Margam Country Park

Take a break from city life and leave Swansea to take a relaxing walk around Margam Country Park. This historic park is home to lots of things to do. You can find Go Ape in amongst the trees and the new alpaca walk. With a full events calendar to entertain all the family and who get to visit this beautiful South Wales attraction.

Margam Country Park is steeped in history. The 19th Century Tudor Gothic Mansion was designed by the architect Thomas Hopper for Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot. The house was built in 1830 – 40 at a cost of £50,000 using sandstone from nearby Pyle quarry. Listed Grade I as a mansion of exceptional quality, the Castle has some spectacular features such as the vast staircase hall and octagonal tower.

One frequent visitor to Margam was Talbot’s cousin, Henry Fox Talbot of Lacock. A pioneer photographer, he succeeded in taking one of the earliest photographic views which clearly shows the corner of the south west façade.

Until 1942, the Castle and estate remained in the ownership of the Talbot family when it was acquired by a local landowner, Sir David Evans Bevan, and in 1974 by the County Council, the present owners, when it was of ruinous state.

A disastrous fire in 1977 gutted the interior. An ambitious restoration programme was embarked upon, much has been achieved and the programme continues.

The Entrance Hallway and Staircase Hall is open to the public (although with limited views of the main staircase as ongoing repair works are taking place) and the Library, Dining Room and Drawing Room are now used for a variety of events.

Margam Park is a Grade I listed garden and landscape, where you are surrounded by beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers, classic and modern planting, lakes and long vistas which have evolved since medieval times. The Gardens at Margam are continuously being developed aiming over time to become one of the most interesting gardens in the South Wales.

Today the park presents to the naturalist a pattern of plant habitats whose presence can be related to agricultural management and landscape planting.

Broad leaved, coniferous and mixed woodlands, scrub, grassland, bog, lakes and streams provide a diverse countryside, which contrasts vividly with industrial Port Talbot.

For those that are nature lovers you can find foxes, badgers, hares, grey squirrels, voles and shrews. Moles are abundant on the lower parts of the park, their presence betrayed by molehills. Occasionally adders may be seen basking in the sun on rocks or short grassy areas. The park supports a rich variety of bird life including common woodland birds like the nuthatch, jay and blue tit and heathland birds such as stonechat and reed bunting.

They are lucky to have a flourishing population of Skylarks in the park as the numbers are sadly decreasing throughout much of the country. Buzzards, Kestrels and occasional Sparrow Hawks may be seen hovering over the park, searching for small mammals.

Mute Swans, Coots, Moorhens, Canadian Geese, Mallard, tufted duck and pochard inhabit the lakes, whilst the patient observer may see kingfishers besides the streams.

Ever fancied walking an alpaca, well now you can with a brand new alpaca walk experience at Margam Country Park.

Enjoy a leisurely stroll around the Farm Trail with the friendly resident alpacas Taffi, Gwyn and Uncle Bryn.

The fluffy trio will be wearing their harnesses, ready for you to take the lead and head out on a 1km trail. With endless photo opportunities, you’ll also get to take part in feeding time and have the chance to ask as many questions as you can think of to the alpaca handlers who will be in attendance for the duration of the experience!