Coasteering is a young activity with a muddy origin story. People had scrambled, swum and jumped along rocky coasts for as long as anyone has lived by the sea, but it became a named, guided activity in Wales in the 1980s.
The word
Sources do not fully agree on who first used the word. Wikipedia records the term as first used in 1973 and credits Edward C Pyatt, a blend of mountaineering and coast. Another account says it first appeared in the 1970s book Sea Cliff Climbing by John Cleare and Robin Collomb, which suggested coasteering might become popular. Some of these claims are not well sourced, so treat the date as approximate.
The business
The better documented part is the commercial side. Andy Middleton developed coasteering as a guided activity in the late 1980s on the cliffs near St Davids in Pembrokeshire, while working at the Twr y Felin outdoor centre. TYF Adventure, the company that grew from that work, says it has been running coasteering since 1986. That date comes from the company itself.
In 1999 TYF licensed a trade mark that included the word coasteering in a distinctive script, but by then the word was already in general use for the activity.
How it spread
Coasteering moved out from Pembrokeshire to other rocky coasts, including Cornwall, Anglesey, and the Highlands and Isles of Scotland. Providers now run it as a half day activity with wetsuits, helmets, buoyancy aids and a guide.
What to take from this
Coasteering is still a guided activity. The rocks, tides and swell change from day to day, so a good provider chooses the route for the conditions. See our coasteering page for providers, and the coasteering vs gorge walking comparison.
Sources
- Coasteering, Wikipedia
- 7 Amazing Facts About Coasteering, Adventure Cornwall
- The top 9 coasteering locations in the British Isles, Yumping
Dates for the word and the first guided trips vary between sources, so we have kept them general.