Forest bathing at Penllergare Valley Woods

Penllergare Valley Woods was the Victorian estate of John Dillwyn Llewelyn, horticulturist, pioneering photographer and astronomer. The Penllergare Trust has spent around twenty years bringing it back, and today it is over a hundred hectares of mixed woodland with two lakes and a waterfall on the River Llan. It is right on the edge of Swansea, yet once you are down in the valley the road noise soon fades.

With around seven miles of woodland paths you can pick a short loop around the upper lake or go further down the valley to the waterfall. Start from the Trust's car park off the A48, where there is a visitor centre and a coffee shop. Entry is free, though there is a parking charge and the barriers lock in the early evening. Paths near the lakes are the easiest walking; further down they get narrower and can be muddy after rain.