WALK 4: PONTRYHYDYFEN - CYMMER IN AFAN FOREST PARK

Walking in Afan Forest Park is a delight with easy, well marked trails and stunning forest and river views. Look out for the famous Kanji Wood en route and try and work out where all the railways went from Cymmer.Walking in Afan Forest Park is a delight with easy, well marked trails and stunning forest and river views. Look out for the famous Kanji Wood en route and try and work out where all the railways went from Cymmer. Photo: J. Davies

Map: OS Explorer 165 & 166, or Landranger 170

Distance: Approximately 4½ miles; 7.5 kilometres

Terrain: Easy – to moderate, mainly level walking; allow 3 hours.

Start: Oakwood Bus Interchange*, Pontrhydyfen [*further information on Oakwood Interchange bus stops (pdf., 500kb)]; Grid Reference SS796940

Bus there:

Mondays to Saturdays: First Cymru Service 23 from Port Talbot ( X1 connection from Swansea) and Cwmafan; frequency, every hour daytime. Service 159 from Swansea and Neath (connections from Pontardawe); frequency: every hour daytime. Sundays: First Cymru Service 159 from Neath (158 connection from Swansea); frequency: every hour daytime.

Walk: From the bus interchange, walk back down the hill towards Pontrhydyfen, cross the River and turn immediately right following a track until you get to the Rhyslyn Picnic Site. From here you take the left hand route which starts as a footpath but later links up to the track bed of the former South Wales Mineral Railway which you follow through to the north side of the river at Abercregan, crossing a bridge to Cymmer. The right hand route is currently closed beyond Kanji Wood due to a landslip.

Finish: Cymmer Leisure Centre; Grid Reference SS861961

Facilities: Cymmer Refreshment Rooms; a pub with bar meals available (except Tuesdays) and is the original building on Cymmer’s former train station. The bus stop is a short walk (2 minutes) from here.

Bus back: Mondays to Saturdays: First Cymru Service 23 to Port Talbot (X1 or X3 connection from Swansea) and Cwmafan; frequency, every hour daytime. Service 159 to Neath; frequency, every hour daytime.
Sundays: First Cymru Service 159 from Neath (158 connection from Swansea); frequency, every hour daytime.

Bus times

Tickets

From Swansea: First Day Swansea Bay; prices as of spring 2011, £4.40 adult, £2.80 child
From Neath: First Day Neath Port Talbot; prices as of spring 2011; £4.00 adult, £2.80 child

Updated 16.05.11