Afan Forest Park is one of my favourite places to visit, both with and without the boys. I often find myself walking here with my walking buddy Bobbi in the mornings, once the boys have gone to school (when I’m not in university of course). It is such a vast area, that it is usually quiet, so I feel more comfortable leaving her off the lead here. She can be very nervous in busy places, so this certainly gives us more freedom.
It’s such a peaceful place, and there are a variety of walks available. There are 14 trails marked within the Park, making it a top tourist walking destination.
The routes start from various points within the valley – and we’ve been to all of them. We’ve still not yet completed all the walks though (some are up to 10 miles long, which is a bit too far for the little ones at the moment), but it’s on our list!
There is a information available about the Forest park available on their website. It includes details of the walks available.
And also, there are route maps and guides available to download from the Glyncorrwg Ponds website here.
Please note: All walks may not be suitable for all. There are parts of the walks that include some strenuous uphill and downhill sections. The ground is also rough underfoot. I highly recommend that you wear appropriate clothing and footwear.
There is parking available in the visitor centers, charged at £1 for all day parking, and it is metered, so you will need change. Depending where your starting point, some places do have free parking (Rhyslyn car park is currently free – but there are no toilets here) – so some find it better to park in the Visitor Centre Car Park, where there are toilet facilities available. Five of the walking routes also start from here – so if you have £1 – this is where I recommend parking.
There is also a Miners Museum situated in the Visitors Centre site, but we are yet to visit this, as the boys are too excited and want to head straight out into the forest – but it’s definitely something for our to do list.
Afan Forest is also renowned for it’s mountain biking trails within the forestry. I personally can’t give an insight on these as I am certainly not a mountain bike lover (sorry hubby!), but my Husband is always riding various trails there, and loves it. There is more information on the biking trails on the website too.
The boys love both walking, and riding their bikes here. Although there are more strenuous trails for competent riders, there are plenty of flatter routes that the boys can ride along (and fall over on) without hurting themselves too much. They also like visiting the small skills park within the forest – which is a little area to practice riding over mounds, and for the braver, practising jumps.
Side note: Please please please, ALWAYS wear a helmet!!
You can honestly spend a full day here wandering and exploring the beautiful forestry and views. There are plenty of benches and rest spots along the way – and it’s another place we like to go prepared with a picnic or plenty of snacks and water when we visit. Pack your walking boots and a camera! Here are a selection of our photo’s from our more recent visits.
Have you visited Afan Forest Park? What was your experience? I’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to write in the comments 🙂
The Travel Nut 
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