Family days out on the coast - boat trips, fossil hunting and surfing

Coasteering was pioneered in Pembrokeshire and ticks all the boxes for thrill-seekers. Celtic Quest Coasteering runs family days out suitable for children aged eight and up, where you might find yourselves exploring caves, cliff jumping from 10 metres, and playing in water features including the intriguingly-named ‘Toilet Flush’ and the ‘Washing Machine’!

The Gower Peninsula was the UK’s first-ever designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and with good reason – it’s simply stunning. Take the family on the intrepid journey across to Worm’s Head, an island that can only be reached during the two-and-a-half hours either side of low tide, and admire sweeping views over Rhossili Bay. Kids will love scrambling over the rocks and bouncing over the super-spongy grass, listening out for seals singing in the waters below. Not low tide? Take the National Trust’s ‘serpents, seascapes and shipwrecks’ walk and admire the Worm from the mainland.

Anyone over the age of four can bound along the waves on a RIB Ride around Anglesey, with an enticing array of adventures available: ‘Bridges and Swellies’ takes in shipwrecks and whirlpools, while ‘Puffin Adventure’ is self-explanatory and is a must for wildlife lovers. ‘Menai Adventure’ shows off Beaumaris Castle or you can ask about hiring a whole boat for a bespoke trip.

Llantwit Major is said to be the best place in Wales to find Jurassic fossils, so take mini explorers down there to spot gastropods, corals and echinoids (or sea urchins), many of which are as large as tennis balls. The fossils can be found in abundance in the rocks along the foreshore. Penarth, just outside Cardiff, is another popular spot for those on a fossil-finding mission.

Morfa Bay Adventure offers an exciting range of coastal activities, like body boarding and sea kayaking. But how about seeing the coastline from a new angle? The company offers expert tuition in abseiling, with beginners starting on walls just two metres high and moving onto the nine metre limestone tower when ready. Feeling really brave? Those who’ve mastered this can head out for the ultimate abseiling session, spending a day on a coastal crag in Pembrokeshire or the Gower Peninsula. Maybe one to leave the kids to enjoy by themselves...?! 

Porthor is one of the few places in the UK where you can both feel the sand between your toes – and hear the sand between your toes, too! It’s a remarkable beach, not just down to its spectacular beauty, but thanks to its ‘Whistling Sands’, caused by the squeaky whistle emitted by these particular sand particles when rubbed together in warm weather. The National Trust looks after this beach, which is a popular surfing spot and well-loved by families. Wildlife adventure packs are also available at the beach cabin in spring and summer. 

A story to captivate minds young and old, Cantre’r Gwaelod (also known as the ‘Welsh Atlantis’) is said to lie under the sands beyond Borth, a beach in Cardigan Bay. At low tide you can spot the remains of a submerged forest and wonder at what lies beneath… Cardigan Bay is also fantastic for nature-loving families, with dolphins a regular sighting in its waters, best seen on a dedicated dolphin-spotting boat trip.

Experience the adrenalin rush of bouncing over rapid upon rapid at Cardiff International White Water, where family rafting sessions open up the activity to children aged six and up. The centre is at Cardiff Bay and also offers family canoeing, kayaking, and Stand Up Paddleboarding (12 and up).

Keen to take on a real rapid? Head to the National White Water Centre at Bala, North Wales, where families with children aged 12 and over can take on the challenging and fast-flowing Afon Tryweryn; there’s also a Tryweryn Safari, for those aged 10 and over.

The Welsh coast can be fantastic fun and provides great opportunities for adventurous activities, but please read up on the risks and make sure you are prepared.

• Follow these tips from the RNLI for staying safe on the Welsh coast.
• Visit AdventureSmart.uk for further information on how to stay safe whilst exploring Wales.