Wales Outdoors Profile - Andrew Lamb
Name: ANDREW JOHN LAMB
Tagline: Guided Hikes and Tours of Wales - We're Electric!
Bio: I’m a tourism professional of over 30 years and as founder of Wales Outdoors a proud holder of many tourism awards including the following: Private Tour Company Of The Year and Walking Tour Operator Of The Year.
I instigated the Brecon Beacons National Park Outdoor Environmental Charter, I was the impetus and provided the template for the development of the South Wales Outdoor Activity Provider Group, have been Chair of Brecon Beacons Tourism and have recently been successful in changing government policy with regards to the way it sees Mountain Leaders in Wales. And hot off the press, Just two days ago, 11th February 2025, I became one of the ten founding members of European Trails, an organisation that seeks to ‘address the problem of inadequate infrastructure in Europe and give trail management organizations a strong, common voice.’
In my other life, I am a published poet with a couple more collections almost ready for publication and a successful art teacher delivering weekly art classes in Cardiff since 2010.
Wales Outdoors hikes & tours have a maximum of seven clients per guide & are usually small group tours of five or six people. I transport clients in a luxury 8 seat fully electric minibus! We hold professional memberships with Mountain Training and the Wales Official Tourist Guide Association as well as being active members of several tourism associations in Wales.
Website:
http://www.walesoutdoors.co.uk
Profession: I am a professional UK mountain guide and a green badged tourist guide.
Credentials/education: I gained my Mountain Leader qualification many moons ago and my tourist guide badge more recently. I also hold an in date mountain leader first aid qualification and am a mountain bike leader. I undertook a degree in politics and creative writing as a mature student.
Host Spotlight - Andy Lamb - Wales Outdoors - First published at Yuup.
Andy moved to Wales to set up his outdoor business almost 30 years ago. Artistic and with a love of the outdoors he’s been helping people to experience the unique sides of Cardiff and South Wales through his two businesses. We chatted to him to find out more about what you can expect on his walking tours and life drawing classes.
Tell us a bit about your story and how you got to where you are. What made you decide to set up a walking and life drawing business?
At school, I had this amazing geography teacher who ran an outdoor pursuits programme. It gave me a basic level of skill and a memory of what was possible. I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now without his influence.
I moved to Wales when I was 23 and decided I wanted to make my income by delivering activities outdoors. I got my Mountain Leader qualification and started my Wales Outdoors business.
Later, I got a qualification as a tourist guide for Wales which gave me the skills and underpinning knowledge to guide people around castles, museums, and to deliver day trips in my fully electric and luxury minivan.
What are the particular highlights or unique aspects from your walking tours?
I think the unique aspect is my take on it.
I’ve spent years working with groups, understanding how groups behave, and making sure people feel welcomed and cared for. I always ask people to ask questions! It’s also my training - I’m a mountain leader and Wales touring guide, these are professional qualifications, and I have a part-politics part-creative writing degree which I bring into my tours. It’s personality borne from experience.
What can people expect from your walking tours? Who might these be a great fit for?
Some people who do these will have a night out in Cardiff first and want to do a hike with me the next day. The historic tours tend to be more for tourists, although
The Darker Side of Cardiff - A Walking Tour is all about the ghosts, the murders and the places where people used to get hung. This is a tour that’s great for winter. People are more attracted to the macabre at that time of year!
Six Brecon Beacons Waterfalls Hike - From Cardiff is a day-long hike starting at 10am and finishing up around 4pm. We cover ten miles but it feels like more because of the terrain. We’ll visit six amazing waterfalls with the option to swim at the last one. There’s one waterfall that you have to walk behind, and one that you can choose to walk behind.
This hike is great at any time of year. If you have a good day, the bright red leaves in autumn are beautiful. The waterfalls are also really nice on an icy day, plus the ground is frozen so there’s no mud.
I say it’s suitable for any age and fitness. The youngest person to do it was a four year old who did it the entire way without being carried. The oldest was an 82 year old from the USA. He was playing in the over-70s football World Cup and playing 2 matches a day, so on his day off he came here to do one of my hikes!
The Valleys Heritage And Beacons Landscapes is a tour of places rather than guided walks where we look at the rise of the Valleys and the industry. We’ll explore the lesser visited Gwent Valleys, beginning at Tredegar House near Newport and moving northwards, to 14 Locks, to Cwmcarn Forest Drive, to The Guardian at Six Bells, Abertillery and onto Big Pit for a trip underground…
Three Castles, Tintern Abbey And Roman Caerleon looks at the kind of history most people understand - the Roman Baths, the amphitheatre…We visit three castles and one ruined abbey. I always say my historic tours are great when it’s foul weather because they’re not solely outdoors!
The Gower - Mumbles, Three Cliffs, & Worms Head will cover the best beaches and historical sites on the Gower peninsula, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This one’s really beautiful. I take the group to Rhosilli Bay which is often featured as the best beach in the UK.
Any fun facts people might be surprised to learn along the way on the walks?
We introduce a bit of foraging along the way and look at what’s edible and medicinal. The bit I like the best are the poisons. I always tell people, if there was a zombie apocalypse you need to get out of the city - you can survive on stinging nettles and nature always provides medicine.
What made you choose Yuup as a partner of choice?
I’m really interested in networking with other businesses and Yuup feels like a great way to do that. It connects me to other businesses where there might be opportunities for us to promote one another and maximise the experience people have when they visit the city. I see it as an ecosystem and a place to share contacts.
Yuup is all about celebrating community and championing local experiences, by local people. What do you love most about the Welsh community you’re part of?
The people of Wales are very special. Cardiff’s a friendly place where people look out for each other, you know? They’ll make eye contact and want to approach you. Then as soon as you’re in the Valleys everyone wants a chat! I suppose it’s that people have time for each other. The pace is slower, so the pressure is off.
What’s your favourite thing about Cardiff and Wales?
Cardiff is a city on a human scale. It’s a young city, it’s vibrant, and there's lots going on. You can walk everywhere. There’s no need for transport. Cardiff indoor market has loads of independent food stalls which I love.
I think Wales is internationally overlooked. It has more castles than any other country in the world, and its sheep to human population is 3 to 1(!) You can pretty much do any adventure activity apart from skiing here. It’s a natural playground for adventure, and there’s so much that’s easily accessible.
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