South Wales May 2026
Date: May 28, 2026
Region: Gwent & South Glamorgan, Wales, UK.
Partners: Solo
Overview
Given Nieve had some family obligations in Wales in late May, we decided to make a trip of it, and I joined her in Newport (Casnewydd), South Wales, a few days later to enjoy an extended weekend and bank holiday. Although much different than my usual hiking destinations, Wales continues to offer a lot in terms of possibilities, especially considering easy public transport access. The visit would keep us around Newport for the days we’d be there, but with much to do nearby I took full advantage of the good weather. Arriving on a Thursday at the tail-end of the heatwave, I would have hot to pleasant conditions, perfect of morning outings, over the weekend. As such, the obvious objective would be to complete a few link-ups in nearby valleys, and continue ticking off my Wales Marilyns list.
Rockpools at Ogmore Beach.
The Ebbw river passing through Crosskeys.
Newport (Casnewydd) is the third largest city in Wales and is situated in the South East, near the Welsh borderlands of the Wye[1], and right on the estuary of the Usk river. It owes its foundation to the improvement of the a castle with stone in the 13th century, and slowly overtook the nearby Roman settlement of Caerleon[2]. The city developed rapidly following the industrial revolution and became the key maritime hub for the shipment of coal out of the eastern South Wales valleys; one of the most storied coal-mining regions on the planet[3]. It was also were the Newport Rising, the last armed-insurrection in British history took place in 1839.
Casnewydd is a contraction of Castell-Newydd-Ar-Wysg which means “a new castle upon the Usk”.
Today the broader Newport area continues to grow, mainly with workers from the more expensive Cardiff & Bristol metropolitan areas, but faces many of the same issues of abandonment, disrepair, and public health that can be seen in much of post-industrial Britain. That being said, we have found that surrounding the villages and towns have much character and a deep connection with local history; both often upkept by just a few community-centered residents and/or spaces.
Interactive Map
Day 1: Arrival
I flew out of Athens International (LGAV) on Thursday after work, taking the train to the airport and taking off well past 20:00. A relaxed flight on EasyJet brought me to Bristol Airport (EGGD) after about 4:30 hours. Having no checked luggage was a nice plus so no later than 11:00 UK time I had been picked up by Nieve and Karl and was on the drive to Newport.
Day 2: Crosskeys & Ogmore
With the heatwave still very much ongoing and the temperatures near 30°C, I decided to take it easy and slept in. After breakfast and some hanging out at home, we were able to convince Izzy to drive with Nieve to Sirhowy Country Park, where they could have some sister time, and I could take advantage of the outing for some hiking. By 15:30 we were on the road to Crosskeys.
Mynydd y Lan (381m)
Under the scorching summer sun, I did my best to make a lightning fast ascent of Mynydd y Lan (381m) in the Crosskeys (Sirhowy & Ebbw river) valley, which proved a little harder than expected. That being said, the 300m tall South ‘face’ did not disappoint, offering a challenging outing crowned by exceptional views into the Bristol Channel.
BRGR
Our return to Newport was short lived, and being a little hungrier than before, we soon headed off towards Ogmore Beach, this time with the entire Foster gang. Before visiting the beach for the sunset on this gorgeous summer day, we stopped at BRGR (⭐4.4 | +200), a well know burger spot in Bridgend.
Mac’n’Chesse from BRGR.
BRGR was in my smash-burger-less opinion quite good, although the sides were not worth getting, such as the Mac’n’Chesse and truffle fries. The burgers themselves were great, and in my book it gets extra points for playing good Ska, and for the good vibes from the owner and chef.
Ogmore Beach
With the sunset slated at nearly 21:00, we were in no rush. The drive into the Glamorgan Heritage Coast was especially beautiful, featuring views of Ogmore Castle sitting directly next to the Ogmore river. After parking at the main sea-side lot, we walked down the beach searching for a quiet spot to hang out. The impressive ‘arete’ formations of carboniferous limestone drew us in and we sat down next to one; giving Nieve and I the opportunity to try some very easy climbing on a very unique formation of a ‘wall’ style arete, similar to route 27a (5a, 10m) at Karavi crag back in Athens.
’Mini Wall’ at Ogmore Beach, with three good routes up to III.
Climbing, talking, and watching the sun disappear behind the nearby Merthyr Mawr Sand Dunes — home to Europe’s second largest dune, the Big Dipper (61m) — we couldn’t resist a treat of some soft serve ice-cream to which we were treated to by Bailey. We drove back to Newport after the sunset.
Sunset & rock-pools at Ogmore beach.
Soft serve from the ice-cream truck!
The general area of Ogmore, including the estuary, the beach, and the sea-cliffs towards Nash Point, is considered one of the premier places for limestone sea-cliff climbing and bouldering. There are several routes of a wide range of difficulties, and styles. For sport and traditional climbs, read more on the South Wales Climbing Wiki, while Bouldering information can be found on UKC. In the company of four non-climbers, and an occasional climber, there was little point in making the longish approach, but my makeshift aesthetic routes were good enough!
Day 3: Wedding Reception
Following the activities of the day prior, and with the heat continuing, I decided to avoid any activities on the third day, looking instead to relax and be present at Nieve’s mom’s wedding reception later in the evening. Not looking to waste such a nice day, we decided to walk around Beechwood Park instead.
Beechwood Park
Perhaps one of the best parks in Newport, which we visit on all of our trips, is Beechwood Park, once part of the estate of George Fothergill, Mayor of Newport during the late 19th century[4]. The park features several well maintained footpaths over steep but lush terrain, with expansive views of the docks far below. As usual, we decided to walk all the way to the top where we could get a drink from The Café (⭐ 4.6 | +100) looping back home.
The ravine & bridge in Beechwood.
Newport docks from Beechwood.
The walk also offered pleasant birdwatching, with us spotting many common species such as Wrens (Troglodytes troglodytes), Blackbirds (Turdus merula), Robins (Erithacus rubecula), Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), and even a Carrion Crow (Corvus corone). We picked up some sandwiches for lunch from The Hot Bread Shop (⭐4.7 | +100) on the way home.
Wedding Reception
We spent the rest of the afternoon home, mainly waiting for the girls to get ready for the wedding reception. Their mom got remarried on the Wednesday prior during a private non-religious ceremony, and the wedding reception on Saturday would be the week’s main event. As well as the reason I made the trip. We left right on time and made our way to The Olive Tree (⭐4.5 | +200) in Cwmbran, just by the North Fields Recreational Ground. We stayed until late, drinking, dancing, eating, and of course celebrating with the newlyweds, Leanne and Gwyn — whom some may remember as my hiking buddy for a couple of outings during our Wales Christmas 2025 trip.
🥂 The blog wishes them all the good things that come with a shared life, including many more of the outdoor and overseas adventures I know they enjoy! Congratulations Leanne & Gwyn!
Day 4: Taff’s Well Loop
It seemed that the night out had little effect on me. Although it was probably just the fact that I stayed on a single drink all night. Therefore, the idea of going to Taff’s Well for a very obvious 2x Marilyn in-a-day loop kept festering in my mind. With the weather staying stable, and the train and buses running well enough for a Sunday, it would be a pity not to try.
So by 09:00 I was already on the way, taking a bus to Newport center before catching the 09:30 train to Cardiff, and then onwards to Taff’s Well. The commute has always been part of the adventure, and so a little before 10:30 I found myself walking out of the train and onto the streets and trails of Taff’s Well.
The Garth (307m)
The imposing Garth (307m) would make a fine first objective for the day. Selecting a weird direct route, I found the hike to be incredibly interesting with varied sights, non-obligatory scrambling, and a unique and airy final hogsback walk to the Tumuli which forms the summit.
Craig yr Allt (273m)
To complete the ‘loop’, and pick off two Marylins in a single day, I headed across the river Taff and to the Garth’s (307m), small and invisible neighbor, the lovely Craig yr Allt (273m). While forested and less airy, proving somewhat troublesome in the heat, it offered the perfect conclusion for the outing, as well as a nice spot to eat lunch and dry off.
Sharkbite Burgers
After returning to Newport around 14:00, we ended up chilling until much later, when I joined Nieve and Karl who went out to get burgers from Sharkbite Burgers (⭐4.8 | +500) in Cwmbran. We later agreeded that they were indeed a step above those from BRGR in Bridgend.
Day 5: Mynydd y Grug Traverse
My adventure around Taff’s Well the previous day had certainly empower me for a final outing, even with the quickly deteriorating weather. With a forecast for rain, fog, and winds, it would only serve me right to go out an enjoy real Welsh weather as a wrap-up for the trip. This time a little more rested, I once again left the house at 09:00, making my way into the center for a bus towards Trethomas near Caerphilly.
High tide in the Usk, right next to Newport Castle.
Mynydd y Grug (374m)
The massif of Mynydd y Grug (374m), although shorter than Mynydd y Lan (381m), is the last major summit before the sea-side plains of South Wales, and as such I was very excited to hike it. Originally, my plan would have been to link both summits in a longer traverse through Crosskeys, but after ticking Mynydd y Lan (381m) off on the first day, I opted just for the one peak. Which I later found out was the best decision.
Kalkata
After the successful although wet hike to Mynydd y Grug (374m) we spent most of the afternoon shopping with the girls, with Nieve taking full advantage of the last day in Wales to do so. The charity shops weren’t of too much interest for me, and I ended up buying a painting for £4, a sitting mat from Trespass for £3, and a Revell model plane from Hobbycraft for around £10. We got home and soon thereafter went for another excellent Indian dinner at Kalkata (⭐4.8 | +200), which we had also enjoyed over Christmas.
Day 6: Departure
Tuesday would be the last day of our trip, and with a mid-day departure from Bristol at the start of summer, doing anything but packing and leaving would be a little unreasonable.
Gwyn offered to drive us to the airport, making it the first of two visits for them on that day, since they would be flying out to Hurghada in Egypt for their honeymoon. I told them about my new acquaintances, Marwan and Sofia whom are from there and I met in Morocco a couple of weeks prior.
Bristol Airport
While super busy with the start of school holidays, we faced no issues getting on our flight to Athens. Luckily we would arrive back home in the early afternoon and could commute home by metro and bus. We also enjoyed getting the chance to sit next to each other, which is not always a given on budget airlines.
Above the lush fields of West England.
Approaching sunny and dense Athens.
Logistics
We stayed in Newport South Wales for 5 nights all of which were spent at Nieve’s fathers house. Therefore, we have no logistics such as hotels to review. The food options are included in the text but vary greatly in location.
For the hikes described within the text, the primary mode of transport was either train or bus, utilizing the direct train lines through Newport. Hiking snack options were classically British: which was exactly 1 meal deal per outing!