I love a great bike ride, even in the chilly winter months, when you can wrap up, hit the trails, and enjoy a hot chocolate. With a gothic castle, free-roaming deer, and gorgeous views, Margam Park in Port Talbot is well known for its history and wildlife. But did you know there are also cycle trails here?
Set in 1,000 acres of glorious parklands, Margam Country Park offers natural beauty, history, wildlife, and a wide range of fun activities and facilities, making it one of the best days out in Wales for all the family. It's just £8.50 to park for the day.
This historic 850-acre estate is set on the southern slopes of Mynydd Margam, a largely forested mountain rising to 349m that can be explored by bike.
The estate's history can be traced back to prehistoric times, with Bronze and Iron Age relics and evidence of Roman and extensive Celtic occupation. According to their website, Margam's very own deer herd was probably introduced by the Romans.
It's also home to Grade I-listed gardens and landscapes, biking and hiking trails, wildlife, a Norman Abbey and Margam Castle, a grand Victorian mansion, and an impressive 18th-century orangery.
This grand-looking castle is a 19th-century Tudor Gothic mansion designed by the architect Thomas Hopper for Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot.
The outbuildings around the castle courtyard house the visitor centre and park administration, and during the summer months, the Great Hallway is on display to the public.
One of the best activities in Margam Park is mountain biking. You can cycle around the park on tarmac roads and rough tracks to a fantastic viewpoint.
The park is part of the National Cycle Network, The Celtic Trail Route 4, which runs across South Wales and through the North of the Park. Here, you'll find several trails, including a waymarked mountain bike trail and a family cycle trail if you are biking with the little ones. Stay informed on everything Neath Port Talbot by signing up to our newsletter here
The family trail is an easy cycle along mostly flat tarmac paths. It passes close to the adventure playground, farm trail, and open parklands. Kids will love stopping off on the farm trail to meet the animals and use the animal feed stations.
Here, you'll find a range of adorable animals, from pygmy goats and ponies to alpacas, rabbits, pedigree sheep, Glamorgan cattle and donkeys.
The mountain bike trail is a relatively short 2.3 miles and includes a challenging ascent halfway up Margam Mountain. Along this scenic route, you might spot the resident deer.
According to the Margam website, the famous Margam Deer Herd roams through approximately 500 acres of parkland, including Red and rare Pere David deer. If you visit during the rutting season (typically between September and November), the male deer, or stags, compete for dominance and the right to mate with females.
During this time, male deer (stags or bucks) start displaying aggressive behaviours like roaring, clashing antlers, and parallel walking to compete for females. It's a great time to spot the biggest stags, which will hold harems in the middle of the rut when most of the female deer are in season.
It is recommended that you keep a safe distance of around 50 metres at all times to ensure safety for you and the deer. During rutting season, male deer can become aggressive and are highly territorial, so don't run up to them for a #deerselfie.
A great way to spot the deer is to hop on your bike and explore the country park. As you wind your way through the track, you'll start a bumpy ascent up Margam Mountain; this is where an e-bike comes in really handy for those burning thighs! If you don't have your own, you can rent bikes from Margam Park Adventure, which runs a range of activities.
As you climb up, you'll have fabulous views of the park and the surrounding countryside. The trail then levels off and returns on a steep descent onto the Cwm Phillips access road with a return ride to the castle, reputedly one of the most haunted places in the UK.
If you love history and ghosts, definitely take a tour of this spooky spot after your bike ride. Visitors to this 19th-century Gothic mansion in Neath Port Talbot have long shared eerie tales of spectral figures, unexplained laughter, and objects that seem to move of their own accord.
From the Bronze Age through Roman times and later the founding of the Cistercian Abbey in the 12th century, this site has seen centuries of human life and lingering spirits.
The castle, built between 1830 and 1840 by architect Thomas Hopper for Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot, is a striking example of Tudor-Gothic architecture and is hauntingly beautiful.
The Talbot family owned the estate until 1942, when the castle fell into disrepair following a devastating fire in 1977. The council owns the property today, and ongoing restoration work ensures its grandeur is preserved.
Despite the fire's destruction, many original features remain, from the intricate stone carvings to the elegant stained glass windows, which date back to when the house was built almost 200 years ago.
While the castle impresses with its architecture and history, its eerie ghost stories draw in thrill-seekers and paranormal enthusiasts.
The most infamous spirit of Margam Castle is Robert Scott, a gamekeeper who was murdered on the estate, some say by a poacher, others by an escaped convict. His presence is said to rage through the castle and the estate to this day.
Scott is frequently spotted making a determined ascent up the Gothic staircase that leads to the castle. His presence is a recurring theme among paranormal investigators, who all agree that his spirit seethes with fury, unable to rest after his untimely and unjust death.
After nightfall, the castle's security guards report the unsettling sounds of hurried footsteps and low, chattering voices echoing through the empty halls -- though no trace of another soul is ever found.
Psychic investigators have described his presence as one of anger, with inexplicable slamming doors and objects being hurled across rooms attributed to his spirit. Visitors who've dared to investigate report an overwhelming sense of dread, as though Scott's rage still lingers.
Another frequently reported occurrence is the sound of children's laughter echoing through the castle's long, empty corridors.
Visitors claim to have seen ghostly figures of children in Victorian clothing flitting in and out of rooms, as though playing an eternal game of hide-and-seek. Others describe objects mysteriously moving or disappearing, believed to be the playful antics of these mischievous spirits.
Margam's haunted history made waves across the Atlantic when Ghost Hunters International filmed an episode here for the SyFy Channel.
The investigation, broadcast to over a million viewers, shone a global spotlight on the site's paranormal activity, cementing its status as one of Britain's spookiest destinations.
Paranormal investigators used low-lux cameras, full-spectrum photography, and super sensitive recording devices to capture "electronic voice phenomena," which are said to be spirit world voices.
The enthusiastic American team claimed to have captured on camera the floating figure of a monk wearing a white habit.
They also claimed to have "spoken" with a medieval monk named Brother Tom, seen a "ghost" in the shadow form of Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot, the man who commissioned the building of the castle, and heard Lady Emily Charlotte's footsteps in the bedroom in which she died almost 100 years ago.
For those eager to experience the castle's ghostly atmosphere, Haunting Happenings offers overnight ghost hunts at Margam Castle, a daunting but thrilling prospect.
These spooky events provide a unique opportunity to search for the spirits that roam the castle's many haunted rooms. Guests can expect strange light anomalies, loud footsteps echoing on the grand staircase, and sudden, extreme drops in temperature. Few are brave enough to spend time alone in the castle's most active areas.
This popular overnight experience includes access to ghost hunting equipment such as EMF Meters and K2 Meters, and interactive experiments like glass divination, table tipping, and Ouija boards. It features small group séances, ghost hunting vigils, and even free time to explore the castle's shadows alone.
The castle isn't the only historic sight; Margam Country Park has long been a place of religious and historical significance. Here, you'll find Margam Abbey, founded in 1147. It was an important Cistercian monastery until its dissolution in 1536. This remarkable abbey now serves as a parish church.
The small Margam Stones Museum, located next door to the medieval abbey church, is also well worth a visit. Here, you'll find a remarkable collection of nearly 30 inscribed stones and crosses, some dating from the early days of Christianity in sixth-century Wales.
They originally stood as milestones on Roman roads or, in one case, on top of a Bronze Age barrow. If you love history, this is a must-visit.
Want to make a day of it? Margam has plenty of events throughout the year where you can enjoy special activities or stay after dark at one of their chilling Halloween events or ghost hunting events. Check out their website for more details.