All walks › Cardiff and the Vale
Cardiff and the ValeMargam Abbey and Orangery
The level version: the abbey ruins, the great orangery and the deer park on surfaced paths, without the climb to the hillfort.
- Distance
- 2.8 mi / 4.5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 35
- Ascent
- 70 m
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Surfaced paths link the castle, the orangery, the abbey chapter house and the deer enclosures. Flat throughout.
Worth knowing
- The orangery is 327 feet long, the longest in Britain, built to house a citrus collection.
- The twelve-sided chapter house is a remarkable survival even as a ruin.
- Fully accessible on the main paths, which is unusual for an estate this size.
What you’ll see
The orangery, the chapter house ruin, the castle, and the deer herd.
Background
Margam was a Cistercian abbey from 1147 and its church still serves as the parish church, which is rare after the Dissolution.