Ynys Hywel is an Outdoor Education Centre situated in a magical valley. If gnomes and elves exist…read morethey live here. The Center is surrounded by old forests full of native trees and pine. Up on the hill some of the beech trees are a few hundred years old and their trunks are at least 8ft in diameter. The valley majestically curves around and follows the river, running down through the sleepy villages of Cross Keys and Risca. The cherry on the cake is the idyllic 12th Century whitewashed stone chapel just before you get to the Center. This is a great place for a walk. Keep your eyes peeled for the fossils in the mud-stone, these are 100 million year old trees and bushes. The views on the top of Machen ridge are stunning, they look over the Severn Estuary, Steep Holm and Flat Holme island. The Center itself runs outdoor activities for schools and youth groups. The staff are fantastically friendly and approachable. The activities include mountain biking, gorge walking, canoeing, hill walking, surfing, archery, bush-craft, orienteering, there's even a small on-site climbing and abseiling wall.

Understand Ynys Hywel has recently changed hands and is now run by an organisation called Family…read moreLife. They told me it is not for profit and they hope to offer respite weekends in the future for families with disabled children. Its great to see it is fully operational again. New owners have some interesting plans introducing new activities in 2019 so really looking forward to using the Centre later in the year.

Neil was a great instructor and very friendly to boot. This is a lovely activity to mix up your…read moretime whilst in the Cotswolds.

Super way to learn how English Bowman conquered the bow. You learn how to shoot bows from through…read morehistory and legend. Neil and his wife are so patient across all age groups.

There's a few sporting shops that have carved out a little enclave for themselves on Whitchurch…read moreRoad, and this one has to be my favourite. It is a really large outlet that is incredibly well stocked, with all manner of gear. You can even buy archery equipment here!!! (Not that this is what I come here for... I'm lethal enough without needing to resort to using something like a bow and arrow! My car is the only potentially dangerous piece of machinery that I'll allow myself to use... I give everything else a wide birth!) My needs that Cardiff Sportsgear meets are of a much more mundane variety. I come here for my swim suits, as I tend to call in at RatRigs, the surf shop just down the road, whilst I'm about it.. (RatRigs have a sale on a the moment, and so I called into both last week to scoop up a couple of bargains. Sadly, Cardiff Sportsgear didn't have what I was looking for in my size on this occasion, (a Speedo with long legs, like the type of suit that competitive swimmers wear... something that is proving nigh on impossible to find)... The staff were really helpful, and said that if I knew exactly what I wanted, then they would happily order it for me. Great service!

Wowee! Whatever sport you're into you will undoubtedly be incredibly impressed by Cardiff…read moreSportsgear. They offer: racquets, cricket gear, pool table, gym equipment, riding helmets, wetsuits, and so much more! Whenever I come in here with friends we like to play a game of how many sports we can count (at least 25 last count). The staff are all incredibly friendly and know their stock well (surprising considering how big this place is). The only thing they don't have much in the way of is, gym clothes, which is ironically the only thing I need.

Independent Sports shops are always a gift and a curse. Gift, because they stock specialist…read moreequipment your not going to find in any of the chains round Cardiff. So your into archery? Yep got that, Need a cup for your 'precious'? Yep, you get the point. What's bad is that they are going to be more expensive here unfortunately. Under armour etc seem to have that extra little kick to their already over priced tags that makes me go elsewhere for my essentials. But as said, if you are looking for something more specific this would be the best place to start.