Summer's coming. Excel and the freezing weather is far astern. And with the sun and warmer weather, there's a very good chance the new South Wales Boat Show can deliver what London never could - a rip-roaring family day out.
Dde Cymru Bad Arddangos is coming
Know why the family hated being dragged over to East London? When you finally got there, through the rain, the traffic and Underground or DLR strikes, there was nothing in it for them. No place to sit, nothing to do, and predictable wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am catering. Now shift your thinking to a weekend in mid-June, and your location to the banks of a lake in 850 acres of Margam Country Park near Port Talbot, and maybe you stand a chance.
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Margam Country Park offers beauty, history, wildlife and a wide range of facilities to make it one of the best days out in Wales for all the family.
Source: www.neath-porttalbot.gov.uk
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Family day out
Why family? Well aren't they your crew? Shouldn't you consult them if you're looking at buying a boat - or even quietly dreaming about it? And wouldn't your sailing life be twenty million times better if you had them on board with you, instead of resenting every single second? You bet it would. Which means any boat show should be for them too.
So already South Wales scores, and you haven't even got there yet. It's a Boat Show for the family. So set Port Talbot into your sat-nav and welcome to the first Dde Cymru Bad Arddangos (with apologies to our Welsh friends if we're a bit skew, but we do want to show we try).
A weekend in Wales
OK, if you're heading to Glamorgan from less enlightened parts of the country, you could be in for quite a drive. That means it had better be pretty stunning when you get there. It is. Get ready for a Welsh weekend.
And from the family point of view, how's this for back-up?
- a huge great park with the best collection of deer in Wales
- an 18th Century orangery
- an Tudor-Gothic style Victorian mansion house
- a 12th Century chapter house
- a unique fuschia collection
- historic gardens and terrace
- terrific walks
- a narrow-gauge railway with Monty the train
- a children's adventure playground
- a farm trail and pets corner
- a fairytale village
- even fishing if you can find the time
150 exhibitors
But of course the real reason you'll want to go is BOATS. And they're certainly here. Which means for a first time Boat Show, the organisers must be doing pretty well. They're expecting 150 exhibitors - from boat builders to chandleries to a host of boating accessory and kit providers, Welsh obviously, plus many from across the UK as well as overseas - even, so they tell us, all the way from Poland. There will also be a major RNLI presence.
“We are encouraging all types of water sports to be represented," say show promoter Ben Sutcliffe, "from surfers, water bikes, fishing craft, powerboats, canoes, dinghies, trailer-sailors and yachts."
Action displays
How about wow? With a number of action displays including a water-bike performance and hand-on activities like 'Get afloat, Try a boat', Sutcliffe reckons the Show will provide a great day out, not only for boat enthusiasts, but families as well.
Better than that, Margam Park is pretty well at the heart of some truly inspiring sailing territory. The new Swansea Marina is up and running and the whole of Wales has an intriguing coast with numerous safe havens. South Wales also has a large contingent of sailing schools and clubs, ranging from dinghy to yacht racing.
How to get there
Overlooking the Bristol Channel, Margam Park is between Cardiff and Swansea, close to Junction 38 of the M4. Haverfordwest and Fishguard are only 90 minutes away.
The South Wales Boat Show is open from Saturday 17 June to Sunday 18 June and tickets are £5 for adults, £2 for children. A Family ticket for two adults and two children is £12. Entry is exclusively pay at the gate. Car parking is free and there's plenty of it.
For further details visit www.southwalesboatshow.co.uk
