Cardiff is leading the festivities with its annual St David’s Day Parade, which sets off from City Hall at 12.30pm and will feature dancers, pipers, dragons and children dressed in traditional Welsh costumes. (Welsh legends Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones and Nessa from Gavin & Stacey are also expected to make an appearance, albeit in papier-mâché form).
Dydd G¿yl Dewi Hapus! Or Happy St David's Day...But if you are looking for adventure, nostalgia or a bit of an adrenaline rush, opt for one of these great Welsh days out...
A head for heights: Zip World promises breathtaking views of the Snowdonian countrysideA bird’s eye view of Snowdonia
Book your tickets for the longest zip-wire in Europe, which opens in North Wales in March. Located at a disused quarry, Zip World will give thrill-seekers a bird’s eye view of the surrounding Snowdonian countryside, as they hurtle along 700ft above a mountain lake at speeds of up to 75mph. Tickets costs £50 for adults and £40 for children. www.zipworld.co.uk.Snowdonia is also home to Sky Ride, Europe’s first five-seater giant swing. Thrill-seekers are hoisted 80ft above the Conwy Valley before being released to soar back and forth. You can also tackle zip wires, suspended rope bridges and a parachute simulator called Powerfan Plummet at the Tree Top Adventure park, www.ttadventure.co.uk
Natural beauty: The Welsh coastline was nominated the 'best region on Earth' by Lonely PlanetWalk this way for world’s best Coastal Path
The All Wales Coastal Path - an 870-mile public path encompassing the country's entire sea border - is the first path in the world to run the full length of a nation’s coastline, which was nominated the 'best region on Earth' by Lonely Planet last year. It runs from Chepstow in the south to the Dee Estuary in the north and links to Offa’s Dyke Path to create a 1,030-mile walking route around Wales. Weave your way across remote heathland high above the dramatic coastline as the sea pummels the jagged cliffs below, www.walescoastpath.gov.uk
History at your fingertips: The Welsh town of Monmouth became the world's first 'Wikipedia town' last yearGet interactive at Britain’s first ‘Wiki-town’
Monmouth, the small Welsh town where King Henry V was born in 1387, made history again last year by becoming the world's first ‘Wikipedia town.’ Visitors can scan barcodes at points of interest to bring up a Wikipedia page about the landmark on their phones. Around 1,000 different barcodes, plaques and stickers are displayed on the town’s schools, museums, historical sites and even pubs thanks to the project, which was dubbed ‘Monmouthpedia’. Find out more at the Monmouth Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/MonmouthpediA
Scene-stealing backdrop: Harry Potter and Robin Hood were filmed at Freshwater West beachLife’s a beach in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire’s beaches are among Britain’s finest - the county boasts 12 blue flag beaches, more than anywhere else in Wales. Freshwater West beach is one such coastal haven and was the setting for scenes in the Harry Potter films as well as the ferocious battle at the end of Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. Without the rows of longboats and archers on horses thundering down the beach, it is a beautifully tranquil and unspoilt spot, and you’ll pretty much have it to yourself, save for the odd Harry Potter fan.
Full steam ahead: The Lyd - one of the UK's newest steam locomotive - crosses Pont Croesor in North WalesReturn to the golden age of travel
Climb aboard Lyd, one of the country's newest steam locomotives, for a trip on the UK's longest heritage railway. Trains on the Welsh Highland Railway and Ffestiniog Railway travel from Caernarfon to the Ffestiniog Railway's Harbour Station in Porthmadog, with the two lines offering visitors a journey across Snowdonia National Park, past the foot of Snowdon and the village of Beddgelert, before travelling the length of the Aberglaslyn Pass - voted the most beautiful spot in the UK by members of the National Trust, www.whr.co.uk
Meanwhile, the Ffestiniog Railway’s Princess steam locomotive - the first to be used on the line in 1863 - will be at London’s Paddington Station on St David’s Day to promote the line's 150th anniversary. Don’t worry if you can’t make it down there on the day as it will remain at the station for six weeks. Visit www.facebook.com/festrail to find out more.
Cult classic: The Prisoner was filmed in the village of Portmeirion in North West WalesNorth Wales idyll that's too good to leave
Cult TV series The Prisoner was filmed in Portmeirion in North West Wales and fans of the show will instantly recognise the village’s distinctive ornamental pond, bell tower and pastel-coloured Italianate cottages, designed by eccentric architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis.The Portmeirion Hotel offers 26 rooms and suites dotted around the village and oozes Thirties glamour, while steam buffs can visit the Blaenau Ffestiniog railway, Snowdonia National Park is a short drive away and there's also the famous Portmeirion pottery, opened by Williams-Ellis's daughter, Susan,portmeirion-village.com
Literary rebirth: The rooms at The Brown's Hotel feature 1940s and 50s décor with a modern twistA poetic place to stay
A major renovation project has breathed new life into The Brown's Hotel in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, which housed Dylan Thomas’ favourite drinking den. The hotel’s 14 en-suite bedrooms feature 1940s and 50s décor with a modern twist and have been named after local places and Thomas’ poems. Enjoy a Buckley’s ale in Thomas’ favourite local downstairs or visit the reading room, which houses a library of books including, of course, many of Thomas' famous works.You can also follow in Thomas' footsteps on the Dylan Thomas Birthday walk based on the writer's ‘Poem to October’, which details his own birthday walk to the shoulder of Sir John’s Hill, overlooking the estuary. And, if it happens to be your birthday, you could pick up some free ‘birthday gifts’ on the way, including a pint at The Cross Inn, chips at the Castle View Chip Shop and free entry to The Dylan Thomas Boathouse. Just remember to take some ID,www.browns-hotel.co.uk
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