TRAVEL

TRAVEL

The heart of Wales

Kate and Mary head to Hollywood without getting on a plane

WALES IS A popular holiday destination for many; renowned for its beautiful coastlines, fabulous beaches, scenic countryside, wonderful mountains and rich heritage. When you think of Wales you probably think of Snowdonia, the Gower, Pembrokeshire and the Brecon Beacons. You don’t necessarily think of South Wales and the industrial corridor that stretches between ardiff and wansea, home to many steel works and mines. This is industrial Wales which has been the lifeblood of our country for many generations starting with the Victorians who opened the mines, built the railways and started the steelworks.

And this is where Kate and I headed to enjoy some heritage tours, sur ng, ip wiring and beauty treatments. d known Wales was renowned for its surf beaches but had no idea one existed in this part of the country, in its industrial heartland.

The heart of Wales was our destination, Neath and Port Talbot, described quite aptly as the ‘dramatic heart of Wales’ with its stunning scenery, scenic views and rich heritage. And it’s the rich heritage which is the truly fascinating part. ou nd yourself on a stunning beach, with a backdrop of mountains a few miles behind. But it’s what lies on the edge of the beach that is interesting; a massive steelworks and cranes on the skyline. Somehow it works; this is an unashamedly industrial working town but the contrast of miles of golden sands and smoking chimneys and cranes in silhouette is just iconic and all within an area called Hollywood Park.

As we wandered along Aberavon’s seafront we were told to keep an eye out for Martin Sheen who lives nearby and was home for a few days and often uses the beach. We didn’t spot him but could also have seen Anthony Hopkins or Paul Potts; they also hail from within a few miles of Port Talbot as well as the late Richard Burton, there really must be something in the water here.

Rapunzel in her tower

wansea Bay, more speci cally the ersey arine area, was our initial destination where we were being hosted by the Towers Hotel and Spa. This large hotel still has its original tower which was built as a vanity project by a Victorian industrialist with a camera obscura right at the top. Today it houses three suites, one on each floor and was in the top one, 94 steps up so the views across the bay were spectacular. We both enjoyed massages in the spa and the use of the facilities which went down very well after the drive down of well over 200 miles.

In the morning, after a night in an incredibly comfortable bed, it was time for ate to go sur ng and then to sample o pe whilst enjoyed the more tranquil but fascinating tour of Margam Castle. Set in 1,000 acres of glorious parkland the house dominates. It’s called a castle but it really is a rather grand Tudor revival styled late Georgian pile with the longest orangery in Britain, built in 1790 and now used as a popular wedding venue.

Haunted houses

Margam Park has been the site of a large mansion for hundreds and hundreds of years once owned by the Mansell family. It eventually passed to the Talbot family (by marriage) and the incumbent, Christopher Talbot, didn’t like the house so knocked it down. He had made his money on the railways and building the docks and was also a liberal MP for 60 years. He didn’t feel he had enough recognition – ie no knighthood - so built himself a castle in 1830 which took 10 years to complete. He did get the recognition though as Port Talbot is named after him.

The castle must have been quite a sight dominating the skyline and looking down on the docks towards the sea. Sadly the family have not survived the years and eventually the council bought the house and grounds in 1 0 and then in 1 there was a massive re which destroyed the house. Today it has been repaired with a new roof but there are no contents or many original features. It’s still well worth a visit though, but look out for ghosts as according to my guide it’s haunted…

This area of Wales is surprising. It’s unashamedly a working area and has been quite deprived. The steelworks used to employ 23,000 people, now it’s 3,000 so there has been some long-term unemployment but the towns of Port Talbot and Neath seem to be turning themselves around and with a spectacular beach like Aberavon to enjoy and the unpretentious friendliness of the locals this is an area which is well worth a visit for a value for money break. Kate and I certainly enjoyed ourselves.

www.towershotel.co.uk www.margamcountrypark.com

Welsh waves

Kate had a go at surfing for the first time and managed to stand up

I’VE NEVER HAD a burning desire to learn to surf, probably because most of my family holidays for the last twenty years have been on the east coast where there is a lot of hard shingle to hit your head on. I’m not used to beautiful, long sandy beaches with barely a rock or stone in sight, and soft undulating waves that, at the beginning of October, are probably the warmest you ll nd off the British coast. beravon Beach in ort Talbot must be one of the most undiscovered beaches in the country as tourists normally shoot straight past on the M4 on the way to the ower or embrokeshire. ren t they missing a trick

The beach stretches out to face wansea Bay with the iconic cranes belonging to Tata teel in ort Talbot towering on the skyline to one side, and wansea off to the west. With so much space the beach never feels busy. Dogs were allowed back on the main beach at the beginning of October so there were plenty of dogs and owners enjoying themselves but in the summer loads of surfers come - beginners and experts alike – taking full advantage of such a wide, ha ard free expanse of surf and sand. nd competitors come to practice on the waves that break along the pier as they’re great practice for competitions all over the world. f you imagine outh Wales to be constantly under a cloud of dreary rain then let me disabuse you of that thought right now. We were lucky (and apparently it’s not uncommon at all) to pick some beautifully dry days in the early autumn with mild temperatures and, as say, fairly warm sea temperature too. That had been my biggest fear; that I would freeze to death while learning to surf, but as the sea is obviously warmer at the end of the summer than in pril and ay needn’t have worried. d been invited by the urf chool Wales to beravon Beach to have a two hour beginner s lesson. The school is owned by local husband and wife team ick and Liane Thomas and run as a ommunity nterest ompany with the aim of connecting people socially, physically and mentally through sur ng in a safe, stimulating and fun

'I actually managed to stand up on my second and third attempt, and kept fairly steady for a distance before jumping into the water.'

environment. My instructor was Alun who grew up locally and taught himself to surf as a little boy. Now, if he’s away from the sea for too long, he starts to get twitchy. He travels all over the world to surf and, as he says, the winter is the best time to do it as the wind and the waves are up. Teaching on Aberavon Beach is done mainly during the summer months.

I was fortunate to have a one-to-one lesson with Alun but instructors at the school can teach up to eight people at a time including children aged eight upwards. The surf school also welcomes large school groups, charities, community groups as well as their kids club. It’s also very popular with groups of friends and families of all ages, locals and visitors, who then go on to try mountain biking in the hills behind and Go Ape at Margam Park just six miles away.

But rst things rst and, as always, safety is paramount. We went over what hand instructions to look out for as the current can take you down the beach, and how to always cover your head when (not if) you fall off. The board is your buoyancy aid because, providing it doesn t break, it will float for ever if you ust hold onto it. lways tying the leash onto your ankle before you enter the water was solidly drummed in.

Then we waxed the board for extra grip. I ended up using the wider soft board as it was easier to learn to stand up on but I started with the narrower harder board when learning the sequence of moves on land. We ran through how to dangle your feet over the tail of the board when starting to paddle when the wave is a board’s space behind you, then how to know when you ve caught the wave and nally how to stand up.

I actually managed to stand up on my second and third attempt, and kept fairly steady for a distance before jumping into the water. But then it went to pot for a while which I found really frustrating. I was getting into bad habits like putting my hands too close to the rails at the side and unbalancing the board, or putting one foot too close to one rail and causing the board to lurch sideways. You do need to be fairly agile, but apparently once you learn and endlessly practice, your muscle memory kicks in and you do it automatically from then on. That’s how you get seventy-year-old surfers who may not look too steady on land still managing to surf.

Luckily with Alun’s tuition I managed to right the wrongs and I stood up again. The waves near the shore weren’t very deep but they were coming in much faster with the tide so I decided to call it a day and end on a high. t s de nitely addictive and, as lun says, sur ng should come with a health warning. You just want to get right back out there and have another go to try to improve.

I would love to surf in a turquoise sea with crystal clear waters and white sands and nice gentle waves, not the monsters people tackle in Portugal or Hawaii. But Aberavon Beach was the perfect place to learn in the and if m down that way again shall de nitely be having another go.

A two-hour beginner’s surf lesson costs £30 per person. www.surfschoolwales.co.uk

Me Jane, you Tarzan

Kate takes to the trees and discovers she’s not afraid of heights

I’VE NEVER BEEN particularly bothered about heights but when you’re all harnessed up ready to cross from one high level platform to another far up in the treetops or about to step into the void on a Tarzan swing you do start to wonder. At the Point of No Return at Go Ape you are given the option to turn back and claim a refund as you’re about to take part in a ‘high risk activity.’ So this is when you need to be absolutely sure you want to go ahead as there can be no turning back after this.

Happily I did, not least because I was channelling my mother who is far more adventurous than I am having abseiled aged 60 and sky dived at 70. I wouldn’t have dreamed of turning back, but I did have to dig deep at times and just crack on with it!

Go Ape was founded in 2002 by Tristram and Rebecca Mayhew who had seen people swinging from the branches above them whilst holidaying in France. This inspired them to set up something similar here, the rst one being in Thetford Forest. There are now locations across the UK where you can take the treetop challenges, and the only one currently in Wales is at Margam Park six miles from Port Talbot.

The site is surrounded by 1,000 acres of parkland, Margam Castle and the largest deer herd in Wales. It is an absolutely beautiful spot but I’m afraid I didn’t notice any of it while I was on the course. I kept a soft focus vision most of the time, rarely looked past my feet and only occasionally did I look out towards the park while I was catching my breath. I was too busy concentrating. You do have to sign a disclaimer before you set off, and once you ve had the safety training which drums in how to attach yourself to the cables, you are responsible for yourself. If that sounds a little alarming, don’t worry. After a few minutes, you do soon get the hang of it, and the instructors on the ground shout out helpful advice too. There are also pictorial instructions attached to each tree platform. The key rule is to stay attached to the cables at all times, so you only detach and attach one cable at a time. And when you’re walking between the trees you are always attached to a pully.

Luckily I was doing it on my own so I kept talking to myself, reminding myself of the order of how to clip on and also chivvying myself to ump off into the void on the ip wires. This included the largest Tarzan swing of any of the Go Ape sites, with a six-metre free fall. ctually those bits weren t the worst found the different wobbly rope crossings the hardest to navigate. In some sites there are now nets adventures where you can bounce and slide in netted walkways 0 feet above the forest floor.

I’m not an adrenaline junkie so I can’t say I loved every minute but I felt a great sense of achievement at having done it and not missing out any of the sections. In a few places there are alternatives to choose from, so I was able to refuse to cross the hoops towards the end, taking a slightly easier route. The hoops just seemed a wobbly bridge too far.

It took me about two hours to do and I did push on as I wasn’t distracted by friends. The groups around me were having a whale of a time judging by the squeals and laughter coming from them although there was one eerie moment when all was quiet and I thought I’d been left alone in the trees. It must feel just as spine tingling if you go to one of the sundown sessions that have now been introduced. You tackle all the different crossings, ip wires and swings at dusk which must add another sensory dimension into the mix.

It’s not an old man’s game - although one 106-year-old became the oldest person to do a zipline in 2018 – and I did ache for a couple of days afterwards. That was because I was clinging on to every tree and handhold I could, not like some people who were managing to take sel es while ipping along. hildren absolutely love it and, providing they are 1. m tall, children from 10 to 1 years old can take the treetop challenge if they are supervised by an adult. Some sites have treetop adventures which are more suitable for smaller children.

It’s a great way of literally stepping out of your comfort zone and being immersed high up in the trees which is obviously not a regular occurence. If you want to pretend you’re a monkey, that’s up to you!

One site closer to Active’s home is in Coventry which boasts the Plummet, a 12-metre vertical drop or there’s Sherwood Pines in Nottinghamshire or the original site in Thetford Forest.

For more information and prices visit www.goape.co.uk