South West Wales has plenty of wind energy, so why not harness all that free power and use it to go windsurfing? Former European wavesailing champion Tristan Boxford developed his talents in South West Wales and reckons that you can find that sailing in the region will suit beginners, intermediates and "even those pushing the limits of windsurfing".
Spots such as Horton and Llangennith on the Gower Peninsula, and Broadhaven and Newgale in Pembrokeshire will have plenty of sailors scudding across the ocean on a windy day. They have windsurfing schools in close proximity or, if you'd prefer to start on smoother waters try windsurfing at Dale in Pembrokeshire which is one of the best-established windsurfing centres in Britain, let alone Wales.
New wider and more stable boards, designed specifically for windsurfing beginners, make the whole process a lot easier. Within an hour or two you should be able to sail along in a gentle breeze. By the end of a weekend, you'll find the learning curve has accelerated dramatically and you'll be ready to book your next weekend windsurfing in South West Wales.
How & where
There are several windsurfing schools around the South West Wales coastline where qualified instructors will kit you out with a board, buoyancy aid and wetsuit, provide some land-based lessons about the gear and how to use it, and then take you into shallow water to learn the basics.
The operators on the right hand side will get up and catching the wind in your sail in now time.
Top Tips
Look for a course on flat water to start with. It's easier than having to deal with wind and waves at the same time!
Since West Wales is made up of several peninsulas, there's almost always somewhere with good sailing conditions, whatever the wind direction.
More info
For general info on windsurfing, log onto the
UK Windsurfing Associations'
website or
Royal Yachting Association's
website.