CARDIFF, Wales - The Wales Tourist Board has just released two free, four-color magazines created specifically for those stouthearted vacationers who enjoy a challenge.

Walking Wales lays out treks in 14 areas of uncommon natural beauty - from the highest hills in the landlocked Brecon Beacons to the tranquil blue waters of the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. A companion publication, Adventure Wales, is brimming with inspiration and information about an almost endless variety -- 21 to be exact -- different outdoor activities, some uniquely Welsh.

At fifty-plus beautiful pages, with contributions from award-winning journalists and insights from world sports champions, these guides read more like magazines than vacation planners. However, each does contain the A-B-C’s needed to book a holiday in Wales, including many detailed maps and contact details for specialist tour operators. Adventure seekers will find outdoor activities for all skill levels, for the independent individual, for families and for those who prefer the support of a group or a guide.

Wales, “a quietly confident country on the edge of Europe” is just two hours by road or rail from London, but a world apart. Jan Morris has said of the tiny principality, “Such is the nature and history of Wales that sometimes it seems like the first place God created.”

The natural beauty of Wales is splendid indeed, and it is blissfully unspoiled by the crowds of trekkers and adventure addicts that tend to invade better known destinations.

Adventure Wales offers a tantalizing glimpse of the land and water-based activities on offer in Wales - all in some of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet:

H2GO! River and sea kayaking, rafting and canoeing, diving, jetskiing and wakeboarding are just some of the varied activities you would expect a world-class sporting destination to offer, but surf kayaking? Well, imagine surfing without all the worries of balancing your feet, at the same time ‘hooning’ along the face of a thundering Atlantic roller in waters warmed by the gulf stream! That’s surf kayaking in Wales.

Take a leap of faith! For a uniquely Welsh feat, try coasteering. Born in Wales in the 80’s, it’s one of the hottest new outdoor activities around. Don a wetsuit and set out on a rigorous coastal trek over a predetermined route that includes climbing, thrilling cliff jumps and swims. For the less adventurous (!) there are the more usual pursuits of abseiling, mountaineering and rock climbing. These are all ways of experiencing life on the edge - literally. Rocky ridges that protrude like ribs from Welsh mountain peaks provide scrambling routes in abundance. Oh…and did we mention landyachting?

Walking Wales presents an array of enticing treks through 14 astonishingly beautiful regions in Wales; each region offers a plethora of options - from gentle rambles to challenging hikes:

Peaks of Perfection in Snowdonia were good enough for famed Everest climber Sir Edmund Hillary - he trained there. You can follow in his footsteps. If the beach is more your scene, try beachcombing on the Llyn Peninsula. Can’t make up your mind? Combine majestic mountains with the serenity of the sea in the ancient and legendary Preseli Hills - Pembrokeshire’s mountains by the sea. It was here that 4,000 years ago the bluestones of Stonehenge were hewn. The Berwyn Hills in Northeast Wales are virtually undiscovered…a hidden land of lakes, forests and moors.

Surf kayaking, coasteering, landyachting…intriguing? Get active and get it booked! For your free copies of Adventure Wales and Walking Wales, visit www.visitwales.com or call 1-877-872-1133.

This story was published on 11 Feb 2004.