Best Activity Weekends

Cardiff is the capital and the largest city and county in Wales. In recent years it has grown in stature as a tourist destination. It was recently voted the eighth favourite UK city by readers of the Guardian, listed as one of the top 10 destinations in the UK on the official British tourist boards’ website Visit Britain and US travel guide Frommers listed it as one of the top 13 destinations worldwide for 2008. Cardiff is a beautiful developing city and an ideal destination to take a short break.

What Activities

Sailing, Canoeing, Power Boating, Kayaking, Rock Climbing, Paragliding, Mountain Biking, White Water Rafting, Caving, Horse Riding, Cycling and loads more.

Where to go?

Cardiff Bay

http://www.cardiffbay.co.uk/

Cardiff Bay is Europe’s largest waterfront development and has a variety of leisure activities which are available both on and off the water. The bay is home to loads of attractions, shops, hotels and restaurants, so there’s plenty to do for everyone. A number of boat tours also depart from the bay and allow you to explore the coast of Southampton from the water. The website guides you to the services and attractions that are available in and around the bay.

The Brecon Beacons National Park

http://www.breconbeacons.org/

The Brecon Beacons is a beautiful National Park in Cardiff with a gorgeous landscape, canal paths, castles and plenty of family friendly attractions. There’s plenty to do for everyone with lots of old castles and museums to explore. Also, the vast landscape and several waterways provide a great adventure playground for all and several businesses run activity sessions throughout the national park. This is the perfect place to go if you want to explore the outdoors whilst having fun. The website provides you with information about things to do, accommodation and the environment in and around the Beacons making the planning of your trip a lot easier.

The Vale Hotel, Golf and Spa Resort

http://www.vale-hotel.com/

This is a luxury resort with a four star hotel, spa and golf academy. There are two 18 hole golf courses, several putting greens, top professional coaches, a pro shop and computer technology which allows you to use video analysis and swing check. The fantastic spa has the most up to date facilities and offers treatments for all over the body ranging from simple facials and manicures to full body massages and Electrolysis. The resort also has a health and racquets club with a state of the art gym with very latest computer-aided fitness equipment, a luxury 20 metre indoor pool fitness studios, plus squash and tennis courts, sauna, steam rooms and a whirlpool bath.

The Cardiff Bay Water Activity Centre

http://www.adventurecardiff.com

At the Cardiff Adventure Centre both tourists and local residents can enjoy a variety of water based activities and adrenalin sports including power boating, windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking, climbing and sailing. They run several courses including a multi activity day which allows you to take part in a mixture of activities all in one day. The website gives you directions to the centre, lists the courses that they run, guides you through the booking process and provides an overview of the weather in the area. If you’re interested in taking part in outdoor activities, this could be a good place to visit.

Walk or Bike Wales

http://www.walkorbikewales.com/

Walk or Bike Wales offers high quality getaways in the Brecon Beacons and across the border in England.
Walk Offa’s Dyke, The Wye Valley, The Beacons Way, Pembrokshire Coast Path, visit the Black Mountains and the Llantony Valley.
Ride some of the fantastic road and mountain bike trails across the Brecon Beacons and Wales. Routes to suite all, the 4 Castle Ride, Lon Las Cymru Holyhead to Cardiff or Chepstow, The Sarn Helen Trail (longest off road route in Wales.

The Red Dragon Centre

http://www.thereddragoncentre.co.uk

Located in the middle of Cardiff Bay, the Red Dragon Centre offers a range of leisure and entertainment venues all in one place. Among the venues at the centre are an Odeon cinema, Hollywood Bowl and Casino, as well as a large number of bars and restaurants. The centre also has its own radio station, Doctor Who exhibition and Cadwaladers ice cream bar. The wide range of venues at the centre makes it a great place to visit for both adults and kids. This is the perfect place for family fun and would be a great place to spend the day.

Celtic Water Sports

http://celtic-watersports.co.uk/

Celtic Water Sports is a business which is based in Cardiff city. They provide loads of courses for several different activities and no previous experience is necessary to take part in any of their activities. They practice their activities in several locations throughout Wales, one of which is Neath Valley, part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Many of the areas where the group practice are considered to be areas of outstanding natural beauty and are a great place to go to take in the beautiful scenery of Wales. The centre runs several activities such as Coasteering, river rafting, canoeing, kayaking and gorge scrambling. If you enjoy taking part in challenging water sports, this is the place to go.

Boulders Indoor Climbing Centre

http://www.bouldersclimbingcentre.co.uk

The Boulders Climbing Centre is located not far from Cardiff’s city centre and has a variety of facilities for both experienced climbers and newcomers to the sport. The centre has a number of climbing walls varying in difficulty and they also rent out climbing equipment to visitors. Competent climbers can visit the centre and climb alone under no supervision, but if you haven’t climbed before you can take a taster course to get you started and once you’ve learned the basics, you can take a number of other courses to improve your skills. So if you want to learn something new or practice climbing this would be a great place to go when you’re in Cardiff.

Barry Island Pleasure Park

http://www.barryislandpleasurepark.co.uk

Barry Island Pleasure Park is situated right on the Cardiff Seafront and is a great place to go if you’re planning on having a family day out. The park has a selection of places to eat, thriller rides, family rides and rides especially for the kids so whether you’re a thrill seeker wanting a challenge or you just want to have a family day out, the park has what you’re looking for. The park is only open at certain times of the year, from Easter through to the end of September depending on the weather so make sure that you check that it’s open on the day of your visit to avoid disappointment.

What You’ll need

You’ll need swimwear and clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Also, you could bring your bike with you and go for a ride around the national park or the local area.

Other Useful Links

Visit Cardiff

http://www.visitcardiff.com

Visit Cardiff is the main tourist information site for the city and has an extensive amount of useful information for tourists visiting the city. The site has information about attractions, events, landmarks, where to stay and where to eat. It also has maps of the area, a business directory and information on how to get there. It has literally all of the information that a tourist would need to know when they’re planning a trip to Cardiff and will allow you to have a well planned, carefree break.

Itchy Cardiff

http://www.itchycardiff.co.uk/

Itchy Cardiff is a tourist site which keeps potential visitors to Cardiff posted about attractions, events, activities, culture and loads more that’s happening in the city. Tourists can visit this site and plan every aspect of their trip making their stay in Cardiff a lot more relaxed and care free. Itchy Cardiff is a useful resource and would prove to help make your trip to Cardiff a lot more enjoyable.

Edge of Wales Walk

Walking holidays in North Wales

A Walking Holiday in North Wales along the Llŷn Coastal Path, one of the great Celtic Trails, operated by local people offering a complete package of accommodation, local information, maps, gps, baggage transfer and transport. Enjoy the spectacular Welsh countryside on the 47 mile (75.6 km) coastal path along the Llŷn Peninsula leading to Bardsey Island or walk the whole way around the Llŷn from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, 95 miles in all.

More fun activities in & near Cardiff

Cycling in North Wales

Mountain Bike Holidays with Style

Located in Scotland, Edinburgh is famous for its history and beautiful landscape. Also, in recent years it has became famous for hosting the Edinburgh International Festival, with its world class list of cultural events. Enveloped by rolling hills, lakes and forests, Edinburgh is a city made for adventure. There is plenty to see and do with the perfect balance between all things traditional and contemporary.

What Activities?

Trekking, Cycling, Dry-Slope Skiing, Sailing, Paintballing, Surfing, Windsurfing, Paragliding, Skydiving, Canoeing, Diving, Water Skiing, Snow Sports and loads more.

Where To Go

YellowCraigs Beach (Broad Sands Bay)

A sandy beach with great views to Fife and the lighthouse on Fidra Island. Yellowcraigs is a popular family beach with a barbecue site, nature trail and footpath through the nearby wood and grassland. This is a nice place to go for a walk and enjoy the scenery.

Port Edgar Marina and Sailing School

http://www.portedgar.co.uk/

Port Edgar Marina & Sailing School is major watersports complex and marina situated on the Forth just west of the famous Forth Bridge in South Queensferry, just 10 miles north of Edinburgh. The Marina has 300 serviced berths and is well located for exploring the islands and fishing Harbours of the Firth of Forth under the backdrop of Scotland’s Capital. South Queensferry Bay offers an excellent area for dinghy sailing and the Watersports Centre, offering all kinds of tuition including canoeing, kayaking and dinghy sailing. Also, the nearby Port Edgar Yacht Club has a race every Monday so you can rent a dinghy from the sailing school and join in. So, if you’re interested in watersports there’s plenty for you to do at Port Edgar.

Edinburgh Diving Centre

http://www.edinburghdiving.co.uk/

Edinburgh Diving School (EDC) is Edinburgh’s oldest, most established diving centre and has been running for over 20 years. The Centre has grown in size and reputation and now has a retail outlet, an equipment servicing and testing centre and a training facility. The scuba courses include all equipment hire and all course materials, so there are no hidden costs.

The Edinburgh University Skydiving Club

http://eusdc.eusu.ed.ac.uk/

If you want to throw yourself from a perfectly good plane then this is the club for you. Whether you want to do it as a one off experience or on a regular basis, the club has the course. Firstly, you could choose to take the Tandem course. You have half an hours training and then do a 12000 metre jump attached to an instructor. Freefall lasts around 40 seconds and then there’s a 5 minute canopy ride. Also, you could choose to take the Static Line Square, you’re given a day’s training and then jump alone from 3500 feet. The parachute automatically opens when you exit the plane and then you fly the parachute back to the landing area. Or finally, you could choose to take the Accelerated Freefall course where after several hours of tuition and 8 jumps you are a fully qualified sky diver.

Midlothian Snowsports Centre

Midlothian Snowsports Centre at Hillend, Edinburgh boasts of being Europe’s longest artificial snowsports facility. It is made up of two main slopes, a 20 m learning slope and a jump slope; the slope on the left (made to look like Ireland) is 276 metres and the big slope on the right (made to look like the United Kingdom) is 450 metres. The slopes are used for skiing, snowboarding and snowblading and lessons are available for both adults and children all year round. The runs are made from matting that is available for use all year round; the floodlights allow it to be used in the evenings and a misting system keeps it from getting sticky. Also, the equipment is available to rent in the winter months to use elsewhere. If you like snowsports the Midlothian Snowsports centre is the best place to go in Europe.

Nationwide Paintball – Edinburgh

http://www.nationwidepaintball.co.uk/

Nationwide Paintball’s Edinburgh Paintballing site is located just 15 minutes away from the city centre. The facilities include 6 team huts, changing rooms, toilet facilities and an on site shop. All games are played in a superb woodland setting and there are several different scenarios to act out which are designed to make the experience more exciting. Scenarios include the Pet Rescue, Comms Tower and the Shanty Town. The centre does package deals with lunch included in the price and you’ll play multiple game scenarios throughout the day. This is a great activity to do in groups, so if you and your mates feel like some action packed fun, this is the place to go.

Bonnyrigg Leisure Centre

Bonnyrigg Leisure Centre provides the local community and tourists with an excellent range of facilities including a leisure pool with flume, sauna and spa pool, large multi-use hall, Tonezone, outdoor five-a-side football pitches and soft play area.

Coast 2 Coast Surf School

http://www.c2cadventure.com/

Coast to Coast run 95% of local surf lessons at Belhaven Bay which is about a 40 minute drive away from Edinburgh and is accessible by train from Edinburgh also. They offer a wide range of surfing lessons for adults, children, beginners and professional and the east coast of Scotland provides some fantastic waves. The surf school offer a range of courses including a two hour white water lesson, a sunset course and a surf and yoga course. The lessons can be carried out with a group of up to 15 people, so this would be a nice thing to do with friends.

What You’ll Need

You’ll need to bring swimwear with you and clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Also, organise transportation to get around the city before leaving.

Other Useful Links

Itchy Edinburgh

http://www.itchyedinburgh.co.uk/

The Itchy site is a travel guide to all of the major cities in the UK. Itchy Edinburgh provides the user with loads of information about Edinburgh city including restaurants, bars, entertainment, culture, shopping, events and activities. If you are planning to visit Edinburgh this site will prove to be vary helpful when planning your trip.

Edinburgh Online

http://www.edinburghonline.co.uk/

Edinburgh Online is the online guide to Scotland’s capital city. The website has a street index listing hundreds of local streets and roads and also lists thousands of local shops, accommodation, attractions, venues, pubs and clubs. The site also has a Web directory listing essential local websites. This means that it is easy for you to find not only the contact details of places you’d like to visit in the city, but you can also visit their websites to see what they have to offer.

TouristnetUK.com

http://www.touristnetuk.com/sc/edinburgh/index.htm

To make finding a holiday in the UK easier, Touristnet.com broke it up into 10 main regions and provide information about the relevant tourist areas. Their section about Edinburgh provides loads of information about accommodation, attractions, food and drink and attractions in the city. The site is very useful and easy to use and is worth having a look at when planning your holiday.

Other useful travel links

Scotland visitor information from Holiday Scotland – Your guide to Scotland.