Activity holidays in Wales have been described as out of this world and according to David Tennant, he’s been to many distant planets and galaxies which seem to bear an uncanny resemblance to disused quarries in the Principality.   Wales has seen its fair share of location work for science fiction blockbusters and over the past few years it’s become a magnet for location teams seeking ethereal, other worldly scenes and set ups.   We can’t promise Star Wars fans anything if they do indulge in an activity holiday of spotting locations, but there are some stunning Sci-Fi venues you can drop in on.

Welsh Sc-Fi activity holidays have to begin at Portmeirion, setting for Patrick McGoohan’s 1960′s science fiction television series ‘The Prisoner. The combination of SF motifs, 1960s counterculture themes and the surreal setting of Clough Williams-Ellis’ architecture of Portmeirion raised it to the incredible cultural heights of blokes falling out in pubs about what it all meant! One well known fact is that Williams-Ellis constructed Portmeirion using pieces of demolished buildings and deliberately fanciful designs that managed to give “the village” exactly the theme that McGoohan was aiming to accomplish.   That mystery has survived to this day with the ‘Six of One society (the show’s fan club) regularly holding get togethers in the Italianate resort village, flocking to see the location for themselves and shout that they are free men, not a number, before a giant weather balloon gets them.

Without question any Sci-Fi location-spotting tour Wales has to include Cardiff and Cardiff Bay, where ‘Dr Who was re-invented by Russell T Davies. He was clever as not only did Davies successfully manage to resurrect the franchise and so become the BBC’s biggest headline show (remember Christmas 2009 when David Tenant seemed to own the world), but has also managed to pave the way forward for other mainstream programmes to travel along the M4 towards Cardiff.   You’ll come across many Doctor Who and Torchwood (an anagram of Doctor Who) locations such as the Millennium Stadium and Queen’s Arcade Shopping Centre around Cardiff, Cardiff Bay and Swansea.

Snowdonia is already famous as location for UK activity holidays and you can get some science fiction set viewing in too!   Snowdonia was the backdrop for ‘Tomb Raider 2 – Lara Croft and the Cradle of Life.   Scenes with Angelina Jolie were shot at Lyn Gwynant, a lake in Snowdonia that was formed by glaciers eons ago and is popular today for canoeing and kayaking.   Snowdonia was also the supposed location for the giant gun built deep into a Welsh mountain that powered the 1967 SF Comedy ‘Jules Verne’s Rocket to the Moon.