Explorer Woolley
The World is My Playground
Current Location: Changhua,Taiwan
Local People,
Local Adventures
Local People, Local Adventures!
I am going to be focusing on the attractions of the South Wales area preferably the Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Neath Port Talbot counties as these are considered my local areas where I have completed many fascinating adventures, but keep reading as it could give you some insperation for your own area for adventure, after the section about the three counties that I have decided to talk about there is a few points about me giving ideas which you can use for wherether you would like to focus on.
Local Adventure Ideas
The adventures that I will write about here are ones that I have done in the past just to give you some inspiration,
1) Three Counties Cycle. the challenge is to cycle across the three counties of the area which include Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, when I did this trip I started in the seaside town of Burry Port in Carmarthenshire and ended in Port Talbot via Weobly in Swansea. You can do the adventure in 1 day, I did it in 3.
2) In search for Amelia Earhart legacy; this small adventure took me back to the town of Burry Port where I walked along the Carmathenshire Coastal Path from Lougher, Amelia Earhart was a famous adventurer who was the first lady to fly across the Atlantic, she was aiming for Ireland but found herself landing in South Wales.
3) One hill in Swansea that stands out like a giant over looking the city is called Kilvey Hill (633ft), on a clear day you have a scenic view of the city's skyline as well as Swansea Bay, there are alternative tracks which all range at different difficulty levels.
4) Finding Swansea's past is an interesting trail for everyone especially people with the love of architecture or tales, Swansea was wiped out during the war which means that there are only a small amount of historical buildings still standing, walk around the city and discover a hidden city you didn't know.
5) The Gower Peninsula is one of the most alluring places in the UK especially for explorers looking for an adventure, I have walked on the Gower's coastal paths, motorbiked it across its country roads, cycled the northern coastline to Weobley Castle and stood at the almighty Worm's Head watching as the waves crash up the side of its rugged cliffs, the Gower is a place full of history, myths and culture.
6) Swansea's industrial trail takes you along the bank of the River Tawe following Swansea's once industrial past , I started my trail from Morris Castle an old industrial residential building found high up on a hill but the one which has been set up starts close to the Liberty Stadium and Landore Park & Ride.
Inspiration
County of Swansea
In the county of Swansea you can relax and unwind in the UK's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, relax on some of the most amazing beaches such as the wild Rhossilli Beach which was voted the Number 1 beach in the UK and within the top 10 beaches of the World, as well as explore unspoilt countryside, the county is also home to the UK's besst locations for walking, cycling, watersports and golf. All this is within reach of the splendid city of Swansea, home to Wales' Premier League football team, Swansea City, you could spend hours looking through the many shops, bars, restaurants and tourist attractions as well as visit Wales' biggest indoor market, Swansea Market.
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County of Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire, known as the county of gardens, from Carmarthen Bay in the south to the western Brecon Beacons in the north, Carmarthenshire is home to many great places to see from medieval castles, the oldest town in Wales' Carmarthen, the National Botanic Gardens of Wales along with many fascinating walking and cycling trails such as the Millenium Coastal Path, Legend has it that the well known Merlin the wizard, famous in British/Welsh folklore was born here, Carmarthen town was once home to 'Merlins Oak' which had a curse on it, if the tree should fall so will Carmarthen town and not long after the tree did fall the town had a devastating flood which would of surely wiped out a medieval town, Carmarthenshire was also where Dylan Thomas lived and wrote, tucked away in the Tywi Valley is a hamlet that gets very busy just before Christmas, it's called Bethlehem.
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County of Neath Port Talbot
Known as the 'County of Waterfalls' with tremendous falls such as the Melincourt Falls and the Pontneddifechan falls this is truly a beautiful county when you leave its industrial coastline behind, the county is also home to a world class mountain bike trail at Afan Forest Park, a nice section of coastline at Aberavon and many busling communities hidden amongst the hills, the county is truly a hidden gem that you cannot sea whilst passing through on the M4.
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Being a Local Adventurer
I personally have different tastes on how I go on a micro adventure in my local area, sometimes I plan before setting off and other times I just open my front door and see what awaits me, visit your local tourism website for more information about what to do in your area or what special events are on near you.
Embracing your own town is the best steps to exploring your area, learn about the history, find what makes your town unique to others, speak to the people who you would otherwise walk past on your normal days, think of it this way, if you had relatives or a group of friends wanting to visit your town, what would you do to show them how great your town is, other alternative ideas is to go on the town tourism page for more information on local attractions, places to dine, history it is truly amazing what you will find which you didn't know about before.
If you have children, getting the child to go on a micro adventure will be an amazing experience for their childhood instead of staying indoors playing the latest console game, take them to the parks, the beaches, the zoos; younger children don't tire from all these fun and exciting things to do, I find it is also important for a child to love their local area so when they get older they have more respect for what is around them.
If you are a happily married couple or going on your first date why don't you go out in the evening, some towns provide dinner on a lake cruise whilst others offer wine tasting tours, there are so many opportunities which can help you out on your date instead of doing the usual "lets go to the cinema" routine, for everyone in the Swansea area I would go to the Meridian Quay which is on top of Wales' tallest building, it truly is fine dining and one of the top restaurants in South Wales, a little expensive though.
When ever I go out and explore my local city or local countryside I always take a camera, I know I have seen these sites a hundred times but the photography you can capture can be astonishing. You don't want to forget about your special day out.
If you live near a lake or the sea why don't you go fishing or canoeing or if you really do want to get away try and rent a lodge or a holiday home close by, you will feel like you are on holiday.
If you are close to mountains this is even better for all seasons, in the winter you can go off skiing or in the summer you can hike up to the summit and for the real dare devils mountain bike down the trail.
These are just some interesting ideas for you no matter where in the world you are!
