Last year I decided to try some of this windsurfing lark at The Channel view leisure centre,…read morededicated water to all things water sports related. I went on the absolute beginners course which to begin with is expensive. £124 for two days. But once you get your level one it goes down to £34 for 5 sesh so gets better as you do. What consists of the beginners course is to begin with an on land simulator to make you feel an utter charlie. YOu are embarrassingly guided by qualified wind surfing tutors. You are then allowed out in the wet stuff after a few hours and this is where the real fun begins. Expect to get wet, col and spend more time off your board than on it...Well me anyway. It was so much fun my face was hearting from smiling so much over the two days. It's a great way to meet people and you become quite close to your group over the time and I still speak to a couple of the people I met there. There is so much more at CBWAC with Kayaking, sailing, rowing and power boating. If summer pops up this year you must visit here!

This Centre is housed in a purpose-built facility in South Cardiff, on the edge of the River Taff…read moreby Cardiff Bay. Despite the name, they actually offer activities both in the water and on land - including climbing (using Channel View's indoor climbing wall and automatic belaying equipment, as well as the outside bouldering facility); archery; bell boating in a vessel up the Taff; bush survival skills; trail biking; sailing; windsurfing; course and sea fishing; rowing; etc. For parties and corporate days they do day packages, and this is what I've experienced - all great fun, with excellent tuition and guidance, and a choice of 16 different activities (though obviously you have to choose in advance and book which you want to do, as there's not enough time to fit all of them in!). Great for a team day out away from the office.

This is a wonderful place for a walk! Not only is Richard Burton's childhood home here (a terraced…read morehouse on the main road) and one of the entrances to the massive Afan Argoed Forest Park, but there is an impressive, mile long circular walk you can do here which will take you over both a tall 19th century viaduct and a disused aqueduct! Start opposite the shop in Pontrhydyfen (there is only one!) and take the left hand fork facing you (Station Road) instead of going down the steep hill. Walk along here past the cemetery and a little further on turn right onto the aqueduct. After appreciating the marvellous views of the Afan Valley, cross to the other side, turn right into the village of Oakwood and walk to the end. Follow a grassy track which winds down some steps and then turn right onto the viaduct. This is another great place for views back over the village of Pontrhydyfen and the aqueduct, although the sides are high - you might need to stand on tiptoe! Keep going until a woodland 'crossroads' then turn right and follow the river back to the road, where you will turn left and left again up the steep hill to take you back to where you started. Not far from where we live and a walk we often enjoy at all times of year.

This is a lovely place, great to take a walk on a summers day. Its amazing over the years how much…read morethis area has changed. There are a small few car parks around which are mostly pay and display so have some change on you. The area boasts plenty of long walks and bike tracks and has plenty of quiet areas to sit and have a picnic surrounded by splendid view. We like to take our grandchildren as they can feed the ducks in the lake, after a walk they can play on the beach and then get an ice cream on the way home. It has turned into a vibrant area now which has a fab atmosphere on a nice summers day.

This tourist information centre and cafe are in a fantastic spot on the Millennium Coastal Path…read morewith fantastic views of the estuary and Gower Peninsula! I remember it being built but only visited it for the first time today. The information centre is a great place for leaflets about local attractions and the staff behind the counter are helpful and knowedgeable. There is a small shop too with some clothes, books and gifts. There is a side room with a large relief model under glass of the whole area. Upstairs is Flanagan's Cafe which is a bright and pleasant place to sit and have a snack and drink. (There is a lift as well as stairs so accessible to all) The coffees were excellent. My only criticism would be that the staff could be friendlier and more welcoming - and more attentive too - we clearly asked for cheese and pickle sandwiches but cheese and onion were brought to the table! Outside (but attached to the same building) is an ice cream kiosk.

Fantastic location! Really stunning views from the top of the centuries old castle…read more I'd particularly recommend a few things. 1. Try the traditional Welsh cowl at the castle cafe located before the climb to the castle. 2. Be sure to go all the way down to the natural cave. You'll find the entrance in the main courtyard of the castle. It can get dark and slippery down there but it's still very atmospheric! 3. Take a camera.

Apologies for the location on the map. It's near Trap. I need to clarify the position. The Qype map…read moreis not helping me much, I'm afraid. We had no idea just how beautiful this area was going to be. So many hills and valleys, so many beautiful sights everywhere we looked. We planned to walk around the castle here but were blown away by the situation. You have to see it to believe it. I joked that the carpark is probably the most beautiful one in the world and my company agreed. Loos in carpark. There is a shop, gallery and cafe just beyond the carpark. There are two walks marked out here, the yellow is shorter and the longer one is marked in red. However, for the time being, the red one is out of bounds while they fix the bridge. But the yellow marked route was intensely beautiful and we look forward to the longer route opening in February 2010. We'll be bringing our friends here! There is also a longer route to be found in 'AA 50 walks in Brecon Beacons & South Wales'. The castle itself can be viewed at the end of these walks and there is a cave as well (torch £1.50 deposit).

My little dog and I spent two hours walking one of the trails. The path used to weave through the…read moreforest but today we found a desolate and bleak hillside. All the trees have been cut down. There is a visitor centre where you can buy detailed maps and there's a café. Parking is £1 and there are showers and toilets on site. Bikes are available to rent with different level routes.

Marvellous, huge forest, trails of all kinds - steep gradients for serious mountain-bikers,…read moreless-strenuous ones for walkers, many even suitable for wheelchairs. You can walk all day in this forest admiring the lovely views without retracing your steps - and without meeting many other people either. There are some benches here and there and picnic tables down by the river. There are useful maps available in the visitor centre and there's a small shop for gifts in there too. I find the self service cafe very disappointing however as the menu (which hasn't changed for years) is extremely boring and unimaginative and the staff aren't friendly. There's almost nothing available for vegetarians either and nothing for vegans apart from the inevitable potato with boring old baked beans. Why on earth can't they even keep a box of veggie burgers in the freezer? So, to sum up: fantastic forest but poor cafe. UPDATE JAN 2009: Same old menu but when we asked, they found a tin of vegetable soup which was very nice. The lady who served us was friendlier this time. They had a delivery when we were there and I noticed that all the boxes contained pre-cooked baked potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, and other ready-meals. So don't expect home cooking but it's not expensive so that's one good thing. It's somewhere warm to shelter from the freezing wind too.

What a lovely place! My wife and I take weekly walks around the lake and it feels like we are in…read morethe middle of nowhere. We love it!

Lovely country paths and board walks around a small lake and woodland, and a good basic cafe for…read morehot meals, snacks, tea and coffee. You can eat in or at metal or wooden picnic tables outside. We like their veggie burgers and chips! Always very friendly and good value, and there's a huge car park as well.

Absolutely amazing place! Lots of activities geared towards wheelchair users - abseiling, canoeing,…read morehorse riding, etc. The trust is located near the reservoir and has lovely views throughout. Instructors were very polite, professional and helpful as were all the staff in the trust. Grounds and facilities are well maintained and clean. The room was well equipped and cleaned daily. Grounds are quiet, so one can get a good rest following a packed activity day. Food was served in a canteen-style setting. Choice was good and overall the quality was ok. Portion sizes sometimes were on the small side.

This is an indoor entertainment complex packing in all the elements you'd expect from a place like…read morethis, such as a cinema, a bowling alley and lots of restaurants - plus it's also home to one of South Wales's best-established radio stations, Red Dragon FM. It's located just a short walk from the main Mermaid Quay area of Cardiff Bay, and offers a warm refuge from the harsh weather that often hits that part of the city in the winter. It's open seven days a week and is home to Wales' only IMAX cinema screen (within the Odeon cinema), plus the 26-lane Hollywood Bowl bowling alley, Grosvenor Casino, the Doctor Who 'Up Close' exhibition, and lots of restaurants - including big chains such as Bella Italia and Chiquito. There's also a Cadwaladers ice cream parlour, an Indian and a Chinese restaurant, and a family sports bar with loads of screens and pool tables called R Bar. Overall it aims to offer a variety of things to do, all in a dry, indoor environment. It's not a particularly exciting venue, but on a wet and windy day it's an easy place to park up for free and take your family for some entertainment or food. Sometimes - particularly during school holidays - they have special events such as craft workshops, live jazz, or even anti-bullying workshops.

This centre is sometimes over looked due to Mermaid quay's reputation shining a little brighter in…read morethe world of attractions for visitors to Cardiff Bay and yet its only 5 minutes walk away. You can watch a film do some bowling and eat and drink to your hearts content, whether it be Chinese, Italian or plain old pub food. It also undercover, which in our Welsh climate can sometimes make the all the difference between a happy day and a cold miserable day. Parking also costs nothing as long as you patronise one of the establishments within the centre. Why wouldn't you want to go there?

The Apex Park is an informal leisure and wildlife park, created around the former clay pits - now…read moresmall lakes - of the Apex Brick works. The works closed in 1966, and the park was created and opened in 1972. The park, consisting of grassland, trees and hedgerows, covers some 42 acres. There are two main lakes: the larger, central one has an attractive hour-glass shape and its banks are lined with rushes. There are walks around this lake with park benches, and footpaths branch off to go to Highbridge (along the line of the old railway) and to Burnham's South Promenade, following the river bank of the River Brue (very muddy after wet weather!). There is a large car park off Marine Drive, which leads to a broad slipway into the lake. The other lake forms the park's north west boundary and lies partly within the Haven Holiday Village. Popular activities include BMX biking, model radio-controlled boating, jogging (there's a 'trim-trail' with various pieces of keep-fit apparatus) and fishing - the lakes are stocked with carp and bream. Dog obedience sessions also take place most Sunday mornings in good weather, and there's a children's play area and skate park. As well as the fish, wildlife includes birds, including geese, ducks, swans and various different types of sea bird, and the hedgerows contain a variety of different types of trees and bushes, home to insect and bird life. NB: The Highbridge Angling Association holds the fishing rights for the Apex Park. Permits can be obtained from Thyers Tackle Shop, 1A Church St, Highbridge - telephone 01278 786934.

Apex park is a beautiful wildlife reserve consisting of lakes, fish, sea birds, outdoor gym and…read morecarpark. There is loads to do with the features of the park including skating at the skate park, a rope climb and dog poo total wipeout. There is also adult entertainment with the odd dogger in the carpark on a summer Sunday evening. Overall apex park is a beautiful visit with activities fort all the family

Swansea Bay is huge - it stretches for about four miles and the tide (for some reason I can't…read morefathom) is usually very far out, at least, it has been all the dozens of times I've been over there! It does make for a large, wide, beach to play or walk on, and the sand is soft and pleasant underfoot. There's a proper footpath and cycle track too, which runs all the way from the Marina to Mumbles Pier. You can carry on walking beyond there as well by going up the steps set into the cliff and rejoining the coastal path on its way to Langland Bay. Video link: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=W7WSbGL5tG8

It's a nice bay but without any usable neach. Nice for a walk and to relax. It's hugeread more