Adventure
If you enjoy getting out of the city, Cardiff is an ideal study abroad choice. Because of Wales's size you can enjoy beaches, lakes, forests, moors, rivers and mountains all in one day.
This page provides you with some ideas for adventure in Wales, but of course, not everything can be covered here. You'll find more information on the Visit Wales website.
Whether you're a pro or an amateur, the best way to experience Wales is to join the relevant sports society in the Students' Union. They will organise subsidised trips and you'll get a chance to meet like minded people.
Hiking
As a place to hike, Wales could be unparalleled. With three national parks and a 870-mile coastal path, the only one of its kind in the world that you can walk in its entirety, you will never be short of places to explore. Near to Cardiff, the Brecon Beacons, the Vale of Glamorgan and the Forest of Dean provide hundreds of hikes. You can also hike the Taff Trail, a 55-mile path from Cardiff to Brecon – a village in the heart of the Brecon Beacons.
Perhaps most popular with hikers is the National Park of Snowdonia which features Wales' highest mountain, Snowdon.
Horse riding and cycling
Of course, your feet are not the only way to experience Wales' scenery and on either type of saddle, you will find many opportunities to explore including specific paths and routes away from traffic.
For equestrians, riding on the Pembrokeshire beach is not to be missed, and mountain bikers can singletrack and freeride around Wales.
Coasteering and other coastal sports
With 870 miles of coastline, Wales is an ideal location for water sports, whether you want to try sailing, surfing, windsurfing or canoeing. Cardiff also has a White Water Centre in the International Sports Village.
You may not have heard of coasteering, but it was invented in Wales and is now one of the fastest growing UK adventure sports. Essentially, it is like how its name suggests – you traverse a coastline by any (safe) means necessary, which can include (but is not limited to) swimming, climbing, rock hopping and scrambling.
Climbing and abseiling
With Cardiff being close to the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains (and a spectacular range of sea cliffs), you can imagine that it is a popular destination for climbers.
You can also hone your skills at an indoor rock climbing centre in Cardiff which has a weekly discounted student night.
Other activities
This is just a small sample of the adventure activities available in Wales.
You can go caving, learn archery, kayak rivers, develop bushcraft skills and, even though Wales doesn't get much snow, you can dry slope ski or snowboard near Cardiff. Join the Cardiff University Snowsports Society and head for the French Alps.
