So as you probably know, I love a bit of trail running. As you may not know, I love music and I occasionally (probably more then I should) enjoy an alcoholic beverage. So when I got the chance to go to a festival where all three of these components moulded together, my train tickets were already booked!
What a location
First off the Gower Peninsula and areas surrounding it are absolutely beautiful. If you want to run whilst taking in amazing views, then this is an amazing spot for it. Expansive land and hills allow for great trail and road running. Some of the uphills are tough but that’s what we came for right?
Getting to the event village is pretty easy by car. If like me you are a public transport user, then Swansea station is the closest train stop. Then another 25 minute taxi from there, which costs around £35! Gets expensive if you are travelling alone (like moi) but when in a group, it wouldn’t be too bad.
The camp site and festival areas are a short walk from each other, depending which campsite you choose. I was in the Castle campsite opposed to the Estuary (as the showers were right there!!). I thought the closeness of the campsite to the festival may cause trouble for sleeping in the evenings but it was great because you don’t ever feel disturbed. This allows to get an early night while the festival still goes on.
So much to do
My favourite thing about this festival is that there is ALWAYS something to do! You want a long trail run, you can do that. You want some sunrise yoga, feel free to stretch it out in one of the sessions. If you want to eat and drink all day whilst catching the sun rays, then go for it. Literally there is an abundance of activities for everyone.
Some of my recommendations at Love Trails are:
The Pub Crawl
Exactly what it says on the tin. Ours was a 12km Run across steep uphills and real fast downhills! With a few pints along the way! Awesome!
The Beer Mile
Teams of 4 battle it out in a relay style battle. The rules? 10 yards to down your can of beer then a 400m sprint to tag in your partner to do the same. This is not easy. The beer feels like it stays in your neck but this was great fun!
The Obstacle Race
So the word obstacle is slightly misleading if you are expecting Spartan style walls and monkey bars but adding axe throwing, archery, orienteering and rock climbing to a 5km run count right?
Yoga-Charlie Dark Style
With all the running why wouldn’t you take the chance to stretch it out. Just mix in the cool character of Run Dem Crew leader Charlie dark and some really cool tunes then you have a great yoga session!
Orienteering-Are we there yet?
On many occasions the answer to that question was no! But getting a map with various points that you need to find yourself is actually a really fun challenge, even if you do get lost along the way.
The Food!
With all this running you are bound to get hungry! Why not eat whatever the hell you like. From pizza to halloumi fries, there was a whole lot of choice and a whole lot of reasons to go for another run before coming back for even more food!
The Tuuuuunes
Let’s not forget that this is a festival! The music is pumping and the party vibes are on go from the start of the festival until the stage is broken down and everyone has gone home. Hosting some great talent (including DJ Luck and MC Neat, forgive me, I’m old) this was definitely one of the highlights!
That isn’t even the tip of the iceberg in terms of what activities take place. The best thing you can do is honestly get out there and see what tickles your fancy.
Do you Love Trails?
The honest answer? Yes! Without a doubt! With an abundance in activities this was so much fun. The idea works perfectly and attracts such a great crowd. My honest advice is too check out the listing of the various things you can do down on the Gower and get yourself out there!
Will I return?
Love Trails 2019 was an amazing event and something I will definitely be attending next year! With so much variety in activities, both running and non-running, there is literally something here for everyone! If you are an avid trail runner, you couldn’t get closer to a more perfect festival. If you just want a nice weekend away with the family, then that can work too. I would like to thank Love Trails for inviting me to a great event and here’s to more adventures on the Gower Peninsula in 2020!
Were you at Love Trails this year? What did you think overall? What was your favourite part? What would you improve? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading!
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