INSPIRING LANDSCAPES – FASCINATING HISTORY & LEGEND

GREAT WALKS IN AFAN FOREST PARK

Walk the trail in memory of the legend of Richard Burton

including a historic exploration of his birthplace village

The fascinating history around the Legend of Richard Burton

The Richard Burton Trail was opened in 2011 to commemorate the great Welsh actor and

film star, (1925-1984). Richard, the son of a miner, was born Richard Walter Jenkins in

Pontrhydyfen and grew up in Taibach, Port Talbot; took part in drama productions with the

local YMCA; then moved to London to become a great Shakespearean actor and finally a

world famous Hollywood film star. Burton returned to his village many times, sometimes

accompanied by his glamorous wife Elizabeth Taylor.

Pontrhydyfen’s transport history is equally fascinating

Owing to the difficult topography, threading transport routes through the Pontrhydyfen area

was very difficult, hence the plethora of viaducts. Two of the viaducts carried lines serving

the numerous collieries and their links to Port Talbot; the Port Talbot Railway (PTR) line from

Tonmawr crossed the river on the 10 arched red brick (extant) viaduct; the Rhondda &

Swansea Bay (R&SB) line from the Rhondda Valley crossed further up on a single span

viaduct (now replaced by a steel footbridge). The third (extant) viaduct was in fact an

aqueduct (pictured above) which carried not a canal but a water supply across the valley to

serve the local ironworks.

THE WALK

Route summary and terrain

The route is mainly on level ground on the track bed of the Rhondda & Swansea Bay railway with

some street walking at Pontrhydyfen and short sections of footpath at each end of the trail.

At Pontrhydyfen, you have an industrial and transport heritage trail with two railway viaducts, a

former aqueduct and remains of local industry and collieries around.

Start point Rhyslyn Car Park, Pontrhydyfen (GR 796942)

End point Cwmafan Community Centre (GR 785924)

Recommended Maps O.S. Explorer 165

O.S. Landranger 159

Distance 5 kilometres

Estimated net time 2 hours

Grade Leisurely

Refreshments Afan Tavern, Cwmafan

Toilets Cwmafan Community Centre (when open)

Cwmafan Town Centre

THE ROUTE IN DETAIL

From the bus stop at Oakwood (GR 796940), walk down the hill and cross the river with the

aqueduct L; then turn R on to a minor road leading to Rhyslyn car park.

Rhyslyn car park is on the site of the former R&SBR Pontrhydyfen station and you will spot

earthworks where the southbound platform was situated. Going east, there were two railways, the

R&SBR which crossed the Afan on a very high single span viaduct, replaced by a steel pedestrian

footbridge; the other was built but never used and intended as a spur to join the South Wales Mineral

Railway on the north bank of the river.

Head west from Rhyslyn and after 200 metres, turn right, take the higher road and turn left and over

the aqueduct crossing to Oakwood, along Penhydd St and past the primary school (right) before

dropping down to the main Trail and passing over the impressive red brick viaduct.

On this section, you cross over two very striking features of the former transport infrastructure of

Pontyrhydyfen; first the aqueduct built in 1825 to supply water to the giant waterwheels of the blast

furnaces at the local ironworks; then the impressive red brick 10 arch Pontrhydyfen viaduct crossing

the River Afan where it converges with the Pelenna, was built at the end of the 19th century for

transporting coal from Tonmawr to Port Talbot Docks. The railway closed in 1964.

Take the trail for 500 metres in the direction of Efail Fach before turning obliquely right to a forest

road which leads back to Pontrhydyfen. Turn right on to the main road and walk under the viaduct,

turning left shortly after crossing the river on a footbridge and ascend steps to re-join the main trail.

Turn right and follow the trail along its path towards open country with good views down the valley

towards Port Talbot. A short distance on, you will notice the earthworks (right) which carried the

Tonmawr branch railway.

At this spot in November 1960 there was a head on collision between a runaway coal train from

Dyffryn Rhondda and a Swansea to Treherbert diesel passenger train. At that time, most coal wagons

had only hand brakes and on steep gradients, the train guard was tasked with pinning down a

proportion of these to prevent runaways. The accident revealed what happened when judgement

was improperly exercised with fatal results in this instance! The accident made national news and,

with BBC newsreaders inability to pronounce ‘Pontrhydyfen’, led to courses on Welsh pronunciation.

The trail veers away from the original R&SB Railway (which headed down to Cwmafan) at this point

and its provenance is hazy. About a kilometre further on, you reach the Portrait Bench, where life-

sized sculptures in steel celebrate three eminent local personalities; actor/film star, Richard Burton;

locally born actor/comedian Rob Brydon and former Afan Forest Park head ranger Dick Wagstaff.

From here the path bears right to drop gently down to the river which it crosses on a high steel

footbridge to reach the top end of Cwmafan. Follow the ‘cycle’ signs to the Community Centre (GR

781921) and the end of the Trail.

Cwmafan was once a major centre for a metal industries (iron, tin, copper) and brickworks whose life

was short, opened in the 1870’s/80’s and all closed as early as 1914. Sadly, no trace of any can now

be seen.

Notes:

All distances are given in metric

GR refers to Ordnance Survey grid reference

LOCAL TRANSPORT and PARKING

Train Stations Neath 6 kilometres

Port Talbot 4 kilometres

Bus Stops Oakwood Interchange (0.5 kilometres)

Cwmafan Community Centre (adjacent)

Parking Rhyslyn Car Park, Pontrhydyfen (free)

Cwmafan Community Centre (free)

Buses Both ends of the walk are on the 83 bus route Port Talbot-Cwmafan-

Pontrhydyfen-Blaengwynfi, operated by First Cymru buses on

Mondays to Saturdays at hourly daytime frequency. There is a direct

route (59) from Neath to Oakwood and you can return to Neath via

Port Talbot and connection by X4 or 227 routes.

From and to Swansea, use the X1 or X3 Cymru Clipper.

From Cwmafan to Port Talbot, there is also the 81 service which

together with the 83, provides 3 services per hour

Use the 83 to get back to your car.

Tickets First Day tickets Swansea Bay or Neath Port Talbot areas give you a

day’s unlimited travel (adult, youth and family options) and can be

purchased from the driver on the bus

For walkers arriving by train, Port Talbot Plus Bus tickets for onward

travel can be purchased when you buy your train ticket

Plan your journey

GALLERY: portraying the natural beauty and historic interest on this walk

Rhyslyn looking up the Afan Valley; this walk follows the never used rail spur to the SWMR

The 10-arched brick viaduct at Pontrhydyfen which carried the Tonmawr branch line

The former church at Oakwood, now a youth centre

The Richard Burton Trail in the Afan Valley north of Cwmafan

The Portrait Bench - Left to right: Richard Burton, Rob Brydon & Dick Wagstaff