't have experience to happily kayak it, then have you considered running it? I've run a lot of it and it's brilliant terrain. I think it would tick all of your boxes - with the obvious proviso that you'd need to be able / willing to run. 

I have thought about both options, especially doing part kayak part hike, but it is still difficult to predict the weather 3 weeks in advance and, according to tha,t what part to do by kayak (at the start or at the end?). Logistically, once you commit, you have to do it, regardless of the conditions ( someone can drop you off at the beginning with all your stuff but once they are gone you are left to your own devices). The supply cache idea was my best bet but technically it wouldn't count as an unsupported challenge.

Looking at the map the national park extend partially inland, although you are never more than 10 miles away from the coast.

Shame that I will miss the best bit, perhaps i can return to walk the path another time..

I wish I could! I probably should have thought about doing such things twenty years ago! Right now one of my knee gives me problems just by walking with a pack on my back, especially the downhill sections...

Those were both great and quite easy to plan, I have just completed the Yorkshire Dales in the week end before last ( a total wash out!). Easy route following the  dales High Way, with a small de-tour to get Ingleborough and Whernside done, then re-join the rest of the route. Easy logistic as well as i drove to Appleby, left the car there, took the train to saltaire and walked back to the car. 5 days in total.

The lakes was also very similar in terms of logistics etc.. left the car in Ulverston, took the train to Carlisle and walked back to the car following the Cumbria way, with a little detour to get up Scafell Pike from the Stake Pass, then back to little langdale to pick up the Cumbria way again. 5 and half days.

Both great walks!!

I suppose another possibility would be to only eat freeze dried meals and energy bars to keep the weight as low as possible (I worked out this was the maximum calorie to weight ratio for an expedition a while back).

What are the rules with water when being self supported? I guess it doesn't matter in upland areas where you can drink from streams but I don't think I'd fancy trying this in Pembroke!

Thanks, they both sound like grand routes. I'm not sure I'd describe those 'detours' as small or little? Years ago we did several linear trails through the Lakes using buses and trains. The 555 bus was really useful when I lived in Lancaster. Good luck with the Pembroke trip.

That is exactly what I do all the time, actually in the last traverse (the Yorkshire Dales) i skipped the bars in favor of powder milk shake sort of thing as they seemed even lighter and easy to pack. Porridge sachets for breakfast and super noodle or instant mash in the evening. I reduced the weight to 1.5 KG for 5 days. it was Grim. I don't think I could last 2 weeks on that. Dried freeze packs are min 90 g per meal and quite voluminous, even taking 1 per day would be quite a bulky load, hence trying to get it done fast.. For water I have a filter bottle and also purifying tablets. normally in the moors and mountains water quality is good, in other places I try not to  think about it...so to speak. I had to drink from the rivers of the Norfolk Broads, the New Forest, the South downs...so i would drink from whatever source I will find in the Pembrokeshire coast too..it can't be any worse!

Yeah, I have had to transport 2 weeks worth of freeze dried meals and bars around before so appreciate its a ball ache. 

on another note, seriously.... I would be very, very, hesitant to drink from lowland water courses in agricultural areas, you can purify all the bugs out for sure but thats not what you should be worrying about. They will also be full of carcinogenic organic chemicals that really are not good for you and there is no way you can remove them. it's just not worth it. 

I used to be very gung ho about this sort of thing but am married to someone who works in water quality so hear the horror stories

Given the length (time) how about allowing yourself the occasional proper shop to restock with supplies?

- still prepare all your meals and avoid picking up extras daily, but only carry a week's worth of supplies at a time.

If you did walk the coastal path (186 miles), you could do in 9-10 days or less, not the 12-14 days you envisage, then bigger towns would be unavoidable.

By traverse where do you plan to start and where do you plan to finish, the termini of the Pembrokeshire Coastal path?

If you look at it a an ultra and just walk and sleep you could do it in 4 or 5 days.

Good to know, Thanks for the advise, hopefully is not too late!!

I never thought of it in those terms!

Yes, I was thinking of doing the all thing from Amroth to Cardigan, with a detour to bag the highest point in the National Park (Foel Cwmcerwyn) which add about 20 K to the route. from the map it seems that the coast path goes from end to end covering all the national park.

I know that age is only a number but...starting ultras at age 60 and doing this one as a first will definitely kill me!

Yes, if the biking options doesn't look good I will definitely have to go in two halves, either caching the supply half way or resupplying somewhere but it will annoy me not to have done this one in the same way as all the others!

It has been great to see how many people have chipped in with suggestions, Lots of useful considerations and food for thoughts. Thank you to all so far!

Honestly I think the stunning Pembrokeshire coastline scenery will make up for any disappointment over ethics that you may have. I’ve ran an about 25 miles of it and it’s my favourite place to run. I plan on doing it in one push when my kids are older. 

I am sure is a superb walk with fantastic scenery. I will probably end up doing it anyway in a different occasion, with the purpose of enjoying the views, a pub in the evening and a B&B at the end of each day.

Good luck for your run, whenever it happens. It sounds like a great idea!