Offers of Boat Trips Wales

The Welsh coastline is a key part of the country's geography and national identity. Once essential to the fishing, shipping and quarrying industries, nowadays its biggest draw is its natural beauty. High cliffs, rocky outcrops, sandy beaches and numerous islands create a breathtaking coastal landscape that changes around every corner, as anyone who’s walked the 870 mile coast path will tell you. This path, opened in 2012, is a fantastic way to experience the oceanbound limits of Wales, but you can do even better by taking a boat trip into the seas and getting a new perspective on the country.

There are so many reasons to climb aboard a boat in Wales and set sail. The coastline is shaped by the forces of both the land and the sea, giving rise to fascinating geographical features, as well as habitats for a huge range of wildlife. From seabirds nesting in cliffs to dolphins jumping out of the water, it’s hard to see more animals in their element anywhere else in the British Isles. Of course, some people love boats for their own sake too, and we have vessels of all shapes and sizes waiting to take you on a voyage of discovery. Cheap and cheerful, sailing in style and intrepid expeditions, there’s a boat trip for everyone in Wales.

Where are the best places to go on a boat trip in Wales?

• Cardiff: The Welsh capital was once the largest coal port in the world, and the wide, enclosed expanse of Cardiff Bay is a legacy of the city’s industrial past. You’ll see how this area has been redeveloped in recent years when you set off from the docks and head for the Bristol Channel. The modern buildings of the BBC Drama Village and the International Sports Village are replaced by cliffs and beaches when you pass the barrage, and you can go as far as the islands of Steep Holm and Flat Holm on a trip from Cardiff.

• Swansea: Wales’ second city is also a great place for boating, with a number of options to choose from. You can take a cruise up the River Tawe from the elegant Sail Bridge in the Marina on a charming river boat, take a tour of the bay on a luxury yacht, or wade off the beach on the Gower Peninsula to board a fast moving rib that will take you speeding around this designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Gower is one of the most accessible places in Wales to go wildlife watching, and you might see seals, porpoises and nesting razorbills on the cliffs at Worm’s Head.

• Pembrokeshire: No guide to the Welsh coastline would be complete without a section on the region of Pembrokeshire, one third of which is protected by a coastal National Park. It’s the beaches, fjords, cliffs and, above all, islands, which make this such a special part of the world. You can take a trip to the largest islands, Ramsey, Skomer and Caldey, and go ashore to visit man made and natural landmarks, while the smaller islands including Grassholm and Skokholm are sanctuaries for sea birds like puffins and gannets. And it’s not just the islands that are teeming with life - some of the biggest marine animals that live or visit the British Isles, including basking sharks, whales and dolphins, are best seen here. Boat trips embark from many towns around the coast, including Tenby, Milford Haven and St David’s.

• Cardigan Bay: This is the largest bay in Wales, separating the north and south peninsulas of the country. It’s another fantastic spot for wildlife watching, especially for dolphins as the only population of dolphins that stay in British waters year round live off the coast of New Quay. These are bottlenose dolphins, but if you take a trip from this small town, you can also glimpse more distinctive risso’s dolphins at certain times of the year, as well as minke whales, basking sharks and puffins. You can also take a boat ride across the Barmouth Estuary in the north of the bay, with the mountains of Snowdonia as a backdrop.

• Llyn Peninsula: The northern end of Cardigan Bay is marked by this spit of land which extends 30 miles into the Irish Sea. From the town of Abersoch, you can take a rib ride along this ever changing coastline, visiting the St Tudwals Islands and the remote sandy beaches of Porth Ceiriad.

• Anglesey: The largest island in Wales is separated from the mainland by the narrow and treacherous Menai Strait, where boat trips run from Caernarfon and St George’s pier and dodge rocks, whirlpools and road bridges that cross the channel. Or you can set sail from Cemaes Bay, the most northerly town in Wales which is set on the wild sea coast of Anglesey for a pleasure cruise along the coast, or a wildlife watching journey.

• North coast: Conwy and Rhyl and towns on the north coast of Wales that have harbours left over from the days when most of the inhabitants would have worked as fishermen. There are tours along the coast from both of these ports, where the highlights are the scenery and the populations of seabirds including oyster catchers, curlews and cormorants.

What are the options for organising this experience?

Most boat operators in Wales operate in one of two ways. Firstly, there are trips which run according to a timetable that you can book onto as an individual or small group and join other members of the public. These are often larger vessels, such as a 60 seat ferry that operates in Cardiff Bay, but can also include smaller boats, like 12 person ribs that operate on the Gower and Llyn peninsulas, or ocean going ships of similar size that are used for wildlife watching.

The other option is to charter your own private trip on the Welsh coast. There are numerous operators with a range of different kinds of boats who don’t have a set sailing schedule, but will tailor a voyage to your needs.

Whichever you choose, the duration of your trip will vary depending on where you go. The longest excursions involve visiting islands such as Ramsay off the Pembrokeshire Coast, or Steep Holm in the Bristol Channel, and disembarking to spend several hours or a full day on shore before returning. At the other end of the scale are quick tours of Welsh harbours and bays, which can be as short as 45 minutes.

Requirements to do this activity

With so many different types of boats and trips on offer around Wales, you won’t struggle to find an experience that suits you. Even if you’ve got young children, there are options for you. Some larger boats that operate more like ferries will take babes-in-arms, but even small boats will take children as young as three years old in some places. On routes that involve crossing rougher seas, the minimum age goes up to 6 years old in some places, and higher in others.

Accessibility is a big project for boat trip providers in Wales. Many of the larger boats, including the Copper Jack which operates on the River Tawe in Swansea, are fully equipped for people with limited mobility, including wheelchair users. There are also sea going vessels that welcome people with disabilities, but some trips, including rides on ribs and many of the tours that involve disembarking on islands that have basic landing facilities are not suitable for people with limited mobility.

You’re guaranteed to enjoy each and every one of these rides, so decide which one you’d like to do first and let us know!