GWYNEDD has been named the best place for adventure in Wales, with 47 activity venues – the fifth-highest count of any local authority in the UK.
The findings come from a new analysis by adult services site AdultWork, which mapped more than 3,000 venues across the UK that offer activities such as skydiving, abseiling and bungee jumping, as well as more risqué adult-only pursuits, ranking all 353 local authorities to find Britain’s best places to seek thrills and adventure.
- First place: Gwynedd
Gwynedd leads Wales with 47 venues and ranks fifth in the UK overall. Home to much of Eryri (Snowdonia), it is joint third in the country for high-adrenaline thrills and trails only Cumberland for sheer variety, with 40 distinct activity types on offer. Its line-up runs from zip lines, white-water rafting and canyoning to mountaineering, gorge scrambling and winter climbing.
- Joint second: Swansea and Powys
Swansea and Powys are tied for second in Wales, each with 30 venues. Swansea, taking in the Gower, ranks tenth in the UK for outdoor adventure, its 22 adventure venues spanning surfing, climbing, caving and kayaking. Powys, covering much of Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons), ranks tenth in the UK for thrills, with 14 thrill venues from white-water rafting and canyoning to gorge scrambling.
- Fourth place: Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire takes fourth in Wales and 17th in the UK with 26 venues, ranking 12th in the country for high-adrenaline thrills; its coastline offers coasteering and paragliding among other pursuits.
- Fifth place: Conwy
Conwy completes the Welsh top five, 25th in the UK with 23 venues, and posts Wales’s second-strongest thrill showing – eighth in the entire country for thrill venues, with 15 in all, from canyoning and gorge scrambling to coasteering.
North and coastal Wales feature strongly across the ranking, with Gwynedd, Conwy and Pembrokeshire drawing on mountains and coastline alike. Adults-only venues are sparse across Wales, led by Swansea and Cardiff with two apiece.
| Wales rank | Area | Total venues | Thrill | Adventure | Adults-only | UK rank |
| 1 | Gwynedd | 47 | 32 | 15 | 0 | 5 |
| =2 | Powys | 30 | 14 | 16 | 0 | =14 |
| =2 | Swansea | 30 | 6 | 22 | 2 | =14 |
| 4 | Pembrokeshire | 26 | 13 | 12 | 1 | =17 |
| 5 | Conwy | 23 | 15 | 8 | 0 | =25 |
| 6 | Vale of Glamorgan | 19 | 7 | 11 | 1 | =35 |
| 7 | Ceredigion | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0 | =62 |
| =8 | Cardiff | 12 | 1 | 9 | 2 | =71 |
| =8 | Carmarthenshire | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | =71 |
| 10 | Monmouthshire | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | =102 |
Source: AdultWork UK Adventure Index, 2026.
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for AdultWork said: “When most of us picture an adventure holiday, we think of far-flung destinations, but this shows there’s a huge amount right on our own doorstep, whatever your appetite for risk.
“Whether you fancy a white-knuckle thrill or a gentle day out on the water, the UK is packed with places to get out and try something new, often a lot closer to home than people expect.”
