Forest bathing at Afan Forest Park

Afan Forest Park fills the hillsides of the Afan Valley, a former coal mining valley a few miles inland from Port Talbot. It is best known for its mountain bike trails, but the walking routes are separate, waymarked and much quieter, following the river, the old railway and the ridgetops through the forest.

From the visitor centre car park the Old Parish Road Walk is an easy 1.2 miles, and the River and Railway Walk a moderate 2.7 miles; the Gyfylchi Ridgetop Trail is a strenuous 6.9 miles for a long day. For something gentler, the free Rhyslyn car park near Pontrhydyfen has an easy 1.1 mile riverside walk that follows the Afan to a viewpoint and returns on a disused railway track. Expect forest tracks and hill paths, and mountain bikers on the shared sections.