Why a New Year celebration in rural Pembrokeshire could be the one you most remember for years to come.
We’ve all been there: it’s 11:50pm on New Year’s Eve. You’re full of prosecco and just about able to count backwards from 10. Auntie Mavis is already asleep in an armchair and the flirty neighbour is angling for a midnight kiss with just about anyone. You’re all geared up for a great 2019, but secretly you know that it will start with hoovering the innards of party poppers from the rug, hiding the glass recycling box from the neighbours and pretending all the while that you don’t have the hangover from hell.
So why not start your new year’s resolutions early and make the decision to ditch the tedious traditions and join St Davids Escapes in a more wholesome commemoration?
A new year celebration with a difference
If you’re looking to escape the crowds and have a peaceful start to 2019, then we suggest a mindful New Year Celebration in St Davids. This peaceful peninsula has a long to offer an alternate celebration, and with a range of beautiful traditional cottages on offer for your break, you’re guaranteed something that’s more hygge than hassle.
That’s right, your festivities don’t have to be all about Jools Holland and gin (although we like both!). This New Year can be about fresh air, friends and finding some peace in stunning St Davids.
Suggestions for a serene New Year Celebration
St Davids is the pinnacle of a peninsula marked out by Britain’s only coastal National Park. What this means for you is captivating coastal scenery everywhere you turn! Don’t wait until January the 1st to become more active – celebrate the changing calendar with a personal achievement. Rather than standing outside your local pub battling the crowds to get in before last call, wrap up warm, put on your hiking boots and choose from the many scenic circular routes this peninsula has to offer. Our personal favourite at St Davids Escapes is the St Davids Head coastal walk, taking in some of the oldest volcanic rock formations in Britain. This route includes the steadfast mountain of Carn Llidy, exceptional seascapes towards Ramsey island and a 3,000-year-old Neolithic burial chamber in the most secluded, spiritual spot high on the cliffs. Walking this extraordinary shoreline is a magical way to mark the end of 2018. It’s also a really good excuse for a cosy cuddle in front of the log fire with your tired feet up at midnight. Bliss!
Should old acquaintance be forgot
Bring your nearest and dearest with you to St Davids – a New Year Celebration would not be complete without those you love. But you don’t need to spend your year’s end feeding neighbours who only socialise when they know you’ve uncorked the champagne. In fact, a trip to Pembrokeshire’s wild coast means that, if you pick the right spot, you can have a special stretch of seaside all to yourselves. For a completely unique New Year Celebration, pack yourselves a pre-party picnic, make sure you bring plenty of blankets and pick from one of many beautiful exclusive spots to ring in 2019: if we were pushed to choose, we would have our picnic on cloistered Caerfai beach, 1 mile outside St Davids city centre. The low tide reveals a sandy beach nestled discreetly between imposing red rock cliffs- a perfect position for setting up a fire and toasting some marshmallows while listening to the lapping waves. The path to the beach is quite steep, but the views from above the beach are spectacular, stretching down across St Brides Bay. Before the last night falls, make your way to the grassy headland above the beach, wrap yourselves in blankets, pop open the bubbly and gaze at the most wonderful starscape as you count down to the new calendar. Cheers!
Go for a New Year Swim
If lungs full of sea air and the sound of crashing waves hasn’t got you into a total state of New Year celebration bliss, then why not give the latest lifestyle trend a go on the last day of the year? Cold water swimming has become increasingly popular, and in St Davids, you have no end of beaches and coves to choose from for your chilly dip! Cold water swimming improves your mental fortitude, the cold water gives you a large shot of adrenaline and dopamine (happy hormones), and it can also kick start one of your New Year’s Resolutions; cold water supercharges your metabolism and helps you burn fat and get fitter. But you’ll need to dip more than just a toe! As inspiration, the Blue Tits cold water swimming group swim at various spots around the peninsula and can advise on safe places to swim. If you want to wait until New Year’s Day, then the local Penknife Club raises money for charity by organising a large community swim on Whitesands beach. This glorious and popular stretch of sand fills with enthusiastic swimmers each year, so you won’t need to brave the waves alone! Make sure you have plenty of warm clothes for when you get out of the sea, as we don’t want you to start 2019 with pneumonia!
As you can see, a New Year Celebration in St Davids can really give you a mindful break between the chaos of Christmas and the dawn of a whole new year.
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