`Various emblems represent Wales, such as the leek – the object of many jokes and a recognised symbol of Wales even in Shakespeare’s day – and the daffodil, which can be seen lining so many country roads in Wales during the spring. But perhaps the one that is the most iconic today is the red dragon.
This shift in favour of the dragon is probably due to two factors. Leeks and daffodils are now deservedly popular far beyond the borders of Wales: over the past two or three decades the leek has changed from a culinary curiosity to a fashionable ingredient in cuisines the world over. The other factor is the recent renewed interest in the flags of all the individual nations that make up the United Kingdom. The red dragon emblazoned on the Welsh flag, so immediately recognisable, has quickly come to symbolise all things Welsh.
When we set out to design a hiking stick especially for walkers in Wales, we naturally turned to the red dragon for inspiration. The design we eventually went for embodies the green background of the Welsh flag and of course the dragon itself, in all its fiery redness. The design fits smartly around the shaft of the stick near the collar.
The stick was of course designed mainly for those many hikers who are passionate about walking in Wales. But interestingly, like the leek and the daffodil, the Welsh Dragon design stick is enjoying popularity in many other places too – with any serious walker or rambler, in fact, who wants a distinctive hiking stick.
