A Llangwm-based financial lawyer who rode a horse more than 1,000 miles from Moscow to Transylvania has now taken on a slightly gentler challenge - launching a literary festival next month in the estuary village.
The line-up of authors includes Griff Rhys Jones exploring his sense of Welsh identity.
The lawyer, Michael Pugh, worked for a British firm in Moscow for six years before deciding to head home to Wales.
But rather than hop on a flight, he decided to indulge his love of horses and taste for adventure by completing the first 1,000 or so miles on the back of a horse called Parliament.
“Parliament is a fantastic horse,” said Michael. “He’s a Kabarin gelding, an ancient breed famous for their endurance and ability to cope with difficult conditions, and I bought him especially for the trip from a chap in the Caucasus.
“I couldn’t bring him all the way to Wales so he’s now back in Moscow being fed apples at a riding school for young ladies.”
But the trip from Moscow was no ride in the park.
“The weather veered from freezing on the road to Smolensk - the road that both Napoleon and the Nazis used in their invasions of Russia -to icy hailstorms in Transylvania and flies of biblical proportions in Belarus.
“Also Russia had just invaded Crimea and there were all sorts of rumours about Russian incursions across the Ukrainian border with troops on red alert in border zones; fortunately they were too busy to take notice of a passing Brit on horseback.
”But the most frightening experience was when Parliament got stuck in a bog in Belarus and was being sucked down into the black sludge.
“Luckily, a dog we’d named Friday had been following us and she had the presence of mind to deliver a nip to Parliament’s hind quarters - which encouraged him to make a huge effort and jump free”.
Once back home, Michael bought a cottage in Llangwm and got down to the business of writing a book - which alerted him to the idea of setting up a literary festival.
“It’s not quite Hay-on-Cleddau - at least not yet - but we’ve been bowled over by the generosity of writers giving their spare time to talk about their work.
“Griff Rhys Jones was one of the first to accept, but we’ll also be hearing from Ferdinand Mount who’ll be talking about India under the Raj from a very personal viewpoint, and the Caerphilly-born writer Tom Morris reading from his newly-published book of comic short stories.”
Michael will also be talking about his ride across Russia.
The festival runs from Friday, August 12, to Sunday, August 14, at various locations in Llangwm and is supported by Milford Haven Port Authority, Valero and Literature Wales, as well as local businesses and individuals..
Tickets and further details are available on the website, www.llangwmlitfest.co.uk.