How a plan for an extreme sports park became one of Wales top wedding venues

When Ryan Davies arrived at Llanerch Vineyard, it was in receivership and the vines had died. More than a decade on, it includes hotel accommodation, a restaurant, and walking trails, as well as a wedding venue. He speaks to Jonathon Hill

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AT LLANERCH Vineyard, Ryan Davies is thanking the weather gods for an early-May heatwave while inspecting his vines.

The self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie from the Valleys arrived here in 2010 after a year in New Zealand, hoping to turn it into an extreme sports park, but what he's created couldn't be further from zipwires and BMXs.

"I'd no intention of running a vineyard. I knew nothing about wine," Ryan, who is more of a kite surfing fanatic, tells Weekend magazine while strolling around Llanerch's 28 acres, which includes 10 acres of woodland and pools.

"We were particularly interested in the woods and the water, but once we got here you could still see its great potential as a hotel and restaurant. What stood out most of all was how perfect it'd be for weddings.

"I love my adrenaline and my kite surfing, but I also love being here in the still peace. I'm able to keep the two very separate in my life. If I did extreme sports for a job, I think I'd probably be bored of it by now."

Llanerch's previous owners could no longer fund the place and it was handed over to the receivers before Ryan snapped it up, despite the vines being mostly beyond salvageable and the house and its seven-bedroom bed and breakfast accommodation overlooking the vineyard needing a lot of attention.

His first move was to bring back Lawrence Bond, a true wine connoisseur who had worked on the vineyard for original owners Peter and Diana Andrews. Donning his straw hat, from which corks dangle on a string, Lawrence - like head groundskeeper Ian - is part of the furniture.

"They've been here since day one and they feel it's their place," Ryan says after his morning run near his home in the neighbouring village of Pendoylan. "I love that. It instils a sense of pride and passion and I trust them implicitly because I know how much they care.