Activities
Wales, made by nature for the active
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Watersports
If the surf's up then it's time to head for Rest Bay in
Porthcawl. The waves here and regarded as some of the best in
the country as they come crashing in straight off the Atlantic
Ocean. And don't worry if you don't know
your barrel from your wipe out as there
are plenty of surf schools in the locality who will happily give
you a few lessons to get you started.
Only opened in March 2010 but already winning awards is the
Cardiff International White Water
Centre in Cardiff Bay. It recently won in the Best Visitor
Experience category at the National Tourism Awards - and it's easy
to see why - 250 metres of raging torrents that test even
international canoeists to the extreme. But don't worry if
you're not of that standard as the flow of water is controlled and
can be adjusted whatever your experience. You can enjoy some
white water rafting and canoeing as well as something more unusual
such as hydrospeeding and hot-dogging.
Golf
It's not surprising that the Celtic Manor at Newport, home
to the 2010 Ryder Cup, is probably our best known golfing venue,
but there are plenty of other courses throughout the region waiting
to challenge you.
Royal Porthcawl certainly does just that when the wind starts
blowing in off the sea. You can also try the course with the
longest hole at Dewstow (690 yards and the only par 6 in the UK) or
the highest course at West Monmouthshire which reaches 1518ft above
sea level.
Watching Sport
There's plenty on offer too if you'd rather watch than
play sport. Rugby is of course a national obsession with the
magical atmosphere of international day a highlight. There's
top class football, cricket and ice hockey on offer in Cardiff
while Chepstow Racecourse is the place to be for a spot of horse
racing.