Things To Do In South Wales This Half Term
We’ve collected your views to put together a fabulous list of recommended places to go and things to do during the October half term 2017 in South Wales & the surrounding areas. Thank you to everyone who took the time to offer up their knowledge, real recommendations from real people.
FD Local Group
THE FD LOCAL GROUP IS THE OFFICIAL LOCAL GROUP OF FAMILY DAYS TRIED & TESTED – THE AWARD WINNING SITE FOR FAMILY FUN.
“Our family have discovered so many wonderful places to visit in south Wales thanks to the FD local group – Adam”
“The FD local group has been such a great source of local information, thanks to your postings I took my sister to see her first waterfall, it was amazing!! thank you – Sarah”
Recommended Places to Visit
Amelia Trust Farm, Five Mile Lane, Barry
Margam Country Park, Port Talbot
Pembrey Country Park, near Llanelli
Roath Park, Cardiff
Cwmcarn forest drive, crosskeys
Cosmeston lakes
Bryngarw park.
Pierce Field House (pictured below)
Always such an awesome walk in Chepstow, but a fabulous one to watch the seasons change.
Waterfalls
Below is the waterfall centre at Pontneddfechan in Neath and it’s a great place to start.
Park by the waterfall centre/pubs and follow the marked path along the river stopping at some smaller falls on route to the big one.
Make your walk as long or as short as you like.
Our walk pictured below took us approx 3 hours with loads of stops on the way and an hour play at the biggest fall.
Not suitable for buggies or wheelchairs etc. More details here
The Old Station, Tintern
Mountain Walks
Cannops Ponds in the Forest of Dean is perfect
for seeing the colour changes of Autumn
The Forest of Dean has some beautiful picnic spots
Free Places to Go
Bellevue Park in Newport
A fab landscaped park in the centre of Newport: tea rooms, veranda, play parks and hoards of friendly squirrels. A real treat in the autumn as the park bursts into colour. Great for conker collecting and picnics. Parking is free.
Merthyr Mawr Sand Dunes, near Bridgend
The sand dunes are a great place to explore! The dunes are a site of special scientific interest and even boast of the second highest dune in Europe. Plus, it’s fantastic to roll down! The dunes provided the setting for parts of David Lean’s film of Lawrence of Arabia. It makes for a great day out day and is ideal for exploring the adjacent ruins of medieval Candleston Castle or hiking over the dunes to the beach.
National Museum Cardiff
Situated central to Cardiff, the museum is a must visit if you head to the city for a day out and it’s free! It’s great for children and adults alike. The dinosaurs and mammals section is fantastic for the children and has a great interactive concept. The museum is crammed with treasures waiting to be discovered.
St Fagans National History Museum
St Fagans is one of Europe’s leading open-air museums and is one of Wales’s most popular heritage attractions. And admission is free!
It’s a real treat and an insight into traditional Welsh living. With lots of beautiful gardens to explore, and plenty to do for the kids it makes for a great family day out.
Cardiff Bay Barrage
The barrage is a fab place to cycle, scoot or walk alongside the water looking over to Cardiff Bay. There are some fabulous play parks, an exersise park, skate park and lots of wide open spaces to let the kids run free. The barrage itself is a fantastic feat of engineering to watch the bridge rising and falling to let boats into the bay.
Penarth Pier
Penarth pier is a gorgeous step back in time. The pier itself is free to walk to the end of and as a treat there is a great oldie-worldie sweet shop to stop off at. You can go down onto the shore for a paddle or walk to one of the parks adjacent to it.
Other Highly Recommended Places
Alexandra Park, Beach Road, Penarth
Bute Park, Cardiff
Garwnant Visitor Centre, near Merthyr
Newport Wetlands, Newport
Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenafon, Torfaen
Raglan Park Farm
Beaches
Dunraven
A really good place for fossil hunting and a lovely place to explore the wonderful walled gardens that sit adjacent to the beach. Lovely woodland walks.
Barry
With the recent regeneration Barry has been transformed. Great for penny arcades and ice creams but also a awesome place to visit as the evening draws in with a really cool light up tunnel, climbing wall and oodles of space to ride bikes and scoot.
Ogmore
Perfect for pebble collecting and an ideal spot to park overlooking the sea on wet days.
Aberavon
Ideal for bike riding along the vast cycle route adjacent to the beach. Fantastic play parks, and ice cream parlour, crazy golf, cinema and fast food outlets. Brilliant for a full day out.
Nash Point
Fabulous for getting up close to a lighthouse and fossil and crystal hunting.
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