Enjoy a breath of fresh air in one of our green crown jewels

Thanks to work by Swansea Council and local volunteers, the 700-acre park that offers a green link between Olchfa and the prom, is even easier to get around for families looking for a day out in the woods.

Over the last couple of years three new bridges have been built across the River Clyne that runs down the valley, another's been replaced with easy-to-navigate stepping stones and extra drainage works has helped make other paths easier to use.

On top of that a new footpath has been created to improve connections between different areas of the park alongside a number of signs installed to make it easier than ever to find your way around.

Andrew Stevens, Cabinet Member for Environment and Infrastructure, said all the work has been done with measures to protect and enhance wildlife in the area, allowing more people to get close to nature while enjoying a day out.

He said: "During the first pandemic lockdown in particular, we saw a huge increase in people using the park as a way to enjoy getting out of the house and into the fresh air. Visitor numbers to the area pretty much doubled and we want to encourage more families to enjoy what really is a crown jewel in our collection of parks."

Clyne Valley is Swansea's only country park and is easily accessed from car parks around its edges in places like Mumbles Road in the South and Killay and Upper Killay in the north.

The area's had a rich and varied history, ranging from coal mining to brick-making. Some of that history remains as ruins, as the landscape now is given over to woodland and a wide variety of wildlife, including birds like wagtails and woodpeckers, and squirrels and bats.

Cllr Stevens said: "If you've not been there for a while or never visited, now is a great time to see the park in winter. The improvements completed over the last couple of years have made the park a lot more accessible while also carefully nurturing local wildlife habitats.

"Over the last three years our Countryside Access Team have used Access Improvement Grants from Welsh Government to carry out improvements to the paths that encourage people to explore the whole of the Park.

"The volunteers from the Clyne Valley Community Project have been a really important element of the path improvements, both in actually helping to do the work and in advising where and what works are needed."

To find out more about Clyne Valley Park go to: https://www.swansea.gov.uk/article/6801/Clyne-Valley-Country-Park

If you'd like to join the volunteers of the Clyne Valley Community Project, take a look here: https://clynevalleycommunityproject.uk/