Neath, in South Wales, is not a place I initially would have thought to explore. Living in Swansea as we do, I’ve always driven straight past it down the M4. Especially as it is technically part of Neath Port Talbot. Port Talbot is, sadly, an industrial town with a not-so-good reputation around here. However, contrary to my initial thoughts, Neath is actually so well located!
Super close to the beach, but also part of what is known as ‘Waterfall Country’! There is a LOT of water around this part of South Wales, and you can spend days exploring all the waterfalls and rivers and lakes. It really is where the hustle and bustle of Cardiff and Swansea meets the wild nature of rural Wales. So here’s how we spent a lovely afternoon in Neath, as a family of 3, and how you too can explore one of Wales’ best kept secrets!
First, picture the scene:
It is absolutely chucking it down with rain. So, so much rain. A depressing amount of rain. So much rain, in fact, that I have towels laid out around our front door because water keeps coming into our home. Pebble is getting bored of puzzling and reading and colouring. Ben and I are exasperated trying to entertain her. It’s our week off work and none of our plans have come to fruition thanks to the continual downpours that we keep having.
Well, enough is enough! We check the flood maps (none around us thank goodness), and the weather maps (intermittent downpours for weeks to come), and locate our wellies. Then we head out with Tesco meal deals to explore somewhere none of us had ever been before – let’s go explore Neath, South Wales!
If you want more ideas of things to do in South Wales, check out our other posts in this series:
- Explore Wales’ Best-Kept Secrets: Henrhyd Falls!
- The Most Instagrammable Photo Spots in Three Cliffs Bay, Wales!
Neath Abbey:
Location:
SA10 7DW – and YES there is a small carpark area.
Opening times:
10am-4pm all year round.
Cost:
FREE. Completely FREE. Amazing.
Accessibility:
It is flat, with a few steps in and out of room, so mostly accessible. It is dog friendly (to be kept on leads), but there are no toilets.
About Neath Abbey:
Neath Abbey has a long history dating back to 1130. It’s one of the three most significant monasteries in South Wales (along with Tintern Abbey and Llanthony Priory!). There were around 50 monks living here, as well as the lay brothers who worked on the estate, and had their own living quarters. We spend a while wandering around these old rooms, and seeing where the pillars would have held up the ceiling to different floors. Reading the information boards, it’s so fun to imagine how people would have lived – where they would have slept and eaten, prayed and worked.
The Abbey itself is super impressive – an absolutely enormous church with numerous chapels for different saints. I love that the remains of the staircase that was used at night is still mostly intact. The monks prayed in the church eight times a day, and during the night they used a particular set of stairs from their dormitories, called the ‘Night Stair to Dorter’. The integrated handrail is still visible!
It’s amazing how much has survived considering that during the Industrial Revolution the site was used as a copper smelting plant. It was only in the 1920s and 1930s that a clear-up was initiated to uncover the ruins, as so much had lain beneath tons of piles of industrial waste. There is a stone commemorating the excavation, and it gives an important reminder of preserving our history.
Our experience:
As a history lover myself, I’m keen to show Pebble these amazing sites! Pebble enjoyed her visit! She is 15 months old and in the Pointing Phase – she points at everything and we tell her what is is! She spent a lot of time doing that, and then touching stones and information signs. We took turns carrying her, and putting her in the covered pram during rain showers. I would love to return here when Pebble is able to walk – I think being able to explore for herself would be a lot of fun!
Not only that, but the information boards around the place also contain cool facts for kids, and quizzes to partake in! There is something for all ages to enjoy here.
Neath Abbey, South Wales, is such a cool place to explore! I think it’s definitely a highlight of this area, especially being somewhere completely free to access. If you enjoy history, it’s worth a trip to!
There isn’t a lot of information on the Cadw website about Neath Abbey; however there is a really great reconstruction video on there. It shows what the abbey would have looked like between 1280 and 1330, which is super interesting!
Gnoll Estate Country Park
Location:
Gnoll Estate, Fairyland, SA11 3BS – It is very well signposted from A465.
Opening times:
Summer months – 8am to 8pm. Winter months – 8am to 5pm.
Cost:
If you park in the main carpark it’s £3.50 for 4 hours (but….. if you park at the start of the Heritage Trail, you can park along one of the streets for free 😉 )
About Gnoll Country Park, and Our Experience:
Gnoll Country Park is somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for a while because I keep spotting it on Apple Maps! The estate has a long history spanning 400 years, changing hands multiple times before being purchased by the Neath Corporation. Today, it is over 200 acres of nature – woodland and ponds and gardens, the ruins of Gnoll House, and numerous playparks and activity areas. You can follow multiple levelled trails, through the woodlands and around the lakes, depending on levels of fitness and accessibility.
We followed the easy family trail, as we had our pram with us so that Pebble could have a much-needed nap! It is all paved, and there are cool things to look at along the way, like the Cascades, lots of woodland to explore, two lakes with platforms to feed fish from, and three playgrounds along route. There’s an Adventure play area for older children, a natural playground with log steps and a climbing wall, and a specific play area for toddlers. The latter one is also wheelchair accessible, with features such as a ground level trampoline!
They are currently (as of September 2025) doing a lot of work on building a new Visitor Centre there and a play area, so there is construction going on. Excitingly, it’s all set to be ready this autumn, so fingers crossed we will return once it’s all finished! I would say that you’re in South Wales, and Neath in particular, this is definitely a place worth going to explore.
If you want to know more about visiting this place, head over to the Gnoll Country Park website!
Chat with us!
Given that we live in Swansea, it quite surprising that we haven’t explored much of Neath! It is definitely somewhere I’d like to see more of, particularly with it being right on our doorstep. Let us know if Neath, South Wales, is somewhere you would explore!
