Well What a Year – Wales Adventure

Well what a year!!!

It has been 12 months of extreme, extremes. But we’ve had a real Wales Adventure, At times I was busier than ever before, then there were periods of mind-numbing inactivity. During these times, I experienced great highs and then there where days when I struggled to get out of bed and was void of any motivation and ideas.

As a company, 2020 was our tenth year and to celebrate we had made lots of plans, with our group and event bookings full, the season was looking good. We had also planned to do our bit for charity and try to raise some funds for Get the Boys a Lift, A Pembrokeshire based mental health charity. Unfortunately, all these plans like everyone else’s in 2020 disappeared.

However, we are still pleased that at the end of such a turbulent year that I was able to visit the GTBAL HQ in H/west this week. For a hot chocolate, chat and to donate some funds to help support them in the great work, they do, which sadly is likely to be in greater demand over the foreseeable future.

A quick review of our year goes

It started off so well, with a trip of a lifetime, Mountain Biking in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco. Then before you knew it, it was March and the devastation and worry of having to postpone every event we had planned and worked so hard over the winter to upgrade for 2020.

Then whilst in limbo, One of the hottest Easters, May and June hit and saw us, join the the masses in painting, DIY and carryout daily exercise routines, we became masters of zoom meetings including a middle of the night Podcast with rugby legend, David Campese.

Then bang, the world opened for business and hit us like a tsunami, it was 3 months of relentless demand. Now do not get me wrong, I loved this. There are those who will question, was it the right thing to do and what was the lasting effect of it all. I do not know the answer to these questions, but I do know that the boost to the economy and the freedom and sense of purpose for many was much needed.

For us, the summer trade of Coasteering and Kayaking was a god’s send. Not to beat around the bush, it helped us to ensure we can survive and grow as a company. It allowed us to employ people, and meet so many new customers and clients, which was great, some great characters were met and some good fun had.

Then another bang in October and another new word joined our everyday vocabulary “Firebreak”, which joined the likes of “unprecedented”, “Furlough”, “social distancing” and “self-isolating” as words we have all become accustomed to.

The firebreak was a leg to far for me, I really had had enough and felt like a prisoner, hitting my lowest point. So, the first chance I had, it was to hit the road and explore Wales, I had good knowledge of the Country before, but used the time to travel every road I could find that I had never been down and took this a bit further by going off the roads, paths, and tracks to create my own and explore the valleys and mountains off the beaten tracks. This was awesome. Cleared the mind and put me back on track to plan for the new dawn.

Then yet again another bang, as I write this, Christmas is cancelled, I do not know what to say about this. There are those on many sides of the fence being affected and it is only natural for people to be worried about themselves and those close to them. But let us hope the actions taken help the bigger picture.

The question is, will 2021 be any better? The realistic answer is, not initially but it will get better and when it does, we must be ready for it and ready to get things going again. Now we are not Doctors or Scientist and are limited in what we can do, but we will try to bring a bit of enjoyment and adventure to people, put a good strain on the body and smile on the faces and give some positive memories.

Therefore, our current focus and priority is on,

Making sure we get our events back up and running. The goal is to honor all those who signed up for 2020 events.

Social distancing and restricted numbers will be an issue in 2021 and we are working around these factors to ensure we can get people back out there competing and enjoying themselves.

We are also looking at some new adventures that involve walking/Hiking the great and largely untouched parts of Wales

And last but not least we are in the process of moving into our new base, an exciting project that will see us located on the Glasfyn Road Business Park, St Davids. Where we will have a booking office, and indoor bouldering and climbing wall. We are aiming to invest into the business and create some new facilities and jobs for the community. Well that is the plan, we are excited about it but also like everyone else, nervous for the next 6 months and what it will bring.

It feels not quite right to say Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year but instead a thanks for your support, is a bit of an understatement, It really has been humbling at how understanding you have all been. We hope you all keep well and stay safe and we will see you on the other side.