This striking lifesize sculpture depicts Truith the Boar (or in Welsh, 'Twrch Trwyth'), from the…read moreold Welsh tale 'Culhwch and Olwen' found in the collection of folklore known as 'The Mabinogion'. In fact the second half of the story is mainly concerned with the hunting of the enchanted boar which strangely enough has poisonous bristles, a pair of scissors, a comb and a razor, between his ears! After many adventures, he is finally driven into the sea and drowned. The sculptor, Chris Crane, was born in Cumbria in 1976. He studied Fine Art in Lancaster and obtained his B.A.(hons) from University of Wales Institute, Cardiff in 2000. These days, he lives and works in Carmarthenshire. He works mainly with old bits of scrap metal, old farming equipment, and other remnants of the industrial past. One of many interesting sculptures in the area which I enjoyed during my time there until last year when I relocated to Scotland.

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.

Built in the late 13th century by the de Braose family of Gower. It was modified several times and…read morein the 18th century it was used as a debtor's prison. Today it stands in ruins looking rather strange and quite out of place right next to the modern BT tower. Found close to the city centre at the top of the pedestrianised area. Worth a look but there are more interesting castles to visit in the area, in my opinion!

I have lived in Swansea for thirty six years and always thought of the castle as a bit of a ruin…read moreyou pass on your way somewhere. Then my wife recently researched and wrote a book on Swansea and Oystermouth castles and I was amazed at their colourful history. It was much bigger than I imagined and the intrigue that surrounded it in the thirteenth century was - scandalous. Not much to see now but still a very interesting place. My respect for the place has grown.

This is an interesting restored site. The new stones have been added to clearly define the layout…read moreof the original interior of the burial chamber. By walking through the site it is possible to gauge how large this monument must have been in its original state. As this is near a fairly busy holiday area, expect the site to be rather busy during the summer (campers, etc) Well worth a visit if in this area. Parking is easy and only a short walk is required from the car - can be muddy after rain.

I went for a walk here the other day. Although we only walked about 10mins down the path, we had a…read morenice walk. The chamber is interesting and there's a useful information board by the car park. You can also find caves to explore in. A nice winter walk.

Standing on the Promenade opposite the Aquadome since 2007 and interesting to see, this is actually…read moreWales' tallest sculpture being 12 meters high and weighing 11 tonnes. It was designed by the Carmarthenshire sculptor and artist Andrew Rowe. There were supposed to be two of these metal sculptures which were inspired by the tails of a kite I have no idea what happened to the other as I've only ever seen one here.

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...

Looks nice in pictures online. Pictures lie. In reality it's grey and boring. It's probably better…read morein the summer. Kind of wished I didn't waste time coming here, there's barely nothing to do. I don't know why people hype it up. You can walk along the low tide water, go on the pier, a couple of cafes and the smallest arcade in the world. The knitted figures in the pictures were the highlight of the visit. Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas apparently have a house here. I guess it's a good location to get away from the press. A very sleepy town.

Chained down and totally fed up, the Mumbles Pier Ape Lady epitomises the sad state of this…read morewonderful structure, lying flat on her back, she's completely out of it - have a look at her photo for yourself. What a contrast! The actual pier itself, starts off OK, fantastic setting, poking its way out into Swansea Bay, traditional wood and iron structure. It then gets really delapidated - fenced off end bit with rotten floor boards up, great gaps with stomach churning drop to sea below. A woman was whimpering as she gingerly made her way back to the entrance to the pier - she had suddenly become spooked by the sight of the water 40 feet below through the cracks in the wooden flooring and anyone bouncing along (like me, not realising!) set her off again. Now where are you going to get thrills like this for 50p? This has to be at least a 4 star attraction, a must see, if nothing but to view it in this contrasting state - with luck so you can recall what it was like before the promised renovation. The location is excellent - panoramic views of Swansea Bay right across to Port Talbot and beyond over the waters. The little lifeboat station is a quaint beacon of brightness and the iron girders make a complex crisscross pattern in the setting sun. And if fishing takes your bait, then pay £3 a rod and cast away to your hearts content at the end of the pier. Highly recommended.

Coity Castle is a magical place full of distant battle cries and that incredible sense that…read moreimportant things have happened there. Built in 1100 and then rebuilt after a siege by Owain Glyndwr, this is a castle often overlooked by visitors to Wales, despite its extremely important part in Welsh history. Although other castles, such as Cardiff Castle, Caerphilly Castle and Castell Coch, are more visited, I would argue that it's the lesser known relics which are more interesting. This Medieval castle is built up on a hill, with clear evidence of moats, and looks almost like a half-rotten tooth sticking up into the sky. It has just as much grandeur and fairy-tale quality as a person could ask for in a castle. This historic site is well worth a visit; sunset will reward you will specular photographs and views.

This is another of South Wales's impressive Norman Castles, standing in ruins near the town of…read moreBridgend in South Wales, not far from Cardiff. It was built by Sir Payn "the Demon" de Turberville, one of the legendary Twelve Knights of Glamorgan who are supposed to have conquered the area under the leadership of Robert FitzHamon, Lord of Gloucester. Although it was originally built soon after 1100, a lot of the castle actually dates from the fourteenth century and later. Parts of it were rebuilt following the siege by Owain Glyn Dr in 1404-05. Despite being in ruins, there are still plenty of interesting features to see - including the remains of the central octagonal pillar for the vaults of the castle. If you have OS map 170 the reference is SS 923815. Nearby you can also visit Newcastle and Ogmore Castles in a day trip.