Wales Outdoors Weekly Roundup 2/3/25
Wales Outdoors delivered one event this week, a marvelous 12 mile hike for our social hiking group that was part fitness training, part a fun day out and part a tour of the history of the area.
Senghenydd Dyke
Despite running up against the censors at LinkedIn who took offence to the word Dyke, the walk was a success, with 11 of us out on St David’s Day and in the gorgeous Welsh sunshine for a 12 mile hike that in the main followed the Medieval Deer Park, built for the lords of Caerphilly Castle and enclosing 2,500 acres of upland South Wales, and hiking Senghenydd Dyke.
Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant Hapus - Happy St. David's Day!
We hiked a 12 mile route today. 11 of us meetup for a Wales Outdoors social hike on the first Saturday of the month. We followed the line of Senghenydd Dyke, a 2,500 acre deer park enclosure for the lords of Caerphilly Castle to hunt in. The weather was magnificent!
We were fortunate to have Martin Hutchinson along with us, the person who discovered, among other things, the cup marked megalith on Mynydd Eglwysilan, which achieved fame due to vandalism, and he had much to say about the burial mounds and history of the Bronze Age and Neolithic period.
After lunch the Welsh Flag, which was prominent for the whole of the hike, was lowered to half mast in protest at the abject performance of the Welsh government, with regard to the tourism sector in Wales, and in particular to the ill thought through imposition of a tourist tax at a time when bed nights in Wales are down 23%.
It's a small gesture, but a gesture nonetheless. Attractions and operators across Wales lowered their flags, too. A collective show of dissatisfaction and anger at Welsh Government indifference to representations from a sector that significantly contributes to Wales' economy, both in terms of revenue and employment.
In 2022, tourism-related industries contributed £3.8 billion to Wales' Gross Value Added (GVA), accounting for 5.1% of the total GVA. Additionally, these industries provided employment for approximately 159,000 individuals, representing 11.8% of the Welsh workforce. In 2023, total spending on tourism trips within Wales reached £4.98 billion. This includes £2.48 billion from day visits by Great Britain residents, £2 billion from overnight stays by Great Britain residents, and £0.45 billion from international visitors.
Remember, we have a social hiking group walk on the 5th April and this will have a meet point of Blaenonneu Quarry Car Park and will visit the Chartists Cave. Join Us!
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