The Gnoll Country Park is a lovely escape from the hustle and bustle of town. It has something for…read moreeveryone, with peaceful waterside walks around lakes, elaborate restored cascades and then wilder parts with clambering woodland paths plus coarse fishing. There are stunning views from the higher parts of the park and it provides a calm retreat on sunny hot days(when we have them!) when the coast is crowded out. There's a great children's play area next to the visitor centre and cafe, plus lots of entertaining ducks, geese and swans who frequently tread the paths around the visitor's centre.

We've lived in Port Talbot for years and only recently discovered this beautiful park - now the…read morekids love it. There's plenty of parking with easy access to the adventure playground, park, lake and visitor centre and we enjoy walking through the unspoilt woodlands and watching the varied wildlife. The open grassy areas are perfect for picnics and playing ball games.

It's a lovely park very close to where we live, with a large lake and some small ones, where people…read morelike to feed the ducks and swans (and occasional seagulls). Great for walks in the woodland and around the lakes. The cafe is quite good and fairly inexpensive, though not much for vegetarians (why can't cafes keep some veggie burgers in the freezer to offer in addition to all the meat burgers?) Today there was a potato and cheese pie on offer which looked nice, though more choice would be good. The staff weren't particularly friendly, though not actually hostile. They could try to be a bit more welcoming though. On the plus side, it's pleasant on the inside of the building with occasional school exhibits and information about the park, and large windows overlooking the largest lake. There are also a few tables outside.

Over the years the Gnoll Park has changed a lot and when they added the Visitors Centre it was…read morecertainly a change for the better. The centre is situated next to the children's play area and the lake which has a huge variety of ducks, which is always a firm favourite with the children and you can purchase bags of food for them from the shop inside the Visitors Centre. There is a wealth of information on offer for both children and adults and the centre is a firm favourite with my granddaughter (though I suspect that the food and the ducks have a big part to play in this). All in all an excellent day out for everyone and best of all it's free, including the parking.

This Victorian style public park is situated in the middle of Neath, just behind the bus station…read more It's a medium sized formal park, about 2 acres in area. There are plenty of park benches around the park and it's a nice area to eat your sandwiches on a summer's day. There are also public toilets in the park, although I haven't used them myself. The park can attract a few of Neath's undesirables and several years ago it did have the reputation of being full of drunks. Nowadays though, it's a drink free zone - alcohol is not allowed in the park - and although some of the benches seem to attract the ne'er do wells - it is safe for young families. There's a small playground there as well, and lots of birds to feed.

My little dog and I spent two hours walking one of the trails. The path used to weave through the…read moreforest but today we found a desolate and bleak hillside. All the trees have been cut down. There is a visitor centre where you can buy detailed maps and there's a café. Parking is £1 and there are showers and toilets on site. Bikes are available to rent with different level routes.

Marvellous, huge forest, trails of all kinds - steep gradients for serious mountain-bikers,…read moreless-strenuous ones for walkers, many even suitable for wheelchairs. You can walk all day in this forest admiring the lovely views without retracing your steps - and without meeting many other people either. There are some benches here and there and picnic tables down by the river. There are useful maps available in the visitor centre and there's a small shop for gifts in there too. I find the self service cafe very disappointing however as the menu (which hasn't changed for years) is extremely boring and unimaginative and the staff aren't friendly. There's almost nothing available for vegetarians either and nothing for vegans apart from the inevitable potato with boring old baked beans. Why on earth can't they even keep a box of veggie burgers in the freezer? So, to sum up: fantastic forest but poor cafe. UPDATE JAN 2009: Same old menu but when we asked, they found a tin of vegetable soup which was very nice. The lady who served us was friendlier this time. They had a delivery when we were there and I noticed that all the boxes contained pre-cooked baked potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, and other ready-meals. So don't expect home cooking but it's not expensive so that's one good thing. It's somewhere warm to shelter from the freezing wind too.

The botanical gardens are just a small part of what makes up the entirety of Singleton Park…read more Singleton Park is an excellent park. It cascades down the hill from Sketty down to Oystermouth Road (basically the sea). It's large, sprawling and esoteric. There's a small stonehenge-y bit near the top by Uplands, there's the botanical gardens which are detailed and intricate, there's massive expanses of pure green grass looking over Swansea Bay, and towards the bottom there is the play area complete with lake, pedal boats and pubs. There are more features that roll along the vast swathes of greenery that I'll leave you to discover yourself. This park has everything really, and bags of personality. Big events are staged here in the summer too - I saw Motorhead here when I was 15, but they also host big dance music events which get very messy (in the way that people who enjoy dance music like). A beautiful place full of surprises. Take a stroll and see which side of Singleton Park you like best.

Yes, a nice place to visit, right next to Swansea University. A very pleasant park and gardens to…read morewalk in and the botanical glass houses are interesting to wander through. I liked seeing the coffee plants best - I drink coffee every day but never knew what the plant looked like! I sometimes go there just to take photos, especially of the tame squirrels - they will take food from your hand if you are patient. Once or twice I've seen robins and chaffinches taking food held out on someone's palm too.

This is a wonderful place for a walk! Not only is Richard Burton's childhood home here (a terraced…read morehouse on the main road) and one of the entrances to the massive Afan Argoed Forest Park, but there is an impressive, mile long circular walk you can do here which will take you over both a tall 19th century viaduct and a disused aqueduct! Start opposite the shop in Pontrhydyfen (there is only one!) and take the left hand fork facing you (Station Road) instead of going down the steep hill. Walk along here past the cemetery and a little further on turn right onto the aqueduct. After appreciating the marvellous views of the Afan Valley, cross to the other side, turn right into the village of Oakwood and walk to the end. Follow a grassy track which winds down some steps and then turn right onto the viaduct. This is another great place for views back over the village of Pontrhydyfen and the aqueduct, although the sides are high - you might need to stand on tiptoe! Keep going until a woodland 'crossroads' then turn right and follow the river back to the road, where you will turn left and left again up the steep hill to take you back to where you started. Not far from where we live and a walk we often enjoy at all times of year.

This is one of Wales' best kept secrets. The best family day out in Wales. For sure. Margam Country…read morePark has so much going on all year around, that I feel a list may be in order: 10 REASONS TO GO TO MARGAM PARK: 1) 1000 acres of amazing scenery and parkland 2) Historic buildings and stunning architecture: picturesque Tudor-Gothic style Victorian Mansion House 3) Park train, taking you all around the place (save energy for point 4) 4) Children's adventure playground! Complete with a zip swing. 5) Fairytale Land; for children of any age, complete with a miniature castle/maze. 6) The hedge maze. 7) Outdoor giant chess/drafts, by the ice cream outlet. 8) Margam deer herd wandering peacefully around the play. 9) Mountain biking... 10) Walking, crazy golf, farm trails, canoes, fishing, camping, pony trekking... There are incredible events running throughout the year, including craft fairs, battle reenactment and Halloween haunted tours. This really is an amazing and magical place with secrets and surprises quite literally around every corner. Enjoy!

Addicted to eighteenth century related houses and their history? Then this park is the most…read moreglorious place to visit. You will be surprised at every corner that you take; there is an eighteenth Century Orangery, the twelfth Century Chapter House, the most cutest deer herd within the whole of Wales and there are so many of them that photographers won't know what to do with themselves. A Tudor-Gothic style, Victorian Mansion House and Ornamental gardens also take place at the stunning area, where Margam Park lie's. I love this place it is so beautiful it is hard not to want to live there; if it was available to do so and it you could afford such fantastic house and it's ground. It would be a brilliant day out for all, which would be great for parents and children too. You can find out all that you need to on the companies fantastic website. There is so much to see and do there that you will have to go back there more than once, a fabulous summer holiday, day out. Fun for all the family! It is a place that is situated near Port Talbot which is about half an hour away from Cardiff. So I recommend it to all...

I visited this little park for the first time today, having driven past it hundreds of times. The…read moreentrance is opposite the police station on the main road in the south of the village. Although small, it's a pleasant place to take a stroll or sit on one of the benches in good weather. There's a nice children's play area, a bowling green, tennis courts and rugby pitch, with changing facilities. There are many flower beds which are stocked with plants, many in flower today (see my photos). There isn't a car park but it's usually easy to park nearby in the street. This park used to be called Parc-y-Llyn but its name was changed - only last year - in memory of Siencyn Powell, a school caretaker, who died 70 years ago trying to save four children who fell through ice into a 20 ft deep pond. Unfortunately, they all drowned. The pond was filled in the very next day and no trace now remains.

Quite a pleasant, warm, pool but (like so many these days, alas) roped off into lanes down one…read moreside. This makes the remaining pool very narrow and basically half size, so there's very little room to move when it gets crowded. The last time I swam there I got out after ten minutes because of people getting in the way. Having said that, if you're lucky enough to pick a quiet time it would be a nice relaxing place to swim. The changing facilities and showers are clean and the people who work there are helpful. There's a small car park attached.

From the owner: Neath Leisure Centre caters for the fitness and leisure needs of the local and wider communities…read more Whether you're a child learning to swim, local worker looking to get fit, or simply someone looking to unwind, this is the perfect place for you. As well as the sport and fitness offerings, the venue also houses a health suite with sauna, jacuzzi and a steam room.