South Stack Cliffs, Anglesey

At the end of Holy Island, South Stack is one the best places to see zillions of sea birds in full cry: in spring, the cliffs are thick with guillemots, razorbills and puffins. The 400 steps make the lighthouse a no-no for pushchairs, but there’s a very good path that runs from the lower car park into the heathland and up to a viewpoint in front of Ellin's Tower. Look out for tumbling antics of the choughs, easily the cheeriest members of the crow family.

two men, one with pram, and woman walking along coast path, with white building in background.
two men and a woman walking with a pushchair, with lighthouse and coast in background.

South Stack Lighthouse, Anglesey, North Wales

Bute Park, Cardiff

Right in the middle of our capital, the 56-hectare Bute Park is the ideal place for toddlers (and parents) to run amok, with miles of tarmac tracks, woodland play trail, an education centre and two very good cafés. But it’s also amazingly good for wildlife, considering how urban the surroundings. Kingfishers, dippers and otters hunt in the River Taff, and peregrine falcons patrol the skies - a pair nest in the nearby clock tower of City Hall. You’ll hear the drumming of great spotted woodpeckers, and the ‘yaffle’ call of green woodpeckers. There are also 3,000 trees, and a QR code trail that’ll appeal to tech-minded youngsters.

Group of people walking in Bute Park, Cardiff.
woman and girl looking at flowers.

Bute Park, Cardiff, South Wales

Bosherston Lily Ponds, Pembrokeshire

Bosherston Lily Ponds is a network of lakes was created by Georgian aristos so they’d have something pretty to look at from their splendid mansion, Stackpole Court. It’s long since been demolished, and the lakes have been commandeered by otters, dragonflies and birds. This flat one-mile (1.6km) walk takes in the beautiful lily ponds, and is the easiest way to reach lovely Broadhaven South beach. Pushchairs can’t navigate the half-mile walk over to Barafundle Bay, but older children will love the yomp across the clifftops.

man and woman with baby in pushchair walk over bridge with lily pond either side.
man and woman with baby in pushchair walk along path with greenery and lake in background.
Broadhaven South Beach.

Bosherton Lily Ponds and Broadhaven South Beach, Pembrokeshire, West Wales

Bwlch Nant yr Arian, Ceredigion, Mid Wales

Bwlch Nant yr Arian is a mountain/forest/lake combo sitting at the head of a remote valley with great views of Cardigan Bay and the Cambrian Mountains. It’s the starting point for all kind of hiking/biking/riding adventures, and also one of the best places to watch the daily feeding of red kites. The pushchair-friendly Barcud Trail leads around the edge of the lake where the action happens: at peak times, around 150 red kites turn up for their daily dinner (2pm in winter; 3pm in summer).

woman pushing pushchair and young girl walking along path with trees.
woman pushing pushchair and young girl walking along path near garden benches.

Bwlch Nant yr Arian, Ceredigion, Mid Wales

Pwll y Wrach Nature Reserve, Bannau Brycheiniog

Pwll y Wrach - the ‘witch’s pool’ – there’s a name guaranteed to pique the interest of little ones – was carved by a waterfall where the River Enig plunges down a wooded gorge near Talgarth. An easy-access path leads from the car park into the heart of the reserve, where a network of dirt paths should be easily managed by little feet. It’s especially lovely here in spring, when wood anemones poke like white stars through a yellow carpet of lesser celandines. Later on, bluebells fleck the woodland floor with shimmering blue and the heady scent of wild garlic fills the air.

A roundish pool fed by waterfalls, in woodland.
A parent pushing a child in a pushchair on a woodland path.

Pwll y Wrach Nature Reserve, Talgarth, Mid Wales

Welsh Wildlife Centre, Pembrokeshire

There are plenty of boardwalks and flat trails around the Welsh Wildlife Centre near Cilgerran, the Teifi Marsh nature reserve, where you can spot a huge variety of native birds and beasts. The resident water buffalo aren’t native, but they do a marvellous job of grazing the marshes on behalf of other animals. Inside the visitor centre, there’s a learning-through-play section with wildlife colouring, drawing and quizzes. They do pretty fab home-made cakes, too.

family of swans swimming.
woman and child sat at a table of cafe, with views of wildlife centre.
two water buffalo on grass.

Welsh Wildlife Centre, Pembrokeshire, West Wales

Cors Caron Nature Reserve, Ceredigion

We once asked TV naturalist Chris Packham about his favourite spots in Wales, and he got very excited about Cors Caron’s vast bog. Why? Because although bogs aren’t as look-at-me dramatic as mountains, they do attract an amazing variety of wildlife. They can, however, be somewhat boggy, which is why the 1.5km boardwalk is a sensible way to explore this wetland nature paradise when you’re wheeling a buggy. The 6km surfaced path along the edge of the reserve is easy to stroll, too. The area’s especially good for rarer birds of prey: hen harriers, merlins, hobbies and goshawks live here. A golden eagle (an escapee, probably) has also been seen - triple bonus points if you spot it.

There are loads of Natural Resources Wales reserves and visitor centres which have accessible trails suitable for pushchairs, wheelchair users and users of adaptive equipment. Head to the Natural Resources Wales website for the latest info. 

Marloes Peninsula, Pembrokeshire

The wildlife sanctuary islands of Pembrokeshire are a bit of a no-go zone for pushchairs, but you can enjoy them from the mainland on the Marloes Peninsula with a gorgeous clifftop walk which follows easy grassy paths. You can spot dolphins, porpoises and plenty of seals in the waters below, and enjoy great views of Skomer and Skokholm islands.

Nature note for youngsters: distant Grassholm gleams white, but not because of snow. It’s thousands and thousands of tons of ‘guano’, as we experts like to call bird poo.

Beach at Marloes Sands.
Beach at Marloes Sands with dark clouds.

Marloes Sands, Pembrokeshire, West Wales

Dinefwr Park, Carmarthenshire

Dinefwr Park is home to Newton House mansion, a 12th-century castle, deer park, nature trails - we’ve done it all with a pushchair (it’s a bit of a shunt up that last hill to the old Dinefwr Castle, mind). But for gentler strolls, we’d go for the long level boardwalk to mill pond, or a tractor-trailer tour of the estate. In any event, you won’t miss stunning valley views and massive trees that are well over 700 years old – which means they were already big when Owain Glyndŵr was busy besieging the castle in 1403.

A 'fairy garden' with tiny houses in a field in woodland.
A partially ruined castle with a round tower.

The Fairy Garden at Newton House, and Dinefwr Castle, Carmarthenshire, West Wales

Millennium Coastal Path, Carmarthenshire

The daddy of all pushchair routes: the Millennium Coastal Path has 13 miles (21km) of smooth, traffic-free tarmac stretching all the way from Llanelli to Pembrey. The Loughor Estuary provides plenty of wildlife-spotting along its whole length, but for closer encounters head for the WWT Llanelli Wetland CentreThey’ve made a big effort to appeal to kids, with lots of play areas, activity trails, events and opportunities to hand-feed the wildfowl.

Women pushing pushchairs along a flat path.
man and woman with toddler looking towards beach.
toddler walking on walkway held by man with beach in background.

Millennium Coastal Path, West Wales

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