Afan Forest Park – Visitor Centre, near Port Talbot
Main starting point for mountain bike and walking...
Pembrey Forest is a huge pine forest which was created on sand dunes on the Carmarthenshire coast.
Our waymarked walking trail goes to the ruins of a First World War ammunition factory – the route follows old train tracks through the trees.
Pembrey is one of Britain's rare sand dune forests - the Forestry Commission planted the trees here between 1929 and 1954 as part of a programme to replace woods cut down to supply timber for the two World Wars.
It is home to a wide variety of plants, migrant songbirds, birds of prey and butterflies - there is a colony of the grizzled skipper butterfly here and there have been sightings of the very rare marsh fritillary butterfly.
The forest is next to Pembrey Country Park (run by Carmarthenshire County Council) which has a visitor centre, café, toilets and a range of visitor facilities and leisure activities.
The walking trail is waymarked from start to finish.
Look out for the information panel at the start of the trail.
Find out about walking trail grades.
The trail goes through the forest, following some of the former ammunition factory’s train tracks.
Some of the factory’s small bunkers and curved blast tunnels are still present and we have bricked up the entrances of some to provide homes for horseshoe bats.
Keep an eye-out for orchids and other wild flowers lining the path in late spring and early summer.
The horse riding trails in Pembrey Forest are managed by Pembrey Conservation Trust.
You need a permit to horse ride in Pembrey Forest.
Monthly and annual horse riding permits are available.
To apply for a horse riding permit, go to the Pembrey Conservation Trust website.
Parking for horse boxes and lorries is limited to one parking bay in the Pembrey Country Park car park.
The Wales Coast Path goes through Pembrey Forest and along the sandy beach.
The Wales Coast Path provides a continuous walking route around the coastline of Wales from the outskirts of Chester in the north to Chepstow in the south.
Find out more about the Wales Coast Path.
Pembrey Forest is situated next to Pembrey Country Park.
Pembrey Country Park is managed by Carmarthenshire County Council.
Facilities include a visitor centre, toilets, a café and a campsite.
For more information about facilities and opening times go to the Pembrey Country Park website.
Pembrey Forest forms part of the National Forest for Wales.
The National Forest will:
It will form a connected ecological network running throughout Wales, bringing social, economic and environmental benefits.
Parts of the network will eventually form a trail running the length and breadth of Wales, so anyone can access it wherever they live.
For more information go to the National Forest for Wales website.
The visitor centre, toilets, café and all other leisure facilities are managed by Carmarthenshire County Council.
For information and opening times go to the Pembrey Country Park website.
Pembrey Forest is 8 miles west of Llanelli.
It is in the county of Carmarthenshire.
Pembrey Forest is on OS Explorer 164 or 178.
The OS grid reference for Pembrey Country Park visitor centre is SN 400 001.
Take the A484 from Llanelli towards Bury Port.
After 5 miles, turn left, following the brown signs for the Country Park.
The car park for the Country Park is 1 mile along this road.
For satellite navigation, the postcode for Pembrey Country Park is SA16 0EJ.
The nearest mainline railway station is Pembrey & Burry Port.
For details of public transport go to the Traveline Cymru website.
You can cycle to Pembrey Forest on the Celtic Trail.
The Celtic Trail stretches across South Wales, from the Irish Sea to the border with England
The Celtic Trail is made up of two Sustrans routes.
For more information about the Celtic Trail go to the Sustrans website.
The nearest car park to the start of the Shells and Pines Trail is car park 1 in Pembrey Country Park.
The country park is managed by Carmarthenshire County Council and there is a charge at the park entrance.
For information and opening times go to the Pembrey Country Park website.