Wales is a fantastic place for an activity break in the UK – especially if you fancy trying something a little out of the ordinary. One of the things I love about the country is that there are just so many incredible landscapes to explore, and it’s this quality that really adds that special something to its activity options.
There are absolutely loads of things to choose from, so I won’t attempt to list them all; instead, I’ve put together a list of the top options that caught my eye.
Rope courses
I’ve always been intrigued by doing a rope course but, I must admit, so far I’ve been too scared to actually try one. Hopefully you’ll be braver than me, though!
- Visiting Walesantonychammond / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA
In case you’ve never heard of rope courses, they basically involve heading into a wood or forest with an adventure company and navigating obstacles courses through the treetops. You’ll have a full-body safety harness, so there’s no danger, but you will need to pick your way across balance beams, zip wires and rope bridges while being pretty far off the ground!
There are lots of places you can try this, including Go Ape, Plas Y Brenin National Mountaineering Centre and Tree Top Adventure. Situated in Snowdonia National Park, Tree Top Adventure also offers a junior course for younger visitors, so it’s handy for families.
Coasteering
Another unusual and exciting activity to try is coasteering (also known as coast steering). A relatively new sport, it was invented in the 1980s and 90s by surfers and kayakers in Pembrokeshire, and I think it’s a great choice for anyone looking for a real taste of adventure.
Basically, it requires you to make your way along a coastline in any way that you can. Sea swimming, rock climbing, cave exploring – anything goes. That said, for safety reasons it’s important to do it with a reputable company, so don’t just attack the coastline on your own!
Since the sport originated in Pembrokeshire, this is a great place to try it, but there are plenty of other brilliant locations too. The Gower Peninsula and the Isle of Anglesey are particularly worth looking at.
Bushcraft
Among the more unusual activities to try, bushcraft will leave you well-versed in outdoor survival skills. You can take courses of varying lengths and on a range of themes – basic survival techniques, for example, or preparing food in the great outdoors.
As well as learning traditional skills, you can use modern equipment to learn how to make yourself comfy when out in the wilderness. You’ll receive instruction from qualified professionals, so don’t worry about getting stranded on your own!
Quite a few companies offer this kind of training in Wales, including Burnt Bark (based near Cardiff), Proadventure (Llangollen, North Wales) and Dryad Bushcraft on the Gower Peninsula.
Abseiling and climbing
The final activity that caught my eye was abseiling and climbing. Ok, technically these are two activities, but as they are often grouped together and hosted in the same facilities, I thought I’d take the liberty of classing them as one!
Wales has a lot of indoor climbing centres that offer tuition for beginners, so I think the destination is a great place for novices to get to grips with the basics before tackling actual rock faces. Centres to look out for include Brecon Lesiure Centre in Brecon, Plas Y Brenin National Mountain Centre in Capel Curig and Beacon Climbing Centre in Caernarfon.
