Kayak and SUP from Tenby
Pulse 2/5
The only kayak trip that launches straight from Castle Beach in Tenby, to caves and seals; plus paddleboards on North Beach – Tenby's top-rated activity.
51° 53′ N · 5° 16′ W · From 1,540 metres of cable over the colliery to the whitewater course in Cardiff · Ground 36
Pembrokeshire & South Wales
Coasteering was invented here.
The rest of the world copied it.
South Wales turned its collieries into zip lines and its coastline into a sport: the world's fastest seated zip line flies over the last pit of the Cynon Valley, coasteering was invented at St Davids in the 1980s, and in Cardiff a channel pumps Olympic whitewater on demand. Add Pen y Fan, the mountain where the SAS selects its people. Four stops, honestly: two of them you buy direct.
1 · the view3 · sweaty palms5 · heart in your throat
Stop 1 · Zip line · Zip World Tower, Tower Colliery, Aberdare
1,540M · OF CABLE IN TWO ZONES
The world's fastest seated zip line
All ziplines compared →Seated, not face down, four lines side by side, then down the Rhigos, over the Llyn Fawr reservoir, at 70 mph into the Cynon Valley – above the pit the miners bought in 1995 and ran until 2008. Two zones, a mile of cable.
Pulse 4/5 our editors' rating
- Cable
- 1,540 m in two zones (Alpha, Bravo), four lines abreast in each
- Speed
- up to 70 mph; the world's fastest seated zip line by Zip World's account
- Limits
- from 1.2 m tall, up to 130 kg, about 2 h
- Price
- from £59 direct, up to 15 % off for early booking
On GetYourGuide with a single review, not on Viator at all. As in Snowdonia, Zip World sells direct and through vouchers; 8,100 people a month search for Zip World Tower. The Tower Coaster next door is direct only too.
↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling
From the Storey Arms on the A470 it is 460 metres of ascent on a paved path, two hours up, and from the top South Wales lies flat to the Bristol Channel. The Special Forces run their selection marches here; you race the wind.
Pulse 2/5 our editors' rating
- Summit
- 886 m (2,907 ft); the highest peak south of Cadair Idris
- Route
- from Storey Arms or Pont ar Daf, 460 m of ascent, 3–4 h return
- Military
- SAS selection marches (“the Fan Dance”); three soldiers died in 2013
- Cost
- free; National Trust car park
- Cardiff: South Wales mountains, waterfalls & more day tour€92.93per person
- Guided Brecon Beacons four-waterfall day hike from Cardiff€149.85per person
The mountain is free, and nobody guides you up. The day tours from Cardiff drive through the national park and to the waterfalls, not to the summit – 255 reviews on GetYourGuide. Hundreds of thousands walk it alone each year; the path is paved, the weather is not.
↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling
Stop 2 · Summit · Pen y Fan, Bannau Brycheiniog, from Storey Arms
886M · THE HIGHEST IN SOUTH WALES
The mountain where the SAS picks its people
Stop 3 · Coasteering · Abereiddy, St Davids, Tenby and Stackpole
27M · THE RED BULL PLATFORM ABOVE THE LAGOON
The coast where coasteering was invented
A flooded slate quarry, 25 metres deep, green with mineral, cliffs all round: the Red Bull divers jumped here from 27 metres. You jump lower, in a wetsuit and helmet, on the coast where this was invented in the 1980s: coasteering.
Pulse 4/5 our editors' rating
- Blue Lagoon
- Abereiddy, 25 m deep; Red Bull Cliff Diving 2012, 2013 and 2016 from 27 m
- Origin
- commercial since the late 1980s through Andy Middleton, St Davids
- Sessions
- 3–3.5 h, ages 8+, all jumps optional; St Davids, Tenby (Lydstep), Stackpole
- Price
- £65 with TYF direct
- Tenby coasteering adventure with expert guides€70.97per person
- Tenby: family coasteering adventure€69.70per person
- Pembrokeshire: coasteering adventure at Stackpole Quay€52.27per person
The inventor is on no platform. TYF at St Davids sells direct; what you can book is Tenby (Viator, 93 reviews at 4.99) and Stackpole (GetYourGuide). The Blue Lagoon itself is open to all – jumping there without a guide is banned and deadly.
↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling
No river, no rain required: pumps push ten cubic metres a second through 258 metres of hairpin channel, built by the people who designed the Olympic courses at Sydney and Beijing. Raft, hydrospeed, kayak, next to the station.
Pulse 3/5 our editors' rating
- Course
- 258 m, 3.9 m drop, 4–10 m³/s; opened 26 March 2010, £13.3 million
- Claim
- the UK's first on-demand white water centre
- Activities
- rafting, hydrospeed, hot-dog kayaking, standing surf wave
- Sport
- 2012 canoe slalom World Cup before the Olympics
Direct at ciww.com. 3,600 searches a month, and no platform lists a session – the centre sells its own. Photo: the course running. If you want a river rather than concrete, Wales's whitewater is in the north, on the Tryweryn and the Dee.
↓ Above your pulse limit – keep falling
Stop 4 · Rafting · Cardiff International White Water, Cardiff Bay
0M · WHITEWATER ON DEMAND
An Olympic channel in the middle of the city
Touchdown. Now build your day on these grounds.
Also on these grounds
Waterfalls and caves of the Brecon Beacons
Pulse 2/5
The Four Waterfalls walk near Ystradfellte, behind the curtain of Sgwd yr Eira, and taster caving in the limestone around Dan yr Ogof – guided from Cardiff or on site.
Abseil the stadium, climb by the sea
Pulse 3/5
The Stadium Drop at Cardiff's Principality Stadium and sea-cliff climbing at St Davids – both new on GetYourGuide, both with one review.
Direct only: Skydive Swansea, Gower surfing, Bike Park Wales
Pulse 3/5
The drop zone near Swansea (1,600 searches), the surf schools on Llangennith Beach and Britain's biggest bike park near Merthyr – all three on no platform.
The grounds in numbers
| Activity | Pulse | The number | Duration | From | Reviews | Bookable online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix · Zip World Tower | Book now → | |||||
| Pen y Fan | 2/5 | 886 m | 3–4 h | free | — | from Storey Arms |
| Coasteering · Tenby | Book now → | |||||
| Coasteering · St Davids (TYF) | 4/5 | — | 3.5 h | operator | — | no – book direct |
| Rafting · Cardiff White Water | 3/5 | 258-m course | 2 h | operator | — | no – book direct |
| Kayak · Tenby | Book now → | |||||
| Waterfalls · Brecon Beacons | Book now → | |||||
| Stadium Drop · Cardiff | Book now → | |||||
| Skydive Swansea | 5/5 | — | 3 h | operator | — | no – book direct |
Before you jump
What is coasteering, and where was it invented?
Moving along a rocky coast without a boat: swimming, climbing, jumping off cliffs, in a wetsuit with helmet and buoyancy aid. Andy Middleton made it a commercial activity at St Davids in Pembrokeshire in the late 1980s; TYF still runs it there, £65, three and a half hours, ages eight and up. Bookable through the networks are Tenby from about €71 and Stackpole.
How fast is the Phoenix zip line?
Up to 70 mph, the world's fastest seated zip line by Zip World's account: 1,540 metres in two zones above the former Tower Colliery near Aberdare, four lines abreast in each, the first down the Rhigos over Llyn Fawr. From 1.2 metres tall, up to 130 kg, from £59 direct – about €79 on GetYourGuide.
Can you jump into the Blue Lagoon?
Only with a coasteering provider. Abereiddy's flooded slate quarry is 25 metres deep and open to all, but jumping from the walls without a guide is banned and has cost lives. The 27-metre platform of the Red Bull series (2012, 2013, 2016) was a rig for professionals and is long gone.
What does Cardiff International White Water offer?
A 258-metre pumped channel in Cardiff Bay, opened in 2010, designed by HydroStadium like the Olympic courses at Sydney, Athens and Beijing: rafting, hydrospeed, two-person kayaks and a standing surf wave, all year and regardless of rain. Booking direct at ciww.com only.
When is the best time?
May to September for coasteering and kayaks, once the Irish Sea reaches 15 degrees; the zip line and the channel run all year. Pen y Fan is crowded in summer and serious in winter – cloud and wind arrive fast. In July and August the puffins are on Skomer.
What does an adventure day in South Wales cost?
On Sept 25, 2026: Phoenix about €79, coasteering at Tenby about €71, kayak from Tenby about €71, waterfall day tour from Cardiff from €93; Pen y Fan is free, the Cardiff channel direct only.