As summer unfolds across Wales’ landscapes, June brings with it a special opportunity to celebrate Pride Month. At Tirweddau Cymru Landscapes Wales, we believe that our National Landscapes and National Parks should be open, welcoming, and inclusive for everyone, regardless of background, identity or experience.
This Pride Month, we’re shining a spotlight on the LGBTQ+ groups exploring the landscapes of Wales and the people and partnerships helping ensure that everyone feels they truly belong in nature.
Nature is for Everyone
Wales’ designated landscapes offer moments of peace, connection, and joy for thousands of people each year. But for too long, not everyone has felt invited to share in these spaces. Members of LGBTQ+ communities have often faced barriers, seen and unseen, that can make the outdoors feel unwelcoming or even unsafe.
That’s changing.
Thanks to the passion of inclusive groups, volunteers, and long-term initiatives working across the eight National Landscapes of Wales, the countryside is becoming more open, more inviting, and more representative of the people who call Wales home.
Meet the Groups Making a Difference
Across Wales, vibrant LGBTQ+ outdoor communities are helping to reclaim space, build connection, and find joy on the trail.
The Gay Outdoor Club (GOC) has three active groups in North, South and West Wales, bringing together LGBTQ+ people and their friends for regular hikes, walks and social activities. From relaxed riverside rambles to rugged adventures in the Bannau Brycheiniog, Eryri and Wye Valley, GOC creates space for connection and belonging.
OutdoorLads hosts adventure-based events across the UK, including Wales, welcoming gay, bi, trans and queer men to take part in activities such as hiking, camping, climbing, cycling, and more. Entirely volunteer-run, these events are about more than outdoor fitness, they’re about building community in wild places. Recent Welsh activities have included wild swimming, coastal hikes in Pembrokeshire, and even overnight camping in remote uplands.
These groups and others like them are creating safe, welcoming routes into the outdoors and inspiring new voices.
Why Inclusion in Landscapes Matters
At Tirweddau Cymru Landscapes Wales, we know that inclusion isn’t a checklist, it’s a commitment. That’s why we’re working across all eight of Wales’ National Parks and National Landscapes to embed equity and representation into everything we do.
From supporting local LGBTQ+ groups and events to inclusive training, on top of improving signage and facilities, we are committed to transforming our landscapes into spaces where everyone feels seen, welcomed, and valued.
As one team member recently put it: “You can’t have true diversity without genuine inclusion first.” That means working not only on the paths people walk, but on the policies, partnerships and practices that shape who feels at home here.
Pride, Place and Possibility
This Pride Month, whether you’re out on a group walk or enjoying a quiet moment in nature, we celebrate the freedom to be yourself, and the simple joy of spending time outdoors.
Wales’ landscapes are here for everyone. So grab your boots and enjoy these beautiful places just as you are.