A Weekend of Adventure in Wales
Author: Camille McCrosson, PA to Chief Sustainability Officer
Read time: 4 minutes
Flooglebinder are travel experts and a certified B Corporation with tour experience in over 75 countries. We curate sustainable bespoke adventures that incorporate sustainability, conservation and wellness. As a BCorp organisation we use business as a force for good, meet the highest standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency, whilst tracking and monitoring our social and environmental impact.
I currently work in Social Impact & Sustainability at dentsu international, a global marketing company. Through dentsu’s partnership with Matchable, I met Brad, co-founder of Flooglebinder, and began some volunteer work on their Wales Corporate programme.
To allow me to truly understand the programme and the impact of the organisation’s work, I joined Flooglebinder’s trip to Wales in August. I initially felt apprehensive, largely due to the fear of the unknown and this being outside my comfort zone, but was mostly excited. Flooglebinder’s core focuses - on sustainability, conservation, mental health and personal development - all resonated with me and are things I am incredibly passionate about, so I was keen to immerse myself into the experience.
Our first activity in Wales was a boat tour around Ramsey Island - just off the Pembrokeshire coast. Led by brilliant local experts, we gained a great insight into the sea life (including spotting some dolphins and seals) and learnt about the impressive rock formations. It set the bar high as a great start to the weekend.
The next day saw us visiting the Bug Farm in St David’s. This was an eye opening experience, learning all about the true value that bugs bring to our ecosystem.
As someone who is typically bug-averse, I gained a new appreciation for insects.
We handled stick insects and Madagascan cockroaches, and learnt all about insect farming from Bug Farm founder Dr Beynon. Tasting insect dishes in the Grub Kitchen, the UK’s first full-time edible insect café, was a unique experience. It was fascinating to discover an alternative, sustainable option for food production and learn about the nutritional benefits from chef Andy Holcroft. Insect farming could be quite revolutionary for the future of our planet, as it is much less land, energy and water intensive compared to farming meat - producing less carbon emissions and therefore causing less harm to our planet.
Next up was coasteering…
This was the activity that made me feel the most apprehensive, as it was completely new to me and slightly daunting.
Starting off with a steep downhill walk to our first coastal jump was nerve wracking in itself, but once I had taken the first leap into the sea, it was the most exhilarating feeling. The next challenge was trying to get out of the water for the next jump, which felt difficult with a heavy wetsuit and the strong current of the water. As I struggled with this, the others in the group were incredibly supportive and encouraged me to push through. This was a testament to everyone’s kindness and how quickly we bonded with each other.
I was proud of myself for taking part in coasteering and it reminded me of my strength and resilience. Stepping out of my comfort zone in this way was such a thrill.
That evening, Brad and Ian ran a workshop centred around mental health. In groups, we discussed various topics including: the impact of lockdown on our mental health, what we had learned from this experience, and what we appreciated about nature during this time. It was a really important conversation to have, especially considering how difficult the last 18 months have been, and a great way to reflect on our wellbeing and personal growth. It was great to also incorporate yoga into the weekend’s activities, which was transformative to my mental health when I started doing this regularly during lockdown.
As our adventure came to an end, I reflected on how special these 48 hours were in Wales.
There was something so unique about all of us coming together, especially after the turbulent year and a half we have all had, to appreciate human connection and form strong bonds with each other in such a short space of time. Being immersed in nature on the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast was so humbling and refreshing from a wellbeing perspective.
