Admittedly, Wales would be the last place on earth that would come to mind when it comes to extreme adventures. Apparently, I know nothing about my home country as apparently, Wales is slowly turning into the new adventure tourism capital of Europe. Somehow, despite my initial apprehension, I am not surprised. With the amount of stunning landscapes and rugged outdoor adventures, it definitely is worth visiting for those adrenaline-loving junkies like myself. So if you’re ever feeling adventurous, here’s my list of the best outdoor activities Wales. Go ahead, I dare you.
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- Go Skydiving Over the Gower Peninsula
- Try Out Your Climbing, Ziplining, and Abseiling Skills
- Catch Some Waves and Go Surfing
- Fly High and Take a Flying Lesson
- Face Your Fears with Underground Ziplines
- Take a Leap of Faith as You Go Coasteering in Pembrokeshire
- Hit the Walls By Going Rock Climbing
- Spend a Day Outdoors Paddleboarding
- Try Out Mountain Biking
- Hit the Hiking Trails
Go Skydiving Over the Gower Peninsula
The Gower is one of my favorite places in Wales as I have loads of fond memories playing by the beach and learning how to surf in the area. While mucking around in the ocean can be fun, why don’t you take it up another level by daring yourself to jump from an aircraft, 12,000ft up in the air? I’ve personally gone skydiving twice already, one in the UK and one over the Swiss Alps in Interlaken. While each time is more exhilarating than the next, where you jump also plays a big role in your experience. For those who dare, you can opt to arrange your jump from Swansea for a once in a lifetime experience as you take in the breathtaking views of the Gower.
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Try Out Your Climbing, Ziplining, and Abseiling Skills
For those of you who love the good outdoors, there has been an influx of outdoor activity courses which allow you to climb, zip line, and abseil your way through adventure courses. Places like Llangorse Multi Activity Centre or Absolute Adventure allow you to monkey around for a couple of hours and feel like a child again.
Related: Top 7 Outdoor Adventures in the UK You Have to Do This Year
Catch Some Waves and Go Surfing
Surfing was an addiction of mine growing up. While it’s something I still love doing, nowadays, I choose to surf in much warmer waters. While there are loads of great surf spots in the Wales like in Tenby (which is home to some beautiful beaches) or New Quay, Llantwit Major, Glamorgan or Pembrokeshire, you can also try practice your surf skills in Surf Snowdonia Adventure Parc. An inland surf lagoon with a 300m long lagoon where you can surf to your heart’s content. Apart from the surf lagoon, you can also go stand up paddling or body boarding. Oh did I mention they even have glamping spots for those who want to stay over? After seeing this, I now know the first things I’m doing when I head back to the UK.
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Fly High and Take a Flying Lesson
Ever wanted to make your Top Gun dreams come true? Go on an hour long flying experience and soar through the clouds with a one on one aerial lesson on how to fly a light aircraft. The entire experience is very exciting as you can expect some aerial maneuvers and all. Fun fact about me: I’m actually a trained pilot so I know how to fly planes similar to the ones in these experiences. They are heaps of fun and worth trying out! Apart from doing this in Wales, this activity is also available in other parts of the UK!
Face Your Fears with Underground Ziplines
Despite the fact that my business is built on traveling, until recently, I didn’t even know underground zip lining was a thing! Located in North Wales, you can test your skills by taking on this giant underground assault course full of zip lines, rope bridges, tunnels, and via ferratas in Zip World Caverns. If you think ziplining is fun, try using it as you traverse through this dark intricate cave system that reach nine levels down. Be warned that this is not for the faint-hearted as you have to crawl, take a leap of faith and work your way around this awesome one of a kind experience. If caves aren’t for you, consider taking on the fastest zip line in the world (and the longest one in Europe) located in Penrhyn Slate Quarry, near Bethesda. This bad boy right here can take you over 100mph as you zip down this large quarry! Talk about an adrenaline rush!
Take a Leap of Faith as You Go Coasteering in Pembrokeshire
In case you haven’t heard of it, coasteering was originally pioneered in Wales and is a mix of rock climbing, cave exploring, and cliff jumping. After it first came about, is soon became one of the fastest adventure sports in the United Kingdom.
Get your heart pumping as you traverse through steep rocks and caves as you navigate your way through the stunning coastline of Wales. Pembrokeshire is a common place where groups go coasteering due to the beautiful natural obstacle course coastline.
It’s one of the best things to do in South Wales.
Hit the Walls By Going Rock Climbing
Make the most out Wale’s rugged outdoors by going with the many companies that offer rock climbing. While indoor sites are rather popular, for those who enjoy the outdoors, you can look at places like Bryn Du Mountain Centre, Betws y Coed, the Southgate Area of the Gower, or by  Castle Inn Quarry.
Spend a Day Outdoors Paddleboarding
Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) is a fun water sport which is easy enough to do virtually anywhere. It’s a good excuse to get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine (if it’s not raining, that is). When we were last trying to find things to do in Swansea, we stumbled upon 360 Beach & Watersports Complex right by Swansea Bay. To make the most out of the weather, we decided to rent boards and start paddling out. Not only was the whole experience great fun, the fear of falling in the bitterly cold water was also good motivation to not fall by keeping my core solid.
Read: Swansea City Break Guide: Best of Swansea in 48 Hours
Try Out Mountain Biking
Mountain biking is big in Wales and understandably so as there are so many awesome nature trails to hit! All weather terrain trails, downhill tracks, skills parks, and wild nature travels, we have it all. One of my favorite things to do is to rent out bikes and spend the whole day outdoors exploring various trails. A few notable ones to do are: Porthmadog to Harlech in Snowdonia, Port Penrhyn, Bangor, and the coastal roads in Pembrokeshire.
Hit the Hiking Trails
Wales has loads of beautiful hiking paths and trails that you can conquer, no matter if you’re an experienced hiker or not. This site has information on various coastal or mountainous hikes, along with easy family trails for everyone. If you’re on the rather extreme side, why not take on the Welsh 3000’s Challenge Extreme. Completing this challenge entails conquering the country’s 15 highest peaks, all of which at 3000 ft. high. While you can spread this throughout multiple days, some sites are set it as a 24-hour challenge. Currently, the record is at 4 hours and 20 minutes! The walk begins at Snowdon’s summit and finishes at Foel Fras summit.
Related: Best Camping in the UK
While I could go on and on about the many other outdoor activities in Wales, I suggest you take them on yourself. From coasteering, climbing, and other awesome outdoor sports, it’s no wonder this small country is making waves in the adventure travel industry.