A guide for your business. #FindYourEpic 2020: Wales’ Year of Outdoors. Welcome to the greatest outdoors. 2020 is our invitation to visitors and Wales’ residents to celebrate the greatest outdoors. We’re asking people to check in to our hotels; our campsites and our cottages. Then to open their door and discover attractions, activities, landscapes and coastlines 03 Welcome to the Year of Outdoors 2020. they haven’t yet experienced. 04 Why ‘Outdoors’? 06 Year round activity — because feeling good has no season. We’re encouraging visits to 10 The outdoors at night. different corners of the country 18 Let the outdoors in — using the outdoors to create a sense of place. 22 Enabling accessibility in the outdoors. throughout the year, as feeling 26 Being part of the community and outdoor groups. 30 Walking in the great outdoors. good has no season. 36 Responsible tourism. 42 Our cohabitants — the wildlife of Wales. 48 Visit Wales approach — time to ‘Check in’. 52 Social media — maximising your message online. 56 Check in and keep in touch. Cover image: Harlech, Gwynedd visitwales.com 02–03 2020’s Year of Outdoors will reinforce and run on naturally Outdoor experiences have In Wales, there has always been at the heart of always been an inherent from our four themes to date (Adventure, Legends, Sea, global travel. Today, more relationship between people Discovery) providing continuity for the industry, but enough than ever, we’re developing and the outdoors. It’s not an awareness of the just that our landscapes change to inspire the market and media. We already have connections between our are awe-inspiring; they are some competitive advantage as a great place for adventure, experience of travel, the steeped in the living history landscape and our sense of an ancient language outdoor activity and scenery — and have the potential of place. Whether we’re and culture. The stirring to stand out further: considering the improving quality thinking about interior emotions evoked by the design, health and wellness Welsh outdoors have of our environment; our ethos of sustainable living; and the or food, we’re ‘letting the inspired our poets, writers creative but careful use we make of our natural environment. outdoors in’. In doing so, and artists for centuries. we’re gaining a better In 2020, we will understanding of our mental celebrate Wales — and physical wellbeing, and the greatest outdoors. of the benefits of a strong connection to nature and the outdoors. Welcome to the greatest outdoors. Aberporth Beach, Cardigan visitwales.com 04–05 The outdoors isn’t just for the summer. Here are some ideas on how you can work with the outdoors, whatever the season. We’ve given some more specific examples Activities and adventure. Food and drink. in italics to help illustrate the ideas. Embrace what the seasons throw at Use seasonal ingredients in menu staples you; just change your location or gear. for taste, cost and sustainability. A surf school offers season-specific wetsuits, A pub rotates the potatoes it uses in the Sunday advice on the best nearby spots to catch waves roast, with minted Pembrokeshire new potatoes safely and a changing area that can be cooled in the summer and roasted Rudolph potatoes with fans or warmed with heaters. in the winter. Golfers play come rain or shine and Wales has some of the best courses in the world, Run specials that reflect the seasons. open all year round. Find out which golf clubs An ice cream cafe creates a beach-inspired are in your area and introduce your business golden fudge and sea salt sundae for the to them: be it a place to stay or something else summer and a toasted marshmallow ice cream for golfers to do while on their golf break. sandwich for the autumn. Foraging sustainably on Add hints of the outdoors into your Year round walks throughout the year. eating spaces with changeable styling. A rambling group runs special sessions to A coffee shop puts a little vase of seasonal educate participants on what plants are flowers or foliage on each table — think activity. abundant and edible, so that they can forage daffodils in March and holly sprigs sustainably on their future walks. in December. Because feeling good has no season. Keep your itinerary flexible so you can react to the weather. A Swansea-based tour operator takes visitors on day trips to the Gower Peninsula or Afan Forest Park on sunny days and to Dan Yr Ogof Caves or Penderyn Brewery on rainy days. For more information on introducing quality seasonal food and local ingredients visit gov.wales/foodanddrinkwales Anglesey visitwales.com 06–07 Year round activity — because feeling good has no season: Heritage and attractions. Accommodation. Reinvent your offering by using your Think about the temperatures physical space differently each season. of guests’ rooms. A steam train operator runs Christmas trains A family hotel adds quick-cool fans and iced to Santa’s workshop (a lodge with elves, mince water to bedrooms during warm months and pies and mulled wine) and Easter trains to puts Welsh woollen blankets and hot water the Bunny’s house (the same lodge decorated bottles on the beds in colder months. differently, with an egg hunt for children). Match your breakfast to the season. Tie history and the seasons together A bed and breakfast serves yoghurt with by considering what our ancestors did. summer fruits and granola in spring and A Roman museum uses its storytelling sessions summer then swaps it for cinnamon-spiced to share seasonal comparisons between the ages, porridge with berries in autumn and winter. such as how soldiers 2,000 years ago celebrated Saturnalia instead of Christmas. Pick up the seasons’ colours in swappable style accessories. Host tours that incorporate the outdoors. A boutique hotel dresses rooms with vases A castle with grounds gives sunset tours in and ornaments in colours inspired by nature — March and torchlit tours in November. pastel tones in spring, bold pops of brights in summer, reds in autumn and deep tones Use school holidays as a chance to in winter. experiment with seasonal events. An art gallery puts on creative craft sessions Make seasonal activity suggestions and children-friendly tours over half terms on a notice board. and the summer holidays, focusing on its pieces A Pembrokeshire holiday village uses an of art that link to the current seasonwalking interchangeable display to recommend the routes and places to visit each fortnight. best beaches, walking routes and places to visit each fortnight. Using Welsh with your visitors. Feature Welsh words for visitors to learn relevant to your business or season. Change them daily and get your staff to use them. For support on introducing Welsh in your business visit businesswales.gov.wales/welsh-in-your-business. If you need help translating, then talk to Helo Blod who can provide up to 500 words of free Welsh translation (each month) for your business. gov.wales/heloblod 2020: Wales’ Year of Outdoors Cynfal Falls, Blaenau Ffestiniog 08–09 Wales has many areas of truly dark skies. They are quite rare around the world due to light pollution, even more reason for us to treasure them. Our dark skies are a real asset. What is a ‘dark sky’? What dark sky areas Why do dark skies The concept of a ‘dark sky’ do we have in Wales? matter to Wales? Here, we offer some information and advice on what they is very subjective. For There are several protected The Milky Way is seldom are and how you can make them part of your business. instance, a person who areas in Wales. Snowdonia seen by people living lives in a city would find National Park and the in urban and semi-rural a night sky in a semi-rural Brecon Beacons National locations, so protected location significantly Park are Dark Sky Reserves, dark sky areas offer them darker than one in the of which there are only something different. They city. However, the true 16 in the world, and Elan make it possible for the definition of a dark sky is Valley is a recognised Dark Milky Way, the Andromeda one that is free from any Sky Park. There are also galaxy and countless other artificial light pollution. special areas recognised for objects to be easily seen darkness, such as the Dark with a guide. There is a Sky Discovery Sites located significant socioeconomic all across Wales, including impact from dark skies, in semi-rural areas. with astro-tourism growing considerably over the The outdoors last few years as people seek experiences and opportunities to explore at night. their place in the world. Hay Bluff, Hay on Wye visitwales.com 10–11 The outdoors at night: When and why did you start Dark Sky Wales? Why do you think people love stargazing? In 2010, I worked as a lecturer in the There are a million reasons why people University of Glamorgan (now University enjoy the night sky. The loss of dark skies Q&A: of South Wales). I received frequent across the country hides the wonders of requests to take people into the dark areas the universe, which makes people want of Wales to show them the wonders of to discover more. For this reason they visit Allan Trow our universe. Since those early days of us and the dark skies of Wales. People are taking a handful of people into the wilds more aware of the environment around Dark Sky Wales of Wales on weekends, I now have my own them through TV programmes and the business where we spend the entire week news, which in turn leads to a sense delivering activities far and wide under of wonder and inspires people to book the wonderful Welsh sky.