Posts Tagged ‘Wales’

Go Coasteering For Rural Free Running

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

Of all the urban sports to come out of the last twenty years, Parkour (Free Running) is surely among the most spectacular. It’s all about freedom. Freedom to travel the city, freedom to move at speed and with skill, to see the city from a different angle altogether. I’m a massive nerd for architecture and the unseen city. In this way, Parkour has more in common with dance than gymnastics even. Parkour enthusiasts with this kind of mentality are encouraged to check out the name ‘Steve Duncan’, even though he’s no strictly a practitioner of Parkour. You’ll find the recently released documentary ‘Undercity’, which shows Duncan’s exploits on usually inaccessible areas of New York including abandoned Subway stations and the Williamsburg Bridge. But Duncan’s constant evasion of the authorities shows off the moral problems inherent in much of Parkour. In search of the most challenging sites, you must often trespass, sometimes even in violation of anti-terrorism laws. You may also cause criminal damage in the process.

Part of the allure of Parkour is that it stretches the boundaries of civil liberty. But when it comes to simply testing ourselves, it crosses a moral line that it needn’t cross. Frankly, you’re better off Mountain Biking Wales being an instantly recommended locale. In fact, Wales is a premier location for extreme sports, and one especially, that has a certain air of Parkour to it. Sure, the urban appeal is out of the equation, but the same physical principles are available. But as a more than valid alternative as a physical sport, Coasteering has the same emphasis on travelling fast, and climbing to inaccessible, secret places.

And Coasteering is a far more accessible lower level too. Any moral problem I may have with Parkour is personally eclipsed by my general cowardice: Parkour is a rough and tumble sport with many broken bones along the way. Coasteering on the other hand is far more structured activity, with wet suits, helmets and various protective clothing. You won’t exactly be dropping some serious Parkour chic, but then, this is the  Gower Peninsula we’re talking about, not Times Square. So give coasteering a try, and get off the streets.

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Next Summer Try A Wales Activity Holiday!

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Climbing, abseiling and other outdoor activities are becoming more and more popular, and with the credit crunch this year getting in the way of our usual holidays abroad maybe now is the time to embrace the great outdoors and try something a bit more challenging this summer. The UK, and especially Wales, has loads of amazing locations where you can try out all sorts of exciting and fun experiences. So regardless of whether you’re an experienced adventurer or a first-time explorer, there will be something that will suit you.

For some of the most stunning scenery in the UK you need to experience an activity break Wales which offer the perfect setting for any outdoor holiday. With a huge variety of activities available including canoeing Wales. There is an adventure waiting for everyone in Wales whatever your level of experience, whether you’re looking for the adrenalin rush of scaling the famous Welsh mountains or just want to check out the views.

Or if you’re looking for something a bit different, Wales is the original birthplace of ‘coasteering’, a wild combination of scrambling, climbing, traversing, cliff jumping and swimming that was first developed on the coast of Pembrokeshire. All the activities are available to people of all levels and you will be with a trained instructor, so even if you’ve never done more than climb up the stairs at home, you’ll still be able to give it a go.

There is a huge range of different types of accommodation for holiday makers across the country, from hotels to self catering flats and holiday cottages in the countryside. So whatever type of new experience you’re looking for and whatever activities you want to try, short breaks Wales could be the answer for an exciting, different and affordable holiday this summer.

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A Few Facts About The Welsh Castles (Part 1)

Saturday, November 28th, 2009

These castles are some of the best Wales have to offer. Some of them are visited by thousands and some of them just a couple of hundred every year. Take a look and decide on the best one to visit!

Cardiff Castle

The Romans were the first to use the castle and it can be found right in the middle of a very busy city. When the Normans took control they covered the original fort with earthen ramparts and made their own defences. during the course of the next few centuries the castle was always getting the odd improvements. Many things happened during the 12th century including a stone keep and between the 13th and 14th a gatehouse and the black tower were both added. After this the later centuries proved to be hard on the castle and were only renovated to what people see it as today in the late 18th century.

Chepstow Castle

This castle was in the making a year after the Battle Of Hastings and was actually built very close to the river Wye. Chepstow it would seem was a quiet castle for its time, rarely seeing a battle. It was modified a lot in the 12th and 13th centuries and the importance of it declined in the 14th century. After the big battles in 1690 the castles defences were taken down and the castle was handed in the state a long time in the future in the year 1953.

These are just two of the castles that Wales has to offer the general pubic which of course means that you can personally see the inside of both these buildings along with your family on one of those family days out. Family holidays UK are very popular in Wales and both of these castles see a large amount of guests, do not miss out and visit Wales soon.

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When you think Britain do not just think London

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

London can be good because there arte so many things to do. A personal favourite is the O2 stadium as it is the best place to see huge artists from around the world do their thing the whole country.This is really only second to Wembley and may not even be second any more.

There are quite a few museums to enjoy in London. The top two have got to be Imperial War Museum and the British Museum.

The Tower is famous for holding the crown Jewels. On top of this it also used to contain prisoners, many of which were tortured and some are said to still haunt the place.

Sure London has some of the top places to visit if you are coming to England, from Big Ben to the Waxworks but it also has the busy streets, and the feel of a world capital, which doesn’t tend to feel awsome. Is London just somewhere to go on one of those family days out?

London is brilliant for someone coming over to see a bit of Britain’s famous history but show the current beauty of Britain, and that is of course, the countryside.

Wales can be a good place to see the real Britain. Of course cities such as Cardiff are busy but again that is one of Britain’s biggest cities, head just outside for a beautiful countryside stay in a cottage or small house. Wales has many other things on offer such as climbing, fishing and golf. The Welsh also have many foods in which to try. Salt marsh lamb, Welsh black cattle and farmhouse cheeses are just some that you should certainly tuck into.

So if you are thinking about UK family holidays then instead of choosing London, Edinburgh or Dublin, why not give Wales a try?

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Vacations In Cardiff, Wales and Some Important Facts

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Cardiff is not just the capital city of Wales, bit also it is the most popular visitor destination in the United Kingdom of Great Britain outside London. Cardiff is also the biggest of the cities in Wales, but the city was only only a pretty small town until the time of the start of the 19th century. It was in the early eighteen hundreds when the town developed into a considerably busy port involved in the transportation of Welsh coal, and also other local industry. The town of Cardiff received city status on the twenty eighth of October nineteen hundred and five from King Edward VII of England, however, weirdly, the city of Cardiff only became the capital city of Wales on the twentieth of December 1955. Following this Cardiff soon became the place of choice for most national institutions, including the National Museum of Wales, the Welsh National War Memorial and the University of Wales Registry Building. For a sustained period of time now the Cardiff businesses involved in Information and Technology have witnessed incredible growth rates along with, although to a lesser degree other areas of business, most noticeably in service industries. The industry of tourism has also grown considerably and these days there are surprising numbers of establishments supplying Cardiff bed & breakfast accommodation.

Visitor Attractions To Visit In Cardiff

Though Cardiff has been a city for only one hundred years, surprisingly a castle has been at the site for an estimated two thousand years. The currently standing Cardiff Castle is, most likely, the city’s most popular visitor attraction and can be discovered right in the very middle of the city centre. It is possible for people to partake in a guided tour through the castle interior, and, take a stimulating stroll around the amazingly picturesque gardens of the castle. There is also a recently opened Interpretation Centre at the castle which shows the various development stages, of the castle,  across time from Roman times to the present day.

Cardiff also has a fair few modern visitor attractions including the incredibly interesting Techniquest, one of the United Kingdom’s most popular centres for Science Discovery. At the Science Discovery centre folk will find more than 100 hands on exhibits, designed to both fascinate and entertain groups of all ages. Within the centre there is a laboratory, a Discovery Room, a planetarium and a hi-tech Science Theatre.

There are many many more tourist attractions to see in the Welsh capital, Cardiff, so, if you are currently considering spending a few weeks there it is immensely important that you book your  rooms as early as possible as, sadly hotels in Cardiff tend to be surprisingly busy and are often fully booked for weeks or even months in advance. If you are travelling in a large group you might find that Cardiff apartment accommodation proves to be a cheaper alternative by comparison with bed and breakfast accommodation.

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