Find Your Epic - three adventures across the Irish Sea in Wales.

Feeling adventurous this summer?

Then I suggest you hop on the ferry and Find Your Epic in Wales.

I've three suggestions for activities that will push your boundaries to the max.

I started off with a trip To Blenau Ffestineog in beautiful Snowdonia National Park and took a ride on the world's longest Zip Zone.

Titan is made up of three parts, A which is the longest part of the course but most gentle with spectacular views. B is more dramatic and moves at break neck speed. By the time we reached Zip line C we were adrenalin junkies and on reaching the bottom wanted to do it all over again. I was with three of my pals and one of them had bungee and parachute jumped in the past and she thought this was just as good.

Titan costs £50 pp to find out more see. www.zipworld.co.uk

Ride Snowdonia’s rapids – the National White Water Centre, Bala

This one isn’t strictly ‘sea’, but it’s no less exciting. The UK’s National White Water Centre is located on the River Tryweryn, which races across the Snowdonia National Park www.canoewales.com . The grade 3-4*, fast-flowing Upper Tryweryn is the foremost rafting challenge, with waves crashing around near-constant boulders. Water levels are dam-controlled so the rapids provide plenty of action during the summer.

Prices start from £40 including equipment hire for a one hour triphttp://www.canoewales.com/rafting-taster-session but our most popular is a the Full Session http://www.canoewales.com/full-rafting-session which is a two hour trip that you can either book as a group trip or if there aren’t enough in your party for a group trip you can join others in a shared raft.  The minimum age for these two is 12 years old but we have another trip http://www.canoewales.com/tryweryn-raft-safari which is suitable for 10 year olds and over.

About Anglesey Adventures

Anglesey Adventures is an adventure activity company that provides adventure days and breaks on Anglesey and throughout North Wales. If you are looking for an outdoor experience with a difference then our adventure breaks will not disappoint you. adventure coasteering £120 per day

The Isle of Anglesey is an absolute playground for the adventure enthusiast with a huge range of activities to choose from. Our location on Holy Island provides a stunning coastline, towering sea cliffs and numerous award winning beaches. Amongst this we provide world-class outdoor experiences for individuals, family groups, schools and colleges, youth groups, stag and hen parties and corporate teams looking for bespoke development courses.

Some of the activities that we offer from our base include coasteering, rock climbing, abseiling, kayaking, mountain walking, sea level traversing, gorge scrambling, canoeing, canyoning, tyrolean traverse, orienteering, raft building, mountain biking, bush craft, initiative games .

We also offer a range of tailor made skill based courses for complete beginners all the way through to seasoned adrenaline junkies, covering half day trips to multiple day courses in rock climbing, mountaineering, sea kayaking and canoeing.

Let us organise that perfect stag or hen weekend, company away day or general family fun activities for you on your holiday in Anglesey. Come join us for one the best adventures in North Wales!!!

Cliff camping with Gaia Adventures is wild camping at its wildest. Campers sleep high above the sea, suspended in mid-air on a vertical cliff face near Beaumaris, Anglesey. The experience starts with guests journeying down the cliff in time to catch the sunset and enjoying a hearty, locally sourced meal. As the evening proceeds it will be time for hot chocolate – or something stronger! In the morning, campers wake to the sunrise, fresh coffee, bacon baps and croissants. Depending upon the location, Gaia Adventures offers the opportunity to either rock climb out, or simply climb the rope using ascenders. From £190. www.gaiaadventures.co.uk

For more information see www.visitwales.co.uk

The Dylan Thomas Centenary Year is the perfect time to visit Wales!

 

The words, ‘Do not go gentle into that good night,’ used to send shivers down my spine and throw me right back to my school days. But I’ll never forget that it was Dylan Thomas who wrote the poem or that it was about the death of his father. I recently set off on an Odyssey to discover more about the man and the myth in South Wales. The town of Swansea, where Dylan was born, has also given us Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey. It is set up for a revival, and the old docks that once were filled with coal ships now offer an eclectic mix of restaurants and bars.

I started at the Dylan Thomas Centre which is a small but accessible museum set in the Old Guild Hall. It holds a host of letters and information about Dylan and his life in Wales, London and where he met his tragic end in the infamous Chelsea Hotel in New York. It is an interesting place to get a picture of the poet’s life and hear his recorded work on the interactive displays. I was especially intrigued by the beautiful illustration of his play for voices, ‘Under Milk Wood’, which was recently re-recorded by famous Welsh stars, including Charlotte Church, Sir Tom and Cerys Matthews.

5 Cwmdonkin Drive is the home where Dylan was born and lived for much of his life. It has been carefully and authentically restored by the Haden’s who make it available for rent on a Bed and Breakfast basis and it would be a wonderful treat to send a fan of the poet here for an overnight break. The Thomas’ Maid was alive until a few years ago and she was able to describe the décor of the house from Dylan’s time in great detail, so it is a genuine trip into the past. Dylan’s tiny bedroom looks as if he stepped outside for a moment. It is complete with images of him and his first girlfriend and authors who inspired him, including our own Joyce and Yeats.

Cwmdonkin Park is close by the house, and it is here that the young Dylan ran in the open spaces and here that recitals will be happening all this year to commemorate the poet – especially during this the centenary of his birth.

Don’t leave Swansea without taking a trip out to the Mumbles – a suburb set at the mouth of the sea where there are a host of beautiful restaurants and bars which Thomas and the people of Swansea went to enjoy their leisure time. I dined in ‘Patricks With Rooms’ and was blown away by the presentation and cuisine which included Laver bread (a substance similar to seaweed and mentioned in Under Milk Wood).

It is impossible to make a pilgrimage to Dylan Thomas country without visiting the small town of Laugharne, pronounced Larne. The scenic route to take from Swansea is via the Gower Peninsula. The Gower is criss-crossed with winding roads and ditches filled with wild-garlic and bluebells. Along the way you can see Llanstefan and the landscape that inspired his poems, such as ‘Fern Hill’. The town of Laugharne has long been credited as the inspiration for Dylan’s ‘Under Milk Wood,’ and if you visit Brown’s Hotel Bar on a Saturday night you may be able to spot a few of the characters who appear to be alive and well and enjoying the local brew at the counter.    

I dined later in The Cors Restaurant, a quirky eatery with delicious cuisine. Set among exquisite gardens, The Cors also offers accommodation and is well worth a visit if in the locality. An interesting pilgrimage linked closely to Dylan’s ‘Poem in October’ traces the route he took on the morning of his thirtieth birthday. Bob Stevens is the creator of this excursion and it is a delightful way to follow the steps that Thomas walked himself. But you mustn't leave laughaurne without visiting the Boathouse where Dylan and his tempestuous wife Caitlin lived towards the end of his life. The actual shed where he worked is reconstructed and set in a magnificent horseshoe cove.

 The Boathouse at the water’s edge is now a visitor's centre and tea rooms and must be seen. Dylan Thomas is laid to rest in the grounds of St Martin’s church – only a short stroll from Brown’s Hotel. His grave is marked by a brightly painted white cross. Even if you are not a fan of poetry the fabulous Bluestone Park Resort is close by and a wonderful base for families who are looking for a fun and adventurous place to stay. It might be nice to combine a visit to Laugharne and bring a little culture into a family holiday.

I returned to Cardiff to catch my flight home with my head full of poetry but there was still so much to see and do. Cardiff Castle is a remarkable museum with some of the finest examples of decor from the Arts and Crafts Victorian movement. Created at a time in the nineteenth century when the owner, The Marquis of Bute, was the richest man in the world. Just outside the castle is the main shopping street and a covered market with quaint shops and boutiques.

Whether you decide to fly into Cardiff or take the ferry from Rosslare, Wales is only a stone’s throw across the pond and well worth a visit this summer.

www.visitwales.com

www.dylanthomasbirthdaywalk.co.uk

www.thecors.co.uk

For information on upcoming events to celebrate the centenary of Dylan Thomas see www.dylanthomas.com

www.bluestonewales.com

All about the elves at Bluestone

We had the most fantastic time in Bluestone Resort in Pembrokeshire a couple of weeks ago when I took a trip to see Kingdom of the Elves for the Irish Mail on Sunday. the weather was cracking with plenty of sunshine and we were able to partake in a host of wonderful family fun including archery, catapulting and high rope tree climbing! It's a self contained park with lots of wonderful shops and restaurants and all the accommodation is sympathetically built in tandem with the natural beauty of the landscape.

We got to see the Elves and swim in the amazing Aqua park. It was lovely for me too as I escaped to the Well Spa which was a real treat with lots of luxury in thermal suite and outdoor whirlpool. The food was cracking and we dined in the Careg Las restaurant among other delights. In fact it was so good we are hoping to return next summer when the weather will be warmer. It is easy to get to from Ireland if you take the Rosslare - Fishguard ferry and the boat trip was a pleasure in itself. Neither of the kids wanted it to end and it was wonderful to avoid the stresses of the airport so I will be taking a Stena Line trip again when I want to go to the UK. To read more about the trip the full article was published on the 8th December in the Irish Mail on Sunday.