Offering awe-inspiring scenery and amazing places to stay, plus top festivals and incredible activities, exploring this epic country opens up a world of adventures. Here are 30 reasons why it’s so great
Green Man (above) has been a mainstay of the festival season since 2003. Taking place in the Brecon Beacons National Park, the four-day event has hosted acts including Van Morrison and Hot Chip, as well as stand-up comedy and film screenings. This year’s line-up features PJ Harvey and Future Islands — although all tickets are sold out. Watch out for returns or prepare early for next year.
17-20 August (greenman.net) As much about its location as its line-up, Festival No. 6 (above) is held in Portmeirion, the eccentric Italianate Snowdonia village where Sixties TV show The Prisoner was filmed. Circus acts and culinary delights accompany musical headliners that this year include Flaming Lips and Bloc Party.
7-10 September; weekend tickets from £180 (festivalnumber6.com)
Co-founded by Catatonia frontwomanturned-radio-DJ Cerys Matthews, this Flintshire festival (below) bills itself as “a weekend of fun and discovery” in the great outdoors. Chefs such as José
15-17 September; weekend tickets from £91 (thegoodlifeexperience.co.uk) Adrenalin junkies will be in their element with this extreme sleeping setup, which sees guests spend the night on the side of a cliff on the Isle of Anglesey (below). You’ll abseil to a “shelf” suspended part way down, where you’ll tuck into a hot meal before cosying up in your sleeping bag — all the while attached by a safety harness. Get the royal treatment in this awardwinning hotel in a converted 12thcentury Norman castle (below). Perched on a hill, Roch’s six modern rooms come with unbeatable views over Pembrokeshire beauty spots such as St Brides Bay and the Preseli Hills. Don’t want to share? You can book the whole place out for yourself.
Doubles from £170, B&B (01437 725 566; rochcastle.com)
Londoner James Lynch bought Fforest Farm in 2004, and over the years he and his family have transformed it into a collection of unusual accommodation including cabins, bell tents (above) and glamping domes. Food is served at the Fforest Café and the Pizzatipi — wash it down with a drink at Y Bwthyn, the on-site pub.
Four-berth cabins from £290 for four nights (01239 623633; coldatnight.co.uk)
Live out your childhood fantasies in one of Living Room’s six whimsical treehouses (below), just outside Machynlleth in Powys. Each one is built into the branches — no stilts here — and comes with an outdoor deck, while inside there’s an open-plan living and sleeping area, complete with woodburning stove and en-suite bathroom.
Doubles from £379, self-catering (01650 511900; living-room.co) At Zip World’s Blaenau Ffestiniog outpost not only can you can speed through Snowdonia on a series of zipwires, but you can also enjoy adventures underground. Set within a vast former slate mine, Bounce Below (above right) is a series of bouncy cargo nets, plus slides twice the height of doubledeckers.
£25 (01248 601 444; zipworld.co.uk) In 2012, Wales became the first country to open a continuous path along its coastline (below). The entire route is 870 miles, but those who don’t have time for an epic long-distance hike can tackle a shorter section, such as the Flint Castle and Dee Estuary walk.
(walescoastpath.gov.uk) Accessible only on foot, this Gower Peninsula landmark is one of its most beautiful natural attractions. While legend has it the rock pool (below) is bottomless, in actual fact it ranges from four to eight metres deep, with various jumping-off points from which to leap in for a bracing swim — but only if you’re a strong swimmer. Climb through natural rock arches, fling yourself off cliffs and swim into sea caves as you try out coasteering (below), a high-adrenalin sport developed by Pembrokeshire surfers in the Eighties. You’ll be kitted out in a wetsuit and helmet before you soak up the scenery and get your pulse racing at the same time.
£58 for 3.5 hours (01437 721611; tyf.com) Built by experienced mountain bikers, BikePark Wales (right) has options for all levels of rider, from novices and children through to pros. Just south of the Brecon Beacons, it’s got jump trails, drops and a special route for families, while experts can test their mettle at 50 Shades of Black — the site’s most challenging run.
Day passes £8 (07730 382501; bikeparkwales.com)