Swansea and Neath
Penllergare Valley Woods
Restored Victorian pleasure ground in a wooded valley, laid out by a pioneer of photography who took some of the earliest landscape photographs in Britain here.
- Distance
- 2.8 mi / 4.5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 30
- Ascent
- 80 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
Waymarked paths follow the Llan river through the valley past the waterfall, the lake and the terraces, returning by higher paths. Some steps but mostly easy going.
Worth knowing
- John Dillwyn Llewelyn photographed this valley in the 1850s and the restoration has followed his images.
- The valley was derelict for decades and is being restored by volunteers; some paths are still rough.
- Bluebells through the woods in late April are exceptional.
What you’ll see
The waterfall and weir, the restored lake, and the observatory ruins on the hill.
Background
Llewelyn built an equatorial observatory here for his daughter Thereza in 1846, and his photographs of the estate are among the earliest in Wales.