Family-friendly things to do in Wales in your wellies

When it’s raining outside but all you want to do is get out and about on your holidays in Wales, don’t despair. Wet weather means mud and plenty of messy fun! To ensure you can make the most of the fantastic Welsh terrain, pack that old British holiday staple: The Wellington boot.

With such a diverse range of landscapes – from a spectacular coastline with sandy beaches to the choice of National Parks with forests and running streams – there’s so much to do and discover. We have come up with some great family-friendly activities which will allow you to make the most of your time here, rain or shine.

Dig out your wellies and go exploring the countryside and coast, splashing through streams and jumping in puddles. Read through our list of things to do in your wellies:

Walk Wales in your wellies

Simple but always a great way to discover the local area, a family walk in your wellies means you can easily stride through shallow streams and through sticky mud while taking in an incredible landscape. Home to Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and surrounded by fantastic coastline, Wales is a wonderful place for walking.

The Hafod Estate, near Aberystwyth, is a classic example of a picturesque landscape and an idyllic place to go walking. Wander down into the valley, through the forest and you’ll come to a beautiful waterfall. With a great pair of wellies, you’ll have fun squelching through the mud of the forest and splashing around beneath the waterfall in the shallows.

Ynyslas National Nature Reserve is another incredible place for walkers in their wellies. It’s a protected area with three distinctive landscapes to clamber through: a Dune Walk, Ynyslas Walk and Cors Fochno Walk. As you might have guessed the Dune Walk takes you along the seashore where you can stomp among the dunes or paddle in the estuary. The Ynyslas Walk is a little more unique with a mix of dunes, farmland and saltmarsh to stride through. Finally, you’ll reach a messy bog which is the Cors Fochno Walk - luckily there is a circular boardwalk over the bog as not even wellies would be much help if you go marching in there!

Rock pooling along the Welsh coast

Pull on those wellies, grab a fishing net and get down to the nearest beach to see what you can discover… Besides the fish, look out for limpets, crabs, lobsters and sunstars.

With such a rich and diverse coast, you’re sure to uncover some real treasures when you go rock pooling along these shores. Fantastic beaches for rock pooling include Dunraven Bay in Llantwit Major, Newport Parrog Beach in Pembrokeshire, Porth y Pwll in Anglesey, Bracelet Bay in Swansea and Dinas Dinlle in Caernarfon.

Dine on mud pie

After the rain comes the mud. As you might have noticed we think mud is great fun! Grab a bowl and go outside and see who can make the best mud pie. You can use leaves, bark and twigs to decorate it - see if you can find a pretty stone or shell to use as the centrepiece.

On the topic of muddy making you could also put together a mud shake, mud sculpture or mud painting. Get creative!

Head to the farm

While everyone else is huddled up indoors, the farmer is always out caring for his animals and checking up on his land – and wellies are essential gear. Go visit a farm park and meet the sheep, chickens and pigs, or walk the countryside and you might come across a field of curious cows or ponies happy to come over to the fence to say hello. If you are heading to Wales around Easter, you are likely to find a farm park that offers the chance to bottle feed the baby lambs.

Find a show or festival near you

Everyone knows wellies are great for stomping around a festival - and the magnificent landscape of Wales provides the perfect backdrop for big events. Green Man Festival, Farmer Phil’s Festival and Starry Skies Family Camp are just a few of the excellent family-friendly goings-on throughout the country.

Take a look here for a full list of festivals and events taking place in Wales during the year and find an exciting event near where your staying.

Get competitive with wellie wanging

Put some wellie in your punt with a little competition. See who can throw their wellie the furthest! The annual Welsh Welly Wanging Open Championships are held every year in Shirenewton, a pretty village in Monmouthshire.

Everyone is welcome to enter, and they have categories for adults and kids – perfect for the whole family. If you can’t make it this year, then get practising in your back garden and see if you can stir up a little competition. We say the winner gets the honour of first slice of tasty mud pie.

Create your own mud run

Ok, so you shouldn’t actually wear wellies for this one, it’s more about getting as wet and muddy as you can.

You’ll find mud courses for all ages and abilities at Morfabay and Adventure Wales, or you could simply create your own course at home. Lay down a blanket to scramble under, use bags to mark posts to run around and draw a chalk finishing line. Ready, steady, race.

Jump in puddles!

Why were wellies invented if it wasn’t for jumping in puddles?

Go on a walk to find the biggest, wettest, muddiest puddle you can and jump right in! Have a competition to see who can make the biggest splash.

Fun for holidays

Getting wet and muddy is all part of a fun family holiday. Don’t let the rain stop you from exploring Wales’ spectacular coast or discovering the fantastic countryside and National Parks in this beautiful part of the world.

Looking for more great things to do on your family getaway to Wales? Read our post of ten affordable family fun ideas in Wales for more great holiday activities or browse our accommodation on offer in this spectacular country.