Young people tend to be accused of wanting to stay indoors all day playing video games or wasting time on social media. If you have teenagers at home, you’ll probably agree with this assertion. However, Britain’s youth are also a surprising lot, and it might just surprise you how they have embraced activities that are usually associated with older generations.
Below we look at five outdoor activities which have seen a rise in participation from young people in recent years. Where possible, we will also point out the best scenic spots in Wales to pursue these wholesome activities:
Rambling/Hiking
A recent YouGov survey stated that 51% of young people aged 18-24 took up rambling as a way to relax. A surprising number of young people have deemed hiking through trails and mountains as a favourite pastime. Although, there is a bit of tension between traditional hikers and young people who are aiming to get that perfect Instagram photo. Wales, of course, has some word-class hiking spots, including trails through Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons.
Fishing
There were real fears that fishing was becoming a lost art among young people in the UK. Indeed, the angling industry actually put out a plea asking young people to take up a rod a few years ago. There has also been a national strategy put in at government level in the early 2010s to attract more people to angling pursuits. There are signs that it is working, however, with the number of junior fishing licences issued on the rise in 2018 and 2019. As with its beautiful hiking locations, Wales has some lovely spots to fish for beginners, including Afon Taf (Glamorgan) and Llangorse Lake (Brecon Beacons).
Bowls
Bowls is often seen as a sport for retirees, but it’s been picked up by a generation of young players. Indeed, betting on bowls has also become popular, with growing interest in events like the World Outdoor Bowls Championship. While it’s fun to play inside on cold winter nights, the outdoor version of the game, lawn bowls, is the perfect sport for lazy summer afternoons. Wales has produced some fine bowlers too, including Commonwealth Games and World Championships gold-medal-winner Robert Weale. Bowlswales.com will help you find a club if you are interested.
Bird-Watching
Both The Guardian and BBC reported on the rise of teenage bird-watchers over the past year; even going as far as to label it as “cool”. The Welsh countryside has an abundance of birds worth marking off on your card. Indeed, it might surprise you as to the sheer number of birds of prey found in the Welsh skies. These include the red kite (voted as Wales’ favourite bird in a RSBP pol), the osprey, golden eagle and honey buzzard. In your garden, you might see jackdaws, greenfinches, wrens or swifts. There is loads to get through, and you might find that bird-watching becomes almost an obsession after a while.
Landscape Painting
Again, we might put this down to the Instagram-effect where young people wish to record the act of doing something ahead of the pursuit in of itself. Regardless, it seems that more young people are packing their canvas and paints, and heading off to beauty spots to paint for an afternoon. It might surprise you how talented some of these kids are, and even framing the paintings on Instagram does not detract from their skill. Again, we are spoilt for choice in Wales for wonderful locations for landscape paintings, but a good place to start would be the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, where the perfect landscape is guaranteed.