Afan Forest Park

The Afan Forest Park is a 48sqmi forest park in Britain. It is set in the Afan Valley in Neath Port Talbot, in south Wales. It is well known for its mountain biking and hiking or hillwalking trails. It is situated seven miles from Junction 40 of the M4 .Trails and waymarked walksAs the A4107 meanders through the steep sided valley it is easy to understand why this valley has been developed as a premier Mountain Bike riding venue in the United Kingdom. The Forest Park also has nine waymarked walking trails, ranging from a 30-minute amble to a 3-4 hour ramble. There are also miles of public rights of way to make up your own walks. As well as mountain biking, there is also a network of 25mi of disused railway lines which can be used for walking and cycling. These are called the Family Routes, or the Low Level Cycleway. These also form a link between the mountain bike trails.The Forest Park Centre has camping facilities, with campsites with a shower block and toilet block which can also be used by other visitors. In addition to these basic facilities, the Centre also offers a cafe, small local museum on mining, bike shop and a gift shop.Kanji WoodIn 2002, Afan Forest Park was officially twinned with the C.W.Nicol Woodland Trust in Kurohime in the Nagano prefecture of Japan. In Afan Forest Park, 'Kanji Wood' was developed on three kanji characters; human, forest and life and landscaped with Japanese trees, shrubs and sculptures.