Fall in love with the Welsh outdoors on the country's own Valentine's Day - St Dwynwen's Day, 25 January 2020

Wales's alternative to Valentine's Day, St Dwynwen's Day, is around three weeks earlier and offers the perfect excuse for couples to spend time together and fall more in love - with each other and with the great Welsh outdoors.

The people of Wales pay homage to the country's patron saint of lovers by taking long walks along deserted beaches, carving love spoons for their sweethearts and cwtching up in front of a roaring log fire.

Embrace the country's windswept coastlines, rolling valleys and epic mountainscapes, during Wales's Year of the Outdoors, a two-year celebration of the country's breathtaking natural beauty.

St Dwynwen's Day Fast Facts:

• St Dwynwen's name translated means, 'she who leads a blessed life'. Legend has it that she was given three wishes by God, which she used to save her lover, to bless all lovers and to ensure that she would never marry.

• As well as being the Welsh patron saint of lovers, St Dwynwen is also the patron saint of sick animals.

• St Dwynwen's Well on Llanddwyn Island is supposedly home to sacred fish that can predict whether couples' relationships will succeed. Others have said that if the water within boils, those who see it will be lucky in love.

• A Welsh love spoon is traditionally given as a gift on St Dwynwen's Day with the world's largest ever measuring a jaw-dropping 44ft.

Romantic places to visit on St Dwynwen's Day

• Home is where the heart is…

Visit Llanddwyn Island, former home of St Dwynwen herself

Located on the southern tip of Anglesey in North Wales, Llanddwyn Island (Ynys Llanddwyn) is one of the most beautiful and romantic spots in Wales. St Dwynwen devoted her life to God and founded a convent on the island - the ruins of St Dwynwen's church still stand to this day.

Take a bracing walk with a loved one through this designated nature reserve, with stunning views across the Menai Strait to the mountains of Snowdonia and a blue flag beach, backed by dunes and a forest, that's home to red squirrels and a huge host of ravens (which mate for life, appropriately).

Where to stay: Chateau Rhianfa

This fairytale castle, built in 1849 on the edge of the Menai Strait, is exquisite inside and out. French-inspired rooms and interiors with magical little touches make this a perfect couples hideaway on St Dwynwen's Day.

Rooms start from £114 (€134.04) For more information, visit www.chateaurhianfa.com

• Visit an absolute beauty of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty…

Stroll through the romantic and awe-inspiring Gower Peninsula

A 70 square-mile paradise of magical woodlands, soaring clifftops and sparkling beaches, the Gower Peninsula - also the first place in Britain to be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - is the perfect spot for romantic rambles on St Dwynwen's Day.

Couples could ramble over the dramatic cliffs and coves dotted along its coastline by walking the Wales Coast Path, or take the Gower Way: an enchanting and historical odyssey that runs straight through its heart. The Gower Peninsula will leave lovers totally enthralled with one another and this beautiful landscape.

Where to stay: Oxwich Bay Hotel

Situated a stone's throw from its namesake, Oxwich Bay Beach, the Oxwich Bay Hotel will be welcoming guests on St Dwynwen's Day weekend with a Welsh-inspired, 3-course St Dwynwen's Day dinner.  A Welsh cooked breakfast will also follow the next morning for those seeking fuel for the romantic rambles ahead.

Special offer of £109 (€128.16) a room per night based on two sharing on the 24 and 25 January 2020. For more information, visit: www.oxwichbayhotel.co.uk/

St Dwynwen's Day Events around Wales

• A celebration of Welsh food and culture…

Venue Cymru's Y Review Restaurant hosts an evening to celebrate St Dwynwen's Day

Offering panoramic sea views across the Llandudno Bay, Venue Cymru's Y Review restaurant invites visitors on St Dwynwen's Day to enjoy a five-course Welsh taster menu that revels in the great produce available across Wales. A cocktail on arrival and some excellent Welsh entertainment also awaits.

Visitors and their significant others should take to the heights of the Great Orme, overlooking the charming Victorian seaside resort, and profess their love for one another to the world. The rest of the day can be spent meandering along the town's classic pier, taking in the penny arcades and retro shops along the way or simply watching the coastal world go by.

The taster menu is available from £37.50 (€44.09) per person. For more information, visit: http://www.venuecymru.co.uk

• Crafting love spoons and enamel tokens…

Half day St Dwynwen's Day courses at St Fagans National Museum of History

To commemorate St Dwynwen's Day, St Fagans Museum of Natural History will be holding a half day craft course inspired by the tokens of love held within the museum's collections.

The museum, winner of the 2019 UK Art Fund Museum of the Year, is Wales's most popular heritage attraction and is also situated just a short drive away from the capital city, Cardiff. Before classes, couples can take in everything Wales's metropolis has to offer – a beautiful bay, historical castle, bustling markets and so much more.

Places on the course start from £30 (€35.27) per person. For more information, visit: www.museum.wales/

Ends

Currency conversion using Google Currency Convertor. Accurate on 06 January 2019.

For further details, please contact: visitwales@webershandwick.com or call 0161 238 9400.