The Welsh Experience
Apparently, if you want a ‘proper holiday’ you need look no further than Wales. According to the Welsh Tourist Board, people in search of the lazy days on a sunlounger should look elsewhere but for action lovers, nature lovers and people looking for adventure it seems like the perfect place to go.
It’s not as if Wales doesn’t have more than its fair share of beautiful beaches though. It’s just that the waters of the Irish Sea aren’t quite as warm as those of the Med. But they are clear and the sand is pristine, in fact the Welsh coastline has 45 Blue Flag beaches. Unlike other parts of the UK, the beaches are still sandy and the bays are wide and safe.
Flanked by dramatic cliffs, undulating green countryside and dusted with golden sand, the Pembrokeshire coast is the place to go for true beauty. Since 1952 the coastline has been a National Park and it stretches for approximately 240 square miles.
The quaint Victorian seaside town of Llandudno and sweeping Colwyn Bay are on Wales’ north coast and highly popular with visitors. The prominent limestone headland of Great Orme skirts one side of the picture-postcard bay, now a nature reserve.
You can actually ski in the surrounding mountains during the wintertime, people generally prefer coming during the summer to frolic in the sea and go in search of birds and butterflies in the nature reserve. For those that can’t sit still, the area is well known for mountain biking and kite surfers and windsurfer are drawn to the area by the strong and consistent winds on the windward side of Great Orme.
Wales is most famous for its highest peak, Mount Snowdon at the heart of Snowdonia National Park. Alongside more spectacular shorelines here you’ll find expansive moorland and deep lakes. If trekking through up mountains, above valleys filled with lakes and waterfalls isn’t enough to satisfy the adventurer in you, call into the National Mountain Centre and try rock climbing, canoeing or orienteering.
Similarly, the Brecon Beacons in the southern part of the country are just as awe-inspiring. The incredible landscape is comprised of fertile green fields and pastures, vast heather rich moors, a dusting of hardwood trees and thousands of sheep. The last age caused the formation of the intriguing rock formations in the region that are just waiting to be explored.
Cardiff, Wales’ capital not only has all the usual things you expect of a large city, shops, bars, restaurants, museums and art galleries, but you can also go white-water rafting in the new Olympic-standard canoe slalom centre and if you like to watch your action up close and personal then head to the Millennium Stadium for a must-do Welsh rugby match.
Hopscotch your way around Wales via the country’s many campsites and holiday parks. There are well located throughout Wales so everything mentioned above is never far away.
Muhammad Aqib