Calon Lan, Bread Of Heaven and Ava Maria. Forget the Principality Stadium on match day – singing your heart out under the stars in the middle of the sea in an abandoned fort is unforgettable.
In due course, we had to find a place to sleep for the night. Do we go for the abandoned toilet block? The dungeon in the basement? Or the only room with a massive opening, directly overlooking the sea? Armed with nothing more than a ground sheet and sleeping bags, we chose the coldest room, overlooking the sea. Obviously. Remarkably, some in our contingent got a full night’s sleep – others just caught a couple of hours, a few staying up to watch the sun rise.
At first light, we went for a dip which invigorated the senses and gave us another view of the impending fort from the sea. The local seals popped by, curious about the latest new inhabitants. With the boat scheduled to pick us up later in the afternoon, the remaining hours were spent exploring hidden cavities of the fort, taking photographs, rock climbing, grabbing an al fresco brunch and more seal stalking.
When Dave and Rich did return to pick us up, we departed with a mixture of sadness and resentment – at having to leave this great monstrosity, and get back to our normal day-to-day. Stack Rock Fort really was the best experience we could have imagined: we made friends for life, shared laughter and freedom.
Ultimately, too, it’s a lesson that you don’t need luxuries of life to have a positive experience. Being surrounded by nature, open-minded, curious and with a positive attitude, it’s amazing how much you already have, and what you can achieve. In fact, our party loved it so much we put ourselves forward as Stack Rock Fort volunteers, to help with the island’s restoration.
For more info on day trips, overnight stays and volunteering opportunities:
facebook.com/stackrockfort For boat trips:
pembrokeshireboatcharters.co.uk
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