In glorious sunshine and in torrential rain we have spent holidays tramping the beautiful mountains and valleys of Wales. There is fun to be had at any time of the year if you have got boots and waterproofs as well as flip-flops and shorts.

We have smugly sunbathed by rippling streams as our children paddled. We have laughed as we held onto tent poles when winds threatened to tear our sodden canvas walls because we won the battle.

Exploring Wales is still a welcome challenge – and there’s a man who now admits that he’s been glad of my company!

I’ve just returned from a walk on Oxwich Bay. There are only half a dozen other people on the beach: some with dogs. The day trippers have left; a couple of barbeques are smoking – used and abandoned next to dustbins, but otherwise the beautiful expanse of Oxwich Bay is deserted.

The tide is coming in, yet there is a vast expanse of sand stretching from Oxwich village and the hotel, all the way round to Three Cliffs Bay and beyond. Over the sea I can clearly make out Port Talbot, the Vale of Glamorgan and on the other side, the Devon Coastline.

To my left are the sand dunes. A large cloud of starlings fly across the marshes. During the day, the sand dunes are great fun to explore with a wide range of beautiful fauna. There is one area; ‘The board walk’ where you can walk over marshland and see rare flowers. Whenever I’m down in Oxwich I visit it.

The sand gives clues of what has happened today. Lovingly built sandcastles, volcanoes and even sand ‘boats’ remain in the sand, as well as forgotten buckets and spades. Sadly there is some litter, but one hopes this will be cleaned in the morning. The sand is fine and easy to build castles.

Earlier on today we were down at the beach. The car park was packed with visitors for the day as well as people holidaying at the camp site. Most people were close to the car park; others ventured further towards Nicholaston: either on the beach or in the sand dunes.

We swam; built sandcastles and snorkelled with our new flippers and masks! We saw a number of fish in the clear seawater. Others swam, kayaked or surfed – although the waves were non-existent! My husband hired a boat from the Sailing Company and sailed over to Three Cliffs Bay, whilst a couple of people annoyed everyone by riding their jetskis too close to the bathers.

As the day progresses and the tide goes out, a number of cricket games start, as well as one hugely competitive beach volleyball game. On the far side of the bay, the rocks are exposed and children with buckets do some rock pool dipping and find impressive specimens of crabs.

Now, as I walk back from the beach, I see that the car park is deserted, except for a bat flying in front of my face. I am so lucky here. As I walk back to my house, I realise that although the forecast is overcast tomorrow, I am still here in Oxwich and will be able to enjoy another wonderful day.

All the best,
Heinz

I remember adventuring in the Montgomeryshire countryside as a nipper – building dens at my Uncle’s and launching damson fights (a brilliant game masterminded by my sister which involved the throwing of damsons at each other. Juicy, ripe and sticky – Mum ended up having to wrestle me to the ground and cut them out of my hair!)

Scraping legs on thistles, stinging knees on nettles – it all seemed to add to the fun.

So I do tend to go back quite a bit – whether it’s finding a campsite somewhere or a little B&B. I do have a soft spot for the little village of Berriew in Montgomeryshire.

It’s pretty postcard perfect with it’s little black and white houses and the River Rhiew running through it. Locals tend to to stop in the heart of the village to chat and catch up.

I discovered on my last visit that there’s a new little tearoom and deli.

(http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=deli+berriew&fb=1&split=1&gl=uk&view=text&latlng=15113674371420926830)

And really worth a stop is the Lion Hotel – it’s got a cosy bar, good food, nice rooms and…well, it’s just a good old fashioned country pub. Now, you don’t get those in cities…(http://www.thelionhotelberriew.com/foodanddrink.htm)

You might think that this is a village with all the usual suspects but they also have a Museum of Sculpture tucked away. It’s the brainchild of living artist and self-confessed eccentric, Andrew Logan. http://andrewlogan.com/about/

So try out Mid Wales – you’ll be as happy as a pig in mud.

I’ve tried sending this to you via your marketing@visitwales.com email address but keep on getting a MAILERDEMON error message, so I hope that this gets through to you instead.

Thanks for sending my nomination badge which is now up on my blog. Naturally I’m pleased for my posts to go forward into the competition.

Best wishes,

VP

My wife and I were born and spent the first 30 years of our lives in Cardiff. We also lived in Newport, Swansea and near Newcastle Emlyn for several years before my job took me to Leicester,so we know the area intimately. We still visit family and friends there as often as we can.

It’s a big area – 150 miles from Chepstow to Fishguard. But you’re never far from lovely mountains, beautiful beaches and clear, blue seas. The people of South Wales are wonderfully welcoming, wherever you go. The area also boasts 2 National Parks and 2 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, one of which (Gower Coast) was the first ever created.

The area also has three large cities and a number of smaller market towns, so there’s plenty to interest shopaholics. It also has an excellent transport network, including the M4 motorway and a comprehensive range of public transport services and tickets (bus and train) covering all parts of the area.

Oh –when are we going back again? It can’t come soon enough!!!