the addo promise

Promotional copy for Visit Wales for Wanderlust magazine

Even before the pandemic, Wales was looking ahead to protect its land and people with the creation of the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015. Now, with more and more UK residents holidaying at home, it’s increasingly important to encourage visitors to travel responsibly. That’s why we’re asking you to sign the Addo/Promise – to commit to safeguarding our local environment, communities and, of course, each other. From buying local to avoiding crowded areas or learning a few words of Welsh, small actions make a big difference.

Here is some Wales travel inspiration to help you plan the perfect, responsible trip …

Best for: year-round adventure seekers

Hiking

Glyndŵr’s Way. Named after Owain Glyndŵr, the last Welsh Prince of Wales, this 217-kilometre route takes walkers through one of the least inhabited parts of Britain, between Knighton and Welshpool.

Offa’s Dyke Path. Running for 285 kilometres from south to north Wales along the English border, this 8th-century earthwork created to keep the Welsh out, is now one of Britain’s best-loved walking routes. 

Elan Valley Trail. Accessible to all, the 13-kilometre trail follows the old Birmingham Corporation Railway line along the Afon Elan river, several reservoirs and ends up at Craig Goch Dam.

Wales Coast Path. The world’s first uninterrupted national coastal path runs for 1,400 kilometres and takes in some of the best sights the country has to offer, from castles and fishing villages to pods of Risso dolphins and colonies of gannets.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Wales is blessed with five AONBs – Anglesey, Gower Peninsula, Wye Valley, Llŷn Peninsula, Clwydian Range and Dee Valley – offering a diversity of walks and scenery.

Zip World and Zip World Tower

Wales used to be the land of song, now it’s internationally known for adrenaline rushes. Zip World, with three sites in North Wales, lays claim to the world’s fast zipline at Penrhyn Quarry. Zip World Tower, based at a disused colliery in South Wales, boasts the world’s fastest seated zipline.

Dark Sky Parks

Thanks to the sparsely populated nature of much of its territory, Wales has two International Dark Sky Reserves – the national parks of Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons. In Mid Wales, the Elan Valley Estate was the first privately owned but publicly accessible property to be awarded International Dark Sky Park status.

 Wildlife watching

Newport Wetlands. Formerly the storage lagoons for a power station, these two elongated waterways on the Severn Estuary offer a good opportunity to see a variety of feathered visitors – particularly bearded tits, egrets and bitterns.

Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve. A stroll through this urban reserve via gravel paths or boardwalks to explore the reed beds, home to the likes of reed buntings and sedge warblers, is a welcome break from the Welsh capital.

Skomer/Ramsey Island. The largest islands off the Pembrokeshire coast are easily accessible by boat for day trips. The former is noted for its colonies of puffins and Manx shearwaters while the latter is an important breeding ground for choughs and peregrine falcons. The sea in this area is rich with seals and dolphins.

Llanelli Wetland Centre. With uninterrupted views across the Burry Estuary to the north Gower coast, this 2-sq km site welcomes some of the world’s rarest or most unusual bird species – including Caribbean flamingos, black-tailed godwits and green sandpipers.

Coastal adventures

With more than 2,200 kilometres of coastline, Wales offers a wide range of year-round sea-based activities for all ages, tastes and abilities. In Pembrokeshire, for example, pioneering TYF Adventure in St Davids, the UK’s smallest city, introduced the world to coasteering, where participants explore a section of coastline by a mix of walking and swimming; along with kayaking, it’s now one of their most popular sports. Here it’s all about reconnecting – to each other and the environment – and no one is left out. Younger family members can take part in a rockpool safari to learn about life on the seashore.

Cycling and mountain biking

Lon Eifion. This 20-kilometre cycle path from Caernarfon to Bryncir runs along the western side of Snowdonia and affords views from mountains to the sea.

Taff Trail. From Cardiff to Brecon, taking in a fairytale castle and industrial heritage, this path flanks a river and a railway line and pierces a forest.

Millennium Coastal Path. From the Sandy Water Park in Llanelli this path runs for 7.2 kilometres along the coast to a rare sand dune forest.

Mawddach Trail. Following an old railway line along the coast from Dolgellau to Barmouth, this 14.3-kilometre route is regarded as one of the country’s most scenic.

BikePark Wales. You’ll find 40 trails, including some of the longest in the UK, at this mountain-biking centre in private woodland north of Cardiff.

Coed Y Brenin. Near Dolgellau in North Wales, this was the UK’s first purpose-built mountain-biking centre.

Afan Forest Park. More than 130 kilometres of singletrack mountain-biking trails criss-cross a valley just off the M4 near the steel-producing town of Port Talbot.

Best for: giving back

Down to Earth. This social enterprise based at two sites on the Gower Peninsula focuses on educating ‘disaffected’ young people in sustainability, and offers training for adults in traditional and natural building methods. Local volunteers over the age of 18 are required to help out in the forest garden every Saturday morning.

CAT. The Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth has been exploring greener ways of living for almost 50 years. The family-friendly centre offers visitors an insight into renewable technologies, green building techniques and gardening. Opportunities are available for six-month residential volunteers to gain the skills to help create a zero-carbon world.

National Parks. Wales has three national parks and volunteering is a good way to help care for these wild landscapes and meet the locals. In Snowdonia you could measure dark skies, demonstrate Tudor crafts at Carew Castle in Pembrokeshire, or advise visitors at waterfalls in the Brecon Beacons.

Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre. Cardigan Bay is teeming with marine wildlife and some volunteers at this centre in New Quay help visitors lean how to spot the likes of seals and dolphins. Living Seas volunteers carry out marine mammal surveys, clean up beaches and assist at events.

Best for: culture and heritage seekers

Nant Gwrtheyrn. For any adult wanting to learn Welsh, this is the place to come. The National Welsh Language and Heritage Centre is based in a former quarrying village in a remote location on the Llŷn Peninsula. Courses are available for day visitors and residents, who are accommodated in renovated stone cottages.

St Fagans National Museum of History. This open-air museum on the outskirts of Cardiff preserves the architectural heritage of Wales – more than 40 buildings have been moved from their original sites and rebuilt on the Elizabethan estate. You can also see traditional crafts such as blacksmithing, milling and clog making.

Coed Hills Rural Art Space. What does Welsh culture and heritage look like in the 21st century? Come and find out at this sustainable community in the Vale of Glamorgan. The residents offer workshops in eco-friendly living and also making crafts. Its bucolic location means the space is a popular wedding venue.

Big Pit National Coal Museum. Wales has a long history of coal mining and Big Pit in Blaenavon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its industrial landscape, is now responsible for preserving the country’s coal-mining heritage. The highlight is the Underground Tour – 91 metres down a mineshaft led by a miner.

Wales’ castles. Wales has more than 600 castles, from romantic ruins to family homes. The stars of the show are the four UNESCO-listed castles built by King Edward I in Gwynedd – Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech. Cardiff Castle is a monument to the country’s industrial success in the 19th century.

Best for: foodies

Foraging. Wales offers many opportunities for food foraging – on the coast, in the countryside and even in the capital city. Craig Evans of Coastal Foraging leads outings along the Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire coasts followed by cooking some of the marine goodies. Adele Nozedar of Brecon Beacons Foraging takes visitors on an exploration of the plants and fungi in her home area, including collecting botanicals to make gin; she also offers outings for kids. Cardiff’s Bute Park is the unlikely venue for a half-day’s foraging with Wildfood UK, during which you can taste local wild garlic soup and elderflower champagne.

Awesome Wales. This young social enterprise offers zero-waste shopping at two locations in the Vale of Glamorgan, west of Cardiff. The on-site café hosts a “repair shop” once a month.

Dyfi Distillery. A multi-award-winning distillery whose gins are made with botanicals foraged in the surrounding Dyfi UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Visits are informal and free and, of course, you can enjoy a tasting.

Caws Teifi. Gouda-style cheeses have been made with raw milk on this Dutch family’s organic farm in West Wales for 40 years. Nettle or seaweed varieties provide a unique taste.

Blodyn Aur. Wales’ only rapeseed oil is produced by three farmer friends in the north, using a zero-waste pressing plant powered by a micro wind turbine and a riverside hydro-electric unit.

Palé Hall. The fine-dining restaurant of this country-house hotel near Bala has won a Michelin Green Star Award thanks to chef Gareth Stevenson’s creative use of local, seasonal produce.

Ffarm Moelyci. Run by a consortium of landowners since 2018, this former community farm produces food which is sold in the on-site shop and café or delivered to customers via vegboxes.

Where to stay

Twr Y Felin. More than 100 specially commissioned artworks, mostly by Welsh artists, adorn the walls of this boutique hotel and restaurant housed in a 19th-century windmill with sea views in St Davids.

The Straw Cottage. On remote farmland in Mid Wales, this family and pet-friendly cottage is made with traditional building techniques including straw and wool insulation and is powered by the sun.

Ty Cwch Boathouse. A pebble’s throw from a Cardigan Bay beach, the boathouse provides simple, self-catering accommodation for up to 12 people in pods, like shipping containers, made with local, recycled materials.

Choose your responsible route

The Cambrian Way. Extending for 300 kilometres from north to south, the longest section of the three Wales Way routes begins in the Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno and winds its way down to Cardiff. En route you’ll cross the Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons National Parks and encounter coal and slate-mining heritage.

The Coastal Way. Starting in Aberdaron at the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula and ending in St Davids, named after Wales’ patron saint, this 290-kilometre route follows the curve of Cardigan Bay. Expect views of Wales’ highest mountains on one side and glimpses of seals, whales, porpoises and dolphins on the other.

The North Wales Way. This 120-kilometre trail allows visitors to explore the Welsh-speaking heartlands between the North Wales/England border and the island of Anglesey. This is the route for lovers of old stones as here you’ll encounter the four UNESCO-listed castles built by Edward I; also St Asaph, the second-smallest city in Britain.