Love Trails Festival Review: Running, Wellness and Movement

What is it?

Love Trails is a unique annual festival in South Wales that combines trail running, wellness, hiking, live music and adventure into one unforgettable weekend. Whether you're an experienced trail runner or simply love spending time outdoors, there's genuinely something for everyone. What originated as a get together between two mates and around 40 friends has now grown into a festival attracting more than 5,000 people each year, regularly selling out 🤯. That alone speaks volumes for just how special this weekend really is.

In the past I have seen this festival advertised and always really wanted to go, but always felt a little intimidated as I'd never really considered myself "runner enough" to go. However two weeks before the festival took place, I entered an Instagram competition with Dare2b and to my surprise I won it!!!! Needless to say, I was absolutely buzzing, even if it did leave me less than two weeks to work on my running fitness. They also very kindly let me and my friend choose a whole trail running outfit from their online collection.

Love Trails Festival at a Glance

📍Location: Gower Peninsula, South Wales

🏃🏻‍♂️Perfect for: Runners, walkers, hikers, outdoor lovers and anyone who likes having fun

⛺Accommodation: Camping, campervans, bell tents and nearby hotels

🎶Expect: Trail running, hiking, wellness, live music, talks, creative workshops and adventure

👥Attendance: Around 5,000 people

⭐Would I recommend it? Absolutely!

Do You Have to be a Runner to go to Love Trails?

Absolutely not! Despite having "Trails" in the name and running being a huge part of the festival, I never once felt any pressure to be an elite runner, or even particularly good at it, to belong and get the most out of the weekend. I arrived wondering if I would feel out of my depth and unfit... I didn't.

With over 5,000 people attending, there runners and walkers of every pace and ability. It really is true that you are just running (or walking) your own race.

Where Is It?

Located on the beautiful Gower Peninsula in South Wales, surrounded by coastline, woodland and countryside for miles. It feels tucked away from the busy day to day world but offers endless opportunities for adventures. Even if you don't plan on running every day, the location alone is worth the trip.

Staying At Love Trails Festival

Most people who attend Love Trails choose to camp in two of the very large camping fields, you can take all of your own camping equipment or book into the pre pitched tents or even stay in a little bit more luxury in the bell tents. If you are quite precious about your sleep then there is the option of pitching in quiet camp (which was also closer to the shower block this year). There is also a campervan field which you have to book in advance (the number of campervans is limited). I've been to quite a lot of festivals, and one thing I loved about Love Trails was that the camping areas never felt cramped. You also have the option to stay in a nearby hotel, although I'm not sure how many there are within commutable distance.

Getting There

Being located on the Gower Peninsula and providing that feeling of being quite isolated that does make it quite difficult to get to (especially if you are from Scotland like me, making it a short 8 hour journey at the least). The nearest city is Swansea, but you still have to make your way from there.

The easiest option is probably to drive, as there's plenty of on site parking. Big Green Coach also runs busses from the nearest cities. I ended up getting the train half way then my friend drove the remainder, which did take us nearly 9 hours in total but I'd say it was worth it.

What Happens At Love Trails?

So I would probably be quicker answering what doesn't happen at Love Trails 😅. There were over 140 runs, hikes and experiences to choose from across the weekend, alongside live music, wellness sessions, talks and workshops. Some activities are included in your weekend ticket and you can turn up on the day or register at their stands and some need to be booked well in advance.

Trail Running & Hiking -

Running is a huge part of love trails, but you don't have to be an experienced trail runner to enjoy it (I certainly wasn't). There are 15 different race routes, alongside curated runs and hikes that cover different distances, paces and styles. Some are purely about the running whilst others involve beaches, swimming, music, beer or simply meeting other people.

Wellness -

There is also a huge wellness programme that runs over the weekend, so you could quite easily come to Love Trails and barely run at all. The programme included yoga, breathwork, sound baths, movement workshops such as twerking and shuffling, recovery sessions and talks. And also saunas, hot tubs and outdoor spa experiences - even if you never actually lace up your running shoes, you could fill your entire weekend just doing wellness sessions.

Music -

And then there's the actual festival part. Music runs throughout the weekend with a whole range of different artists and DJS performing on the main stage or in one of the many tents. The music usually starts mid afternoon so you could come back from your run or finish yoga and go straight to dancing the night away until the early hours.

Adventure -

Running is only part of the outdoor programme. There are also bookable off site adventure activities around the Gower Peninsula, giving you a chance to get out and explore the coastline properly. Activities range from climbing, coasteering, surfing, foraging, bird watching and so much more.

RUN & HIKE	WELLNESS	MUSIC	ADVENTURE
Trail Races	Yoga	Live DJS	Surfing
Guided Runs	Breathwork	Late Nights	Wild Swimming
Community Hikes	Sound Baths	Fancy Dress	Climbing
Run & Rave	Movement	Live Music	Coasteering
Sunset Hikes	Saunas	Dance Workshops	Coastal Adventure

My Weekend at Love Trails

Day 1 - Thursday - Arrival

We arrived at around 6.30pm after a long drive, to a small queue of people waiting to get in. Things moved pretty quickly, we collected our wrist bands and found a camp spot straight away. Once set up, we went for a wander round and scope out the area. On first impressions the whole festival seemed so laid back, with positive vibes all around and the excitement for the weekend slowly building amongst everyone. We obviously had to get our photo taken with the iconic Love Trails letters and admire the Passenger bus that was present in the middle of the field. Then being caught up on the atmosphere, we did the only thing that felt natural... and went straight for a pint. There are a number of bars across the site and even a pop up pub - The Fox & Hare. The bars were busy but it was easy enough to get served and they offered a range of spirits, non alcoholic options and beers on tap. We watched as the sky lit up bright orange and the sun set just behind the main stage, and then we enjoyed the evening entertainment. My absolute favourite of the evening was the Solomon tent - I'm not sure who was DJing in there but it was banger after banger and the crowd was packed out of the tent. I think the music finished a little earlier on the first night and I think we were all tucked up in bed shortly after midnight.

Day 2 - Friday

Woke up at 6.30am ready for breathwork & sound at the main stage at 7am with Leo & Rachel from Simha Wellness, who are honestly just two of the most beautiful humans I have ever met in my life. The turnout for this was amazing, the sun was shining and the vibes were immaculate as we focused on our breath, took part in a gentle stretch and then relaxed into the sound bath. The perfect way to start the day. We did try to go to the morning coffee meet with soul searchers, which was aimed at people who were solo adventurers and wanted to connect with others, but there was a race event meeting there around about the same time and it was a bit confusing trying to differentiate between who was there with the hopes of meeting others and who was just there to grab a free coffee. This wasn't really what I thought it would be, I thought it would be a bit more of a social meet.

We were planning to join the 14k run to sea and swim at 10.30am, however unbeknown to us, this had been changed to 10am and people were notified through the app... which neither of us saw so we turned up at 10.30 like 'where is everyone?'. But thankfully we weren't the only ones who missed the memo, and there was a small group of us who set off and eventually caught up with the others. There was a lot of stopping and starting when we first set off as the people of the 10k race were coming back and they had priority. We did take a wrong turn at some point (we were following the group in front) but made it to the beach in time for yoga and sound before the dip. There was easily around 300 people there. We arrived back at the festival site at around 3pm. We saw the run & rave taking place which is definitely on my list for next year.

In the evening, I joined a sunset hike with Hiiked Up X Love Trails, which was 8km in distance. There wasn't much of a sunset, but it was a great chance to chat to people. Over 200 people turned up, so there was a brilliant atmosphere. I went on my own so it was good to connect with others.

This was the dress-up evening, the theme was Welsh myths. People really did make an effort and it was pretty common to find yourself sharing a dance floor with a dragon or two. We floated about between the stages and tents, but the highlights for me were Tim Garcia on the main stage and a little bit of drum & bass with Anais in one of the tents. Some of our friends attended to twerking workshop and seemed to have an absolute riot. And we passed by the shuffle workshop taking place in one of the tents and what a great time that looked - everyone looked like they were having so much fun.

Day 3 - Saturday

We had a bit of a slower start this morning, absolutely not linked to the partying in any shape or form👀. We tried to plan our day and walked over to the castle where a lot of wellness sessions, talks and workshops take place. There was also an incredible looking outside sauna there with hot tubs, but this was fully booked and had to be booked well in advance. I actually wish that I had spent more time over in the castle area as it was gorgeous and I would have liked to have done some of the activities there.

In the main field there was some sort of like school games movement thing going on which looked so much fun. We managed to get booked in to the Porta Sauna in the main field at 11am, which was nice and relaxing. They had a cold water tub that was set to 3 degrees.

Then it was time to watch Gemma try her hand at the Solomon cowbell challenge, the challenge was to run around a pole and back, down a beer and then run around the pole again and ring the bell the closest to two minute. Not as easy as you may think as most people actually had to wait around quite a while before ringing the bell. I feel like in my head two minutes is a lot shorter than it actually is.

The main stage was a hive of activity, with so many things going on. We joined in with the Movement is Medicine, a neuroscience backed movement session designed to help regulate your nervous system, release stress and create natural euphoria through music and movement. It started gently before gradually building into a full on dance session. We definitely went away from this feeling much lighter than when we arrived.

Around the main field, loads of brands were letting people try out their gear. Keen and Salomon were both offering demo shoes, so you could take their trail running trainers out for a proper run before deciding whether you liked them. Keen were also hosting daily runs over varying distances.

We stuck around at the main stage to watch the legendary Jubel Beer mile relay. Now if there is one thing that I can say I'm gutted I missed out on this weekend, it was this. Next year I'm coming for that title!! Teams of four (two girls and two boys) each had to down a Jubel, complete a 400m obstacle course and race back to tag the next person. The fastest team from each round made it through to the finals. There was even a solo relay where one person had to do the whole thing four times - not for the weak.

I have never been so invested in watching something. It was competitive, hilarious and brilliant to cheer everyone on. By the end there was blood, sweat, tears and a few unfortunate sicknesses. The team from Jubel were crowned overall winners... I'm not saying it's a fix but they do run the event...👀 only kidding.

I hadn't planned to, but as I was chilling in my tent a sunset group hike walked past, so I quickly chucked on my trainers and joined them. This one was hosted by Komoot X Love Trails and although we weren't lucky enough to catch much of a sunset, it was great to meet new people and get chatting.

We rounded the evening off with some more music and dancing. The Merrell tent was banging, so a big shout out to the DJ in there before we toddled off to the main stage for Nimino. I'll be honest, I'd only heard a little of his music before the festival, but holy shit - he absolutely blew me away. What a beautifully emotional way to round off an incredible weekend, that set will stay with me for a long time!

Day 4 - Sunday

All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately, our time at Love Trails was almost up. We'd both travelled a long way at pretty short notice, so we only had a few hours before it was time to head home. We had planned to do the morning breathwork session over at the castle, but the weather wasn't playing ball (it was a bit drizzly), so we swapped it for a relaxing sound bath in the Lan Y Mor tent instead.

Before leaving, we made one last visit to the Passenger Bus for a few final photos and had one last wander around the festival site, trying to soak it all in before the long journey home. We left with sore legs, messy hair and full hearts... and already talking about coming back next year.

Food Spots

I'm not even going to try to sugar coat it, I bloody love a good scran! So obviously I wanted to try as many of the food stalls as humanly possible. I wouldn't say the food here was the cheapest, however it's only what can be expected from a festival.

Here is what I had and my honest thoughts...

Fresh Fruit Salad Bar - I grabbed breakfast here and had a fruit salad and a ginger shot. The shots were amazing and pretty large. For a fruit cup, a banana and a ginger shot, it came to £11.

Gower Salt Marsh - we actually ate here twice. I grabbed a lamb burger for here one evening for £9 - very tasty, and then we got breakfast the following day. A bacon roll and hash brown for £8. Oh my word, the hash brown was incredible and the team were so friendly.

Indonesian Rice Bowls - I grabbed a quick snack from here as I had previously spotted a girl with the vegetable pakoras and got immediate food envy, so I just knew I had to get some and I was not disappointed. They were delicious and, at only £6.50, one of the cheaper snacks at the festival.

Loki Poke - I had a Teriyaki chicken bowl from here with the crispy onions and this was so good. The cost was £13.50 which I think was reasonable for a festival.

Chock Shop - a stall with brownies of all the flavours under the sun. Perfect for when you can't say no to a wee sweet treat. I got the hot salted caramel brownie with the whipped cream for £6. Delicious and the man who was working here was super friendly.

Halls' Dorset Smokery - On the first night I ordered a philly cheese steak and some fries. Not the cheapest at £17, however it was really lovely and the cheese sauce was chef's kiss. Also, the man who was taking the orders on the Thursday is a complete credit to the stand - a brilliant laugh and so good with all the customers.

Good Slice - a wood fired pizza stand. Now, I had spent the weekend with pizza envy as I kept seeing people with delicious looking pizzas. So, on the Saturday night, I stood in a massive queue and ordered one, only for it to arrive looking like it had been in a house fire. I was so disappointed with this, as the part of the pizza that I could eat was actually quite nice, but at least half of it had fell victim to the flames.

There were quite a few pizzas that were unavailable but hadn't been crossed off the menu. I just feel like if people are queuing for 30 minutes (the queues ain't small), by the time they get to the front they're probably not going to go and stand in another massive queue somewhere else. A quick update on the menu board could have saved a lot of disappointment. The prices here were £13.50 for a margarita pizza.

One thing that was a nice surprise was the number of brands handing out free samples across the weekend. Tribe were giving away protein bars while Tenzing and Goodrays were handing out drinks. A nice little treat in between activities.

Things to Know Before You Go:

• You should download the app before arriving

• Mobile signal can be patchy (I had barely any signal all weekend)

• There are showers on site

• Suncream!!! I looked like a drumstick squashie after the beach run

• One for the girls - there are Peequals (female urinals) and I actually found these brilliant for when you just needed a wee and didn't want to play Russian jobby roulette with the portaloos 😅💩

• Some things must be booked online before you arrive

• The popular sessions will book up early - we tried to sign up for the Slip & slide run when we arrived but there was no spaces left

• Bring trail shoes but also comfortable shoes for around the campsite

• Pack fancy dress - everyone gets really into it

• Bring layers - although it was hot during the day as soon as the sun went down I was freezing

• If you plan on doing some of the yoga & movement then try to take a mat - I didn't have one and it was fine but sometimes the grass was wet with morning dew

• Bring a reusable water bottle - there are refill points around the site

• Give yourself some time to explore

Is Love Trails Worth it?

If you had asked me before the festival whether I felt like I would fit in at Love Trails, I probably would have said no. As a girl who still considers herself as 'very much a beginner runner', I worried I would be out my depth but I couldn't have been more wrong. Love Trails isn't just a running festival - it's a weekend that brings together adventure, hiking, human connection, movement, wellness and music in one of the UK's most beautiful locations. My only complaint? There were simply too many things I wanted to do and not enough time. Even writing this, I'm aware there are so many parts of the festival I haven't even mentioned. This is the biggest compliment I can give it, and I can't wait to get in amongst it again next year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Love Trails suitable for beginners? 100% yes! I never once felt out of place despite worrying beforehand

Do you have to camp? No. Camping is the most popular option, but there are nearby hotels if camping isn't your thing

Is Love Trails worth it? In my opinion, yes. If you enjoy the outdoors, movement and meeting like-minded people, it's one of the best festivals around

Ready to experience Love Trails for yourself? You can find tickets, accommodation options and the latest festival information on the Love Trails Website