Peeing Like a Dude on The Pembrokeshire Coast Path (Wales)

by Reb Stevenson on March 11, 2011

Whoooeeee, what an introduction to Wales!

I just spent four days hiking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path – a 186 mile trail on the edge of the world. Or at least that’s what it feels like as you stride along the dramatic cliffs that plunge into the Atlantic.

Obviously, I didn’t do 186 miles in four days. My trip was more of a “sample pack” of the path.

Here are the photographic highlights:

Just outside of Fishguard, I came upon a set of three neolithic tombs. Imagine having these in your backyard! It’s hard to see here, but the stone looks a bit like the ∏ symbol. It’s collapsed now, but originally the body would have been placed under the capstone, and the whole thing was covered in earth.

On my first day, I barely saw anyone for the entire 12 miles I walked. Just the occasional happy couple.

People are often surprised to learn that I’m travelling alone. And the truth is, I’m not Wonder Woman. I do get scared. I worry about safety. I obsess about being charged by a crazy cow.

But if you’re a solo woman who yearns to do an active adventure, it doesn’t get better than walking in the UK. Civilization is never far, and I’ve never seen a sketchy character lurking on a footpath.

Two tips:

1. Buy a pay-as-you-go UK mobile, just in case (I got one for £20, no strings attached)

2. Make sure someone is expecting you at your destination, so they can take action if you don’t show up.

Now onto a few paragraphs about urine. Yay!

A couple of years ago, I was sent this hilarious product called P-Mate but I needed better circumstances for testing it. A urinal didn’t seem right – for so many reasons.

As you can gather from the illustration on the package, it allows women to pee standing up.

Ladies, behold the synthetic penis! It’s basically a cardboard trough you pee into. When the coast was clear, I tested it (sorry guys, no photo). It felt kind of liberating to relieve myself standing up, and you don’t have to pull your pants all the way down to use it, which is nice.

The only downside is fearing that someone will walk by while you’re in the midst of it and assume you have…er,male junk.

Also – where do you put the used P-Mate when you’re done? If you’re walking in the wilderness, there’s no trashcan. So, yeah, I ended up putting it in my backpack. Guess that wouldn’t seem gross to someone who has dogs and is accustomed to toting around a sack of poo.

The path is extremely well marked. Follow the acorn!!

This hostel in Pwll-Deri has quite the stunning view (warning: a view won’t keep someone from snoring in the bunk next to you, but it may soothe you in the morning when you wake up entertaining thoughts of murder).

The cathedral and ruined Bishop’s Palace in St. Davids were well worth a look.

It’s hard to convey just HOW CLOSE the path was to death-by-gravity. At times, the path was less than a metre from a shocking drop-off. But I never felt like I might fall. The path is nicely etched into the cliff.

That said, do not walk this path drunk.

Remember when the term “photoshop” meant a place like this, not a computer program? Look at this shop – it’s practically a museum! I especially love the “Ilford Films” light hanging above the door.

Beautiful beach after beach greets the weary walker, like this one in Saundersfoot. They must be amazing in summer – especially those two days in August when the Atlantic is warm enough for swimming.