Activity Wales News

10 Marathons in 10 days

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:41:44 GMT

Is it possible? We hope so as Matthew, our CEO will attempt to beat Sir Ranulph Fiennes world record attemp this May. If you have a spare 5 minutes please pop over and have a look at his site at 10 marathons 10 days

Anyone looking to detox after a prolonged festive period?

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:41:44 GMT

Anyone looking to detox after prolonged festive over-indulgence might want to reserve the right to do it in the most beautiful of surroundings. Country house, Lake Vyrnwy Hotel - just across the Shropshire border in mid Wales - lays claim to a spa with the most stunning remote waterside view in Europe where treatments start from just �30. For the full works though, there are 58 miles of forest and moorland paths to explore - many starting direct from the door. February prices for a short break start at just �160 per person, based on two sharing a country view room including two nights accommodation, full Welsh breakfast, plus dinner in the hotels award winning Tower Restaurant. Add just �20 per person for a lake view room and �20 per day for full use of the spas thermal suite. 01691 870692, www.lakevyrnwyhotel.co.uk.

Welsh ghost hunt picked up by SKY TV

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 01:41:44 GMT

An event in Wales some time ago resulted in an incredible story! One of our guests travelled to North Wales to join into an event as a birthday surprise. Good fun she thought, nothing more!! As soon as she arrived strange things started to happen. Telephones didn't work in her hotel room and her partners cameras stopped working altogether, but not before he had taken a picture of her in the hotel room which contained a mysterious mist surrounding her. They joined our host and other guests for dinner and then started to take part in our exercises, seances, glass divination and table-tipping with our event psychic It was in a particular area of the building that she started to feel extremely strange, her arms were pinned against a wall and she could not move! Our psychic, as always took charge and moved her away from the area to an outside courtyard. It was during this that he received a message from a spirit telling the guest that he was her great grandfather and was actually murdered in this building Following the event, which she said had been extremely positive and "life -changing" she was obviously intrigued and proceeded to research the details given to her. Amazingly they checked out! A number of magazine articles have been written about her story and experience and now SKY TV Zone reality's programme have made a programme abut her experience in Wales. Check it out on SKY November 29th - Psychic detectives( THE GHOST HUNT) Enyone care to join any of our regular events in Wales? You never know they may prove "LIFE CHANGING"?

Dr Who returns to Swansea?

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 01:41:44 GMT

Europe's most successful Dr Who Convention returns to Swansea for third year. Several hundred die-hard Dr Who fans are preparing to descend yet again on Swansea, South Wales, when Regenerations, Europe's most successful Dr Who convention, returns to the city for the third time on 29-30 September. And the first "sexy Doctor's assistant", Anneke Wills, will be launching her long awaited autobiography during the Convention. With just two weeks to go before the Convention opens its doors an impressive guest line-up has already been confirmed and some last minute surprises are also expected. The Convention provides fans to meet and talk to actors and crew from the shows roots in 1963 right the way through to the modern Doctor series relaunched in 2005. The guest list includes: - - Colin Baker, the sixth Doctor, - - Anneke Wills who appeared as Polly with the first two Doctors, William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton - - Deborah Watling, Victoria to Patrick Troughton's second Doctor - - Louise Jameson, Tom Baker's unforgettable assistant Leela - - Sophie Aldred, Ace to Sylvestor McCoy's Doctor - - Nicholas Courtney, the Brigadier who appeared with all the "old Doctors" Almost every actor of repute has appeared in Dr Who during its 40 year history and another big name joining the Convention this year is Julian Glover who has appeared in Dr Who twice, as well as appearing in blockbusters like Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Bond movie For Your Eyes Only. Returning once again is Terry Malloy, who has played the Doctor's arch enemy, Davros, for many years. Terry is also known to millions of listeners as a longstanding stalwart of The Archers radio series, where he has played "moaning milkman" Mike Tucker since 1973. The Convention will be held on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 September, once again in the Swansea Marriott Hotel, which has become the accepted home for devoted Dr Who fans attending the Convention. Organiser Cary Woodward, a lifelong Dr Who fan, who shares his Swansea house with a huge collection of Dr Who memorabilia, including original Daleks, Cybermen and a life size Tardis, as well as K9, says: "I am delighted that such big names as Julian, Louise and Colin Baker are joining us - last year our guests had such a great time meeting all the fans. I think word has got around that the people who attend Regenerations are fun as well as knowledgeable." And during the Convention Anneke Wills, "Polly", the "first sexy assistant" as she has been described, will be launching her much anticipated autobiography. Anneke has had an extraordinary life. One of her early boyfriends was Daphne du Maurier's son, Kit Browning, but it was Edward Fox who was her first love. At 17 she began a relationship with Anthony Newley while working on the TV series The Strange World of Gurney Slade. Later, she married Michael Gough, the distinguished actor who played The Celestial Toymaker in Doctor Who. During the sixties Anneke spent much of her time at the famous Troubadour Coffee Shop and The Establishment, and was part of the so-called Chelsea Set, counting among her close friends Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Sammy Davis Junior, Kenneth More, Mary Quant, Sarah Miles and many more leading lights of the Sixties. She then spent time in India with Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, followed by a spell in Hollywood mixing with the famous and infamous, before going to Canada and then returning to England. Cary Woodward adds, "Anneke has had a truly amazing life and we are delighted she has agreed to launch her book at Regenerations. She has been one of our strongest supporters since we first decided to create a convention run by fans for the fans. She set the model for all subsequent glamorous assistants and is still a favourite with all our visitors." A limited number of tickets for the Convention are still available and can be obtained from www.regenerationsswansea.co.uk, where more information is available. Notes to Editors: 1 Cary Woodward, 42, lives in Swansea. 2 Photographs of Cary and some of his Dr Who memorabilia are available on request. 3 All Guests subject to professional commitments 4 Press attendance: There will be a press desk in operation during the Convention; however, it would be appreciated if any journalists or broadcasters wishing to attend notified our media advisers in advance (see below) so that any necessary arrangements can be organised for you. 5 For More Information on Pendry White Partnership - go to http://www.pendrywhite.com Contact: Roger White Mob: 07751 051846 Tel: 01892 506923

Pembrokeshire Fish Week

Tue, 29 May 2007 01:41:44 GMT

Pembrokeshire Fish Week : June 23rd-July 1st 2007 Pembrokeshire Fish week is full of family-friendly activities dotted all around the coast. Activities include children's workshops, fishing and boat trips, cookery demonstrations with celebrity chefs, fishing competitions, and alot more. There will be lots of opportunities to buy and sample locally caught fish and shellfish - caught from around the Pembrokeshire coast. If you like to get out and about with your family and friends, there are island rambles and coastal bushcrafts, coastal explorers, seashore safaris, river cruises and also spectacular boat and fishing trips. There will be so many things to see and do for Pembrokeshire Fish Week, which events will you be casting your fishing nets over! The Pembrokeshire Fish Week website has the full Fish Week programme for you to browse through aswell as details of holiday accommodation for Pembrokeshire Fish Week. The Pembrokeshire Fish Week Brochure is also available to download on the site. Pembrokeshire Fish Week really is a county-wide event with well over 150 businesses taking part. Get hooked, have yourself a lot of fun, enjoy the outdoors with fishing and boat trips, open air BBQ's, seashore safaris and lots of fun filled entertainment that the whole family will enjoy!

Save The Gower!

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 01:41:44 GMT

SELL IT TODAY OR ENJOY IT FOREVER

Simply imagine driving to work, passing huge diggers daily removing sand from your local beach, this is happening out of sight only half a mile offshore with open cast dredging. We've all dug holes in the sand at the beach and we know it backfills rapidly. What would you think about the diggers? How long have we got left? Imagine the egg timer . . .

Lets set the record straight - Gower is still a beautiful peninsula with golden sandy beaches and a complete range of fantastic accommodation and activities on water and land, it is well and truly breathtaking and open to everyone.

The argument simply outlined is about a valuable Welsh commodity called sand, sand is our heritage and a finite relic of the Ice Age, so once taken there is no more. Sand, which I call Welsh gold is mainly used as aggregate for the construction industry, this commodity is being open cast dredged by Corporate Giants. They are licensed by the Crown Estates and endorsed by the Welsh Assembly to dredge sand banks within miles of golden beaches. Tens of thousands of people have petitioned and given valuable anecdotal evidence via Gower SOS and its supporting infrastructure to the Welsh Assembly concerning sand erosion on Gower. The Corporate dredging companies have funded reports for the WAG, provided scientists and complex monitoring evidence of their own to counter these claims. Similarities have been drawn between this issue and the tactics of tobacco companies proving that smoking did not cause lung cancer.

The Welsh Assembly has asked the public, organisations and Gower SOS to provide scientific evidence to the contrary, this is being done but is extremely expensive and difficult. The WAG are holding back their results until May or June, after major local elections, to dictate whether our sand can be plundered for the next 15 years. There should be no delay. A moratorium or cessation must happen and the cautionary principle must be applied.

My argument is similar to thousands, if not millions of people - lets call them witnesses and here's my evidence.

We used to swim every day in the school holidays at a local cove east of Caswell Bay. At high tide we used to dive into the waves sometimes scuffing the sandy bottom and snorkelled with the fish and eels. Now, some twenty years plus later, we would risk smashing our heads open on rocks and pebbles, the sand eels are scarce and the sand has receded to expose the rocks.

We have run a water sports company at Oxwich Bay for the last 5 years, at low tide the small patch of rocks that is exposed due to the reduction of sand has doubled in size. If this continues it would be a huge negative for business, Gower and the public.

I recently walked to Pobbles Bay and noticed a huge reduction in sand where the beach meets the Dunes since the same time last year, this was confirmed by numerous locals. My 7-year-old daughter crossed the dunes to the pebbles normally at the top of the beach. She was then faced with a full assault of shiny freshly exposed rocks to reach the golden beach. I believe a calm winter last year and a rough winter this year exposed the effects of two years worth of dredging almost overnight. Pobbles is adjacent to the highly acclaimed and most beautiful beach of Three Cliffs.

The previous day we found masses of Clams strewn across the beach at Oxwich, torn from their weakened beds during the earlier storm. I have regularly seen Razor Fish and other molluscs discarded by an angry sea on a receding tide, but never Clams in this abundance. The cockle bed was thin with sand and the Cockles were severely depleted. Since the seagull’s time began they have cleaned up the discarded sea life left stranded after a storm, that day the Gulls left the Clams alone possibly not recognising the feast that lay before them.

So much of this I’ve never seen before. As a sailing and powerboat instructor I understand the seasonal weather changes and tidal flows more than many, I understand that beaches can recede or move in the winter or possibly just disappear over time. I consciously watch the beaches and sea, probably more than anyone. But something more powerful is taking the sand from our beaches. We know the open cast sand dredgers have taken over 100 million tons. Think of the damage to breeding grounds and the sand bank structure when huge furrows are sucked through them. If we stop dredging today sand will still relocate from beaches to backfill the sand banks which act as a natural defence for the coastline, particularly against storm surges and Atlantic swells.

I understand the implications to the dredging jobs and their employer’s bankrolls. We need to dredge our shipping channels, but mining our sand for profits is a finite rape of our most beautiful natural resource. In parts of Europe where our local dredging companies are based, sand dredging is banned up to 25K offshore so they import it from the UK. Tourism employs many thousands of people and pumps £850Million into Welsh coastline areas alone, fishing is a huge sport - it will be ruined forever.

Sand only costs £30 a ton delivered locally, without tourism property prices will drop, when the sand runs out, what will construction do then. It’s economically viable to get sand elsewhere, it’s happened with coal and now natural gas. We didn’t want open cast coal mines, we ship it in from around the world, therefore we can ship unwanted sand from say Morocco into Port Talbot, Swansea or Milford Haven docks.

1. When our sand runs out will the Welsh Assembly import new beaches for us?

2. What control measures do the Welsh Assembly and councils put in place themselves, independently, on beach sand levels through their resources? The Environment Agency frequently visit beaches to check water quality and what a superb job has been done there. Will the Assembly use this as a delaying tactic? It’s too late for delays.

3. After encouraging and supporting tourism business, will the Welsh Assembly compensate us, for pulling the rug from under us?

The answer to all three is probably no, but they do want us to provide scientific evidence to prove our stand on sand levels. They really need to rethink this strategy. My evidence has been recorded electronically.

The dredging companies use revenue obtained from Welsh sand to counter the very Welsh people who are fighting to keep their sand. When the sand has gone the corporate dredgers will be long gone trading elsewhere. Maybe we can find real Welsh gold to pay them to ship new beaches from Africa to Gower. As absurd as it sounds, if we just wait and see, we won't be disappointed and neither will the shareholders.

It doesn’t effect me. . . Oh yes it does!
Tell Rhodri E-mail rhodri.morgan@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Do you have family or friends who enjoy the beach? Does your local pub, neighbour, hotel, shop, business, employer, and builder enjoy the benefits of the tourism trade directly or indirectly from its impact on the Welsh economy as a whole? Consider property prices, taxable income, where does a much-valued tourist go for a hay fever drug, tyre puncture, petrol, a pint, and food? They come to South Wales to visit beaches.

The Welsh Assembly needs to action this today. Please put pen to paper to your MP or AM, please internet surf the Gower SOS website http://www.gower-sos.com and blog

Activity Vouchers

Fri, 1 Dec 2006 01:41:44 GMT

I have just taken a stroll over lunch and shocked to see what people are charging for Activity Vouchers, so if you are planning to buy vouchers this year, stop and read this first. Fact: Activity Wales vouchers are sold for the activity price not the middle man mark up price. Fact: All the vouchers I saw today were marked up at least 50% and in some cases over 100% of the actual cost of the activity. Fact: We only use accredited, therefore the good guys in the trade. Fact: We are nice people! So if you are looking to give a voucher to a friend or loved one this Christmas, save your pennies and buy through Activity Wales. Its cheaper, safer and you can rest knowing you are going to a safe accredited centre for the same price as if you went direct. Yes, we are nice people!!

Tourism Search Engine

Tue, 1 Aug 2006 01:41:44 GMT

Well, its the 1st October on Sunday, so escape this weekend for a Autumn break. Try your hand at quad biking or horseriding - try something new! See you in Wales this weekend! Natalie Wales' first dedicated Tourism Search Engine has now gone live. Activity Wales is the country's leading Activity Holiday specialists and have over 1000 partnership agreements in place with accommodation, activity and attraction operators throughout the country. Whatsmore, we only handle accredited centres to ensure the highest possible standards of quality and experience. On the site you can browse operators direct, read more or contact one of our team to put the holiday together for you at no cost. We are also developing our brochure section that will allow you to search brochures of activities and accommodation that you are looking for and have all the relevant information sent to you the following day!!