Some of our strengths are highlighted below – please contact us to discuss any of these, or other story ideas you may want to explore.
Inspiration for stories about Wales:
- Wales Coast Path
- Welsh festivals
- Adventure
- Landscapes
- Wildlife
- Literary and poetry
- Film and television
- Culinary
We also have a range of itineraries prepared, based on various themes and regions, for you to enjoy. Whilst these give an idea of what Wales has to offer, we may also be able to develop bespoke routes and itineraries to suit your brief.
The great Welsh sports weekend
There’s nowhere on earth like Cardiff on international rugby day. Yes, there are things which come close. We get pretty excited when our national football team is in town, or a boxing world title is at stake. It’s thrilling when Beyoncé or the Rolling Stones are rocking the city. But for a unique, global cultural experience, it has to be rugby, it has to be the Principality Stadium, and it has to be Cardiff.
At the start of every year we have the Six Nations tournament, competed for by the top teams in Europe: Wales, England, Ireland, Scotland, France and Italy. Then there are friendlies; the Autumn Internationals when Wales play the southern hemisphere big guns.
Whichever game you see there’s really nothing like it, on this press trip we have a weekend soaking up all the sights, sounds and excitement of a rugby weekend in this rugby- mad nation.
Best in Wales
Showcasing the very best of Wales' tourism industry. Luxurious hotels, cosy B&Bs, restaurants and attractions they all have the same thing in common; they won the best in their categories at the biennial Wales Tourism Awards. These award-winning businesses ensure great quality, a warm Welsh welcome and a truly professional approach to looking after visitors.
Come and see for yourself what made the judges decide to award these tourism business ‘Best in Wales’.
Adventure Wales
We love the outdoors in Wales! We have one of the longest continuous coastal paths around any country in the world. Abseiling, white-water rafting, kite surfing, paragliding - the Welsh coast is the ideal place for adrenaline sports. But it’s not all on the coast of course; the Eryri (Snowdonia) and Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Parks offer unrivalled access to mountain landscapes and open wilderness, offering some of the world’s best walking, mountain bike trails and the world’s fastest, longest zip line!
On this trip you'll get very wet, go glamping, scale some heights, get muddy and stay in some wonderfully relaxing and quirky accommodation. Bring a sense of adventure and a change of socks!
Downton (ish) Abbey – The great mansions of Wales and the industries that built them
Ok we know that Downton Abbey is set in England, but Wales has more stately homes and landed gentry than you can shake a downed grouse at. We have the richest concentration of castles in the world after all! This trip explores both sides; while the Downton Abbey TV series gives a rose tinted view of master and servant relations, we’re going to tell it how it really was. Don’t worry it's not going to be too harsh!
We play the role of the landed gentry as we get driven around Wales; we get to stay in many of the grand stately homes that dot the country. We see houses and galleries dripping with luxuries funded on the back of the workers. Where did the money come from to build these palaces? We’re going to find out, we take trips deep into the north Wales slate mines, the coal mines of south Wales and see (but thankfully not experience) the harsh realities of the other side of this life, the life below the stairs.
Literary Wales
Ten days, 900+ events, arguably the world’s greatest gathering of international writers and thinkers all stuffed into the lovely, tiny, gorgeous Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye. The theme of this trip is literature; it’s centred around the Hay Literary Festival but we also visit landscapes, cityscapes, castles, pubs and chip shops that inspire authors to work in Wales.
We visit the places which inspired Wales’ most famous poet; Dylan Thomas to write the immortal words ‘do not go gentle into that good night’ and his wonderful play for voices ‘Under Milk Wood’. But it’s not all about Dylan, as we pootle around Wales we bump into inspiration for other literary greats; RS Thomas, Wordsworth, Owain Sheers and Tolkien, to name drop a few.
Wildlife Wales
There are lots of reasons why Wales is so brilliant for wildlife watching: 216 Wildlife Trust nature reserves, 11 bird sanctuaries, 4,122 sq km of National Park (nearly a quarter of the whole country), an 870-mile coast path, ancient woodland, numerous lakes and rivers, and wide open spaces for wildlife to … well, go wild in.
Spring is a great time to visit, it brings countless puffins and other sea birds to our sea cliffs, below the waves there’s dolphins and porpoises to spot. If you’re really lucky you might get to see sunfish, basking sharks and turtles. This trip takes in all of Wales National Parks we go up mountains, stay on bird reserves on islands and take to the sea wildlife spotting in canoes.
Quirky Wales
We centre this trip around the quirkiest town in Wales; Llanwrtyd Wells. The town has a whole calendar of ridiculously wonderful events including stone-skimming, bog cycling and man-versus-horse racing. They’ve also combined mountain biking with that other great pastime, real ale drinking. But we are here to see (or take part if you dare) the World Bog Snorkelling Championships. Brave competitors from across the planet battle it out in a 60 metre, very dark and muddy peat bog. It has to be seen!
We then take to the water ourselves (on a lovely clean river, not a bog in sight) when we make friends with a coracle fisherman on the Teifi, to try and master the art of ‘sailing’ these quirky ancient boats.
Had enough of fresh water? It’s about time we tried the sea and jump off a cliff! Literally! Coasteering, pioneered in Wales, is a blend of rock-hopping, shore-scrambling, swell-riding, cave-exploring and cliff-jumping for the ultimate aquatic adventure. Yet en-route you’ll discover wildlife and beautiful scenery too.
Film location Wales
Big screen, small country, an incredible stage set... Wales is a goldmine for location scouts the world over. There aren’t many other countries that can offer film backdrops as varied – soaring peaks and waterfalls make authentic ancient landscapes, a glut of historic buildings, from medieval castle ruins to perfectly preserved stately homes, offer a setting for all eras and our sweeping, and wild beaches host epic adventure shoots.
The BBC has studios in the heart of Cardiff Bay, where they have brought Doctor Who, Sherlock, Casualty and other hit TV shows to life. Wales is where Netfilix film the hit comedy Sex Education, and where some of The Crown’s most famous scenes were filmed.
Hollywood loves Wales too! Its studios have been here to film two Harry Potter films, Robin Hood, Clash of the Titans, Wonder Woman and Tomb Raider to name a few.
On this trip we take on the Daleks with Doctor Who, join a Gavin and Stacey tour, follow Harry Potter onto the beach and visit some of the most memorable film locations in the world.
The gardens of Wales
The gardens and country parks across Wales make the most of the incredible natural scenery. Whether you’re a nature lover, a picnic connoisseur or go giddy for exotic flowers, plants and statues, there’s romance and adventure to be had across these verdant corners of Wales. Italianate, Edwardian, botanical, wild and exotic – we have our fair share of lush, green gardens in Wales.
Whether you want to saunter though our refined historic gardens or dream away the afternoon in a whimsical wonderland, our glorious gardens are the perfect place to while away the hours. So that’s what we are going to do! Tick off some of the best gardens in the world!
Down on the farm
A Welsh farmer's life is lived between early mornings, rolling fields, rumbling tractors and fluffy sheep. This trip will bring you closer to our rural way of life, without the 4.30am starts! We pull on our wellies and follow the dogs scampering out into the farm, where work has by now been underway for several hours. Hitch a ride on the haycart to watch the haymakers mowing and stacking bales in the fields, watch the cows being milked and the sheep being shaved.
The trip is centred around farm stays and the Royal Welsh Agricultural show, it’s the highlight of the Welsh farming year, the largest agricultural show in Europe, and given its ‘Royal’ status, it’s not unusual to find a senior member of the Royal Family poking around the sheep pens.
LGBTQ+ Wales and Cardiff Pride
Wales is known across the world for its warm and welcoming nature, something that really shines through with the number of LGBTQ+ friendly organisations, venues and sports teams across the country. So if you’re LGBTQ+ and visiting Wales, we’ve got you covered.
Over a week we aim to show you the best in friendly hotels, amazing food and wonderful attractions we have to offer. We cross the country from north to south ending in up in our capital city of Cardiff and the highlight of the Welsh LGBTQ+ calendar; Pride Cymru, now one of the UK’s largest pride events.
Pride Cymru’s big weekend will provide 3 days of pure party atmosphere and extravagant entertainment in the heart of the capital, celebrating and promoting the importance of LGBTQ+ people and culture in our communities as well as bringing more than 200,000 people together in celebration in Wales’ capital city.
Food glorious food
The experience of a Welsh food festival is one not to be missed – our food festivals are outpourings of flavours, colours and some of the best locally produced food you will find anywhere. There’s always a myriad of different stalls and food related activities, but the star attraction is local Welsh produce brought to you by people with a real passion and talent.
On this trip we concentrate on food from Mid and South East Wales culminating at the Abergavenny Food Festival. The festival is one of the UK’s largest and features some of the brightest lights of the culinary world. It occupies the centre of the town across six venues. Around one hundred and seventy stalls with produce from Wales, the Marches and further afield, together with a programme of individually ticketed masterclasses, tutored tastings and chef demonstrations (previous participants: Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Clarissa Dickson-Wright, Anthony Bourdain). Our Top Tip - Bring larger clothes for your trip home!
Spooky Wales
There are some very old buildings in Wales and our land is full of myths and legends. So it’s no surprise that there are lots of haunted houses and castles to discover. If you dare to venture out at night in search of ghosts we’ve got lots of places to visit. Highlights on this tour include us taking a ghost walk at Bodelwyddan Castle in North Wales with their in-house paranormal investigations team. Prepare for a late night as we try out a variety of traditional and scientific ghost-hunting methods, with vigils in the castle’s haunted period rooms.
We visit Plas Mawr the Elizabethan townhouse in Conwy where we walk the old passageways and come to rooms decorated with pentagrams to ward off evil spirits. There’s plenty more on this trip to make your hair stand on end!
Chic cosy Wales
This trip is all about indulgence. Shopping, Christmas markets, chic romantic bolt holes and amazing food are what this indulgent trip is all about. This is the time of year to Cwtch up (snuggle) but it’s also a good time to get out in the countryside. There’s nothing like a bracing walk or bike ride on a crisp, clear winter day to blow away the cobwebs. And when it’s time to thaw out, drop in at a cosy friendly pub with a big log fire with a mug or glass of something restoring, and enjoy the glow. It’ll round the day off nicely.
For Christmas shopping, Cardiff is hard to beat; it has one of the best shopping centre in the UK, a fantastic collection of Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades of more quirky shops and a great Christmas market for local crafts and produce. Leaving Cardiff, we head to the ‘Bond Street of Wales’, the elegant town Cowbridge for an upmarket shopping treat, before heading west to cosy boutique towns of Narbeth and Llandeilo. On our last day we visit Hay-on-Wye the unique ‘book town’ stuffed full of book shops, antiques, delicatessens and crafts.
Contact us to register your interest in visiting Wales on a press trip.
