Ah, Wales! The Welsh countryside is as rugged as it is spectacular, as enchanting as it is foreboding, as calming as it is exciting. Such seemingly contradictory qualities can often exist in one place, as locals, poets and tourists alike – and writers and readers of The Valleys as well – have observed for generations.
The country, especially south wales valleys, has shaped its people as much as the people shaped the country – both are as modern as you can get yet still steeped in the centuries-old traditions of its forbearers and the age-old landscapes of its fells, lakes and forests. It is the melding of the old and the new that makes Wales one of the perfect adventure areas for the oldies because its tourism industry has learned to strike a balance of adventure activities with restful periods.
What then can older people enjoy as adventure while in Wales? Plenty as you will soon discover.
Declared in 2012 as the most beautiful landscape by Lonely Planet even when it was yet to be finished then, the Wales Coastal Path is unrivalled in the world. Its 870-mile stretch is the world’s first-ever continuous coastal path that encompasses the entire country’s boundaries.
The adventure lies in trekking through the charming rural towns with their magnificent castles (over 600), the wildlife habitats filled with everything from birds to sharks, and the sports activities with their adrenalin rush. Just imagine communing with blue whales, dolphins, and puffins or engaging in water sports like coasteering, kayaking and rafting or enjoying hitting balls at the 18-hole golf course, sailing through the air on a paraglider, and then marvelling at the view on horseback, to name just a few.
Name your adrenalin rush and you will find something that will satisfy your thirst for adventure in Wales – until you want to get your next fix, of course. And when you do, be sure to check in with The Valleys.
Wales has several Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty like the Gower Peninsula and the Isle of Anglesey Coast. These areas are certainly filled with adventure activities ranging from trekking and biking to mountain climbing and cliff hanging, if your legs and knees are up to it.
Who says that extreme sports are only for the young? The young at heart with still strong bodies should also have a go at it!
As if the sports activities are insufficient to get your blood running, the magnificent landscapes of Wales are an adventure in themselves. Pembrokeshire is a top destination for the best in Welsh scenery from the steep limestone cliffs battered by the seas and the red sandstone bays with their fascinating wildlife to the glacial valleys in their flooded splendour and the volcanic headlands with their otherworldly beauty. Just getting to these sites is an adventure!
Just as the fells – that’s Welsh for mountains – have cast a strong spell upon locals and visitors alike, so have the lakes and rivers. River kayaking and canoeing are popular activities for all ages because of the combination of restful waters with exciting rapids woven with amazing views on land. Try the River Teifu Gorge trips for starters.
And when everything becomes just tad too much for your mature self, you always have the choice of sitting back on your lounge chair with a cold drink in hand and just enjoy the seaside view at Rhossili Bay, for example. You are, after all, on holiday.
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