# Port Talbot

Port Talbot is an industrial town in South Wales. It is located in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, part of the traditional county of Glamorgan and has a population of around 32,000 (2021).

## Get in
### By car

Port Talbot is located close to the M4 Motorway

### By train

All trains on the London Paddington main line to Swansea make a stop in 51.592-3.7811 Port Talbot Parkway station.

## Get around

The town has a reliable bus service.

## See

In the past Port Talbot was not a tourist destination but that is changing rapidly as it now has one of the most popular visitor attractions in Wales: the world-renowned Afan Forest Park which is one of the top centres for mountain biking in the world. Port Talbot town itself is a major industrial centre, and the few historic buildings of interest were obliterated in the 1960s and 70s to make way for the motorway and other road networks. However, the sea front offers a long beautiful sandy beach (Aberavon) offering views over Swansea Bay. It has been awarded the coveted Blue Flag for cleanliness and water quality. Just outside the town is the beautiful Margam country park, the former home of the Talbot Family, the family who introduced the steel-making industry to the town and built the harbour to allow import of iron ore. It is now a popular tourist attraction with weddings and functions held at the Orangery. Behind the town is the picturesque pine-clad Afan valley which is home to the second most popular visitor attraction in Wales: the Afan Forest Mountain Bike centre.
* 51.56327-3.730571 Margam Stones Museum, SA13 2TA (off the A48, very close to junction 38 of the M4), ☏ +44 1639 871184. Apr-Sep: W-Su; Oct-Mar: W & F by appointment. One of the most important collections of Celtic early Christian stone crosses in Britain, including inscribed ogham stones and disc-headed crosses. £2.10 (free to Cadw members).
* 51.5976-3.823622 Aberavon beach, The Princess Margaret Way, SA12 7PB (from M4, take A48 and A4241 through the town). A three-mile stretch of beach in Sandfields. Great sunset location. free.
* The steel works. For people attracted to industrial scenery, the hills behind the town offer spectacular views of the huge steel works, which is even more impressive set against the background of the sea.
* Swansea bay. The town is located along the stunning sweep of Swansea Bay and offers views as far as Mumbles Head and the Gower Peninisular. Swansea is quite spectacular on clear day and when lit up at night.
* Margam Park. An 850-acre country park located just north of the town. The park boasts an 18th-century orangery and a splendid Tudor Gothic style Victorian Mansion House.
* Afan Forest Park is renowned for its world class mountain bike tracks.
* Glyncorrwg Ponds. Beautiful fishing centre and popular with walkers.

## Do

* Rugby Union: Aberavon play in the Welsh Premiership, the amateur game's top tier. They play at Manor Street, half a mile east of Parkway station.
* Wind surfing.
* Mountain biking. The trails in Afan Forest Park (4 miles to the north) are some of the best in the world
* Margam Mountain. Set at the back of Port Talbot overlooking the steelworks. Margam Mountain offers a gentle mountain biking route suitable for younger children 10 and over. There is a Forestry Commission car park near Llangynwyd near Maesteg.
* Walk. The promenade is an excellent place to walk and enjoy the sea breeze.
* Go Ape, Margam Country Park. High-wire forest adventure: an outdoor obstacle course set on the trees of Margam Country Park free.
* Lakeside Golf Club, ☏ +44 1639 899959. Water Street, Margam. 18-hole course
* L & A Outdoor Centre, Goytre, SA13 2YP, ☏ +44 1639 885509.
* Maesteg Golf Club, Mount Pleasant, Neath Road, Maesteg, ☏ +44 1656 734106. 18-hole course

## Buy

* Replica miner's lamp. Made of solid brass, these souvenirs are available at the gift shop at Afan Argoed Country Park.
* Port Talbot Market Station Road, Port Talbot, SA13 1LB. Tu & Sa 9AM-2PM. The market can be accessed from junctions 38-41 of the M4 motorway.

## Eat

* 51.596104-3.7816331 La Memo Brasserie, 20 Forge Rd, ☏ +44 1639 887390. (updated Nov 2016)

## Sleep

* Abergwynfi Cottage, 41 High Street, Abergwynfi, Port Talbot (exit M4 at Junction 40 and follow A4107 until you reach Abergwynfi, last cottage on the right), ☏ +44 1639 851015. Self-catering holiday cottage sleeps 6. Mountain bikers welcome
* T Bones Inn & Restaurant, Hawdref Ganol Farm, Pontrhydyfen, Port Talbot, ☏ +44 1639 644444. Top quality steak restaurant and bed and breakfast accommodation. Quiet location.
* Premier Inn, Baglan Road, Baglan, SA12 8ES, ☏ +44 8701 977 211.

## Go next

* Swansea and the Gower Peninsular. The City of Swansea is 17km from Port Talbot, and offers major cultural and leisure facilities.
* Brecon and the Brecon Beacons. The country town of Brecon and the spectacular Brecon Beacons mountain range is a less than an hour's drive from Port Talbot.
* Porthcawl
* Neath