Mooneerams Rhys Pugh completed a 43-mile coastal trek along the Gower Coast Path as part of his fundraising and preparation for the Sahara Desert Trek that he and eight others of the Mooneerams team will undertake in March 2027 to raise funds for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity in Cardiff.
Rhys set off on Friday 14 August, planning to walk 41 miles from Crofty to Mumbles over three days, camping out along the way. As it happened, by the time he reached Mumbles on Sunday evening, he’d actually covered 43 miles.
The walk was a serious enough challenge in its own right, but also an important step in Rhys’s preparation for the 50km trek across the Sahara next year in aid of the Noah’s Ark Hospital Charity.
The walk began in Crofty and down through the salt marshes to Llandmadoc before continuing onwards to Whiteford Point at the northern tip of the Gower. That first day Rhys covered 11.8 miles. The original plan had been to camp overnight, but then the government’s national wildfire alert came through, necessitating a late change to Rhys’ accommodation plans.
Day two was the longest of the three. Rhys walked 15.4 miles, starting along Rhossili Beach and then heading over the headland to Port Eynon.
Later that evening, he added a couple more miles before reaching Oxwich.
The final day was another demanding one, with 15.6 miles to complete. Much of it was on sand, crossing Oxwich Bay through the dunes to Three Cliffs Bay, before climbing back onto the headland and following the coast towards Mumbles. The final stretch took him past Caswell Bay and Langland Bay, on terrain that had become much more familiar by that point.
The weekend weather was kind. Clear skies and sunshine stayed with Rhys for almost the entire weekend, which made the views across the Gower even more memorable. The photographs Rhys took along the way emphasised how spectacular the route was. Three days of walking, two nights of camping, and more than 40 miles on foot represented no small undertaking.
The Sahara Trek itself will present a very different kind of test. Still, Rhys’s efforts over the weekend were certainly worthy of the support he has already received from friends, family and colleagues.
If you would like to support Rhys’s fundraising, you can donate here:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/rhys-pugh-2
Well done, Rhys, on a terrific effort.
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