Places to visit in South East Wales
Explore nature reserves, woodlands, and parks across 9 counties in South East Wales.
The Brecon Beacons' southern escarpment, the reclaimed valleys, and Cardiff's urban parks — post-industrial Wales at its greenest.
Blaenau Gwent
A former coal-valleys district at the heads of the South Wales valleys, with Sirhowy Valley Country Park, the Ebbw River trail, and moorland rising to the Brecon Beacons.
Caerphilly
A district of south Wales coalfield valleys, with the Rhymney and Sirhowy rivers, Cwmcarn Forest Drive, and the Brecon Beacons' southern edge above the valley heads.
Cardiff
Wales's capital, with Bute Park's riverside woodland, Cardiff Bay's wetland reserve, the Taff Trail to the Brecon Beacons, and Cosmeston Country Park's lake.
Merthyr Tydfil
A compact valleys district at the head of the Taff, with the Brecon Beacons National Park on the northern boundary and Pen y Fan accessible from the town.
Monmouthshire
A border county between Wales and England, with the Wye Valley AONB, the Usk river valley, the Black Mountains' eastern ridge, and the Gwent Levels wetlands.
Newport
A city district on the Usk estuary, with Newport Wetlands National Nature Reserve on the Severn Estuary, Tredegar House's country park, and the Usk riverside path.
Rhondda Cynon Taf
A district of densely wooded coalfield valleys, with the Rhondda, Cynon, and Taff rivers, Dare Valley Country Park, and the Brecon Beacons' southern scarp above.
Torfaen
A narrow valleys district, with the Afon Lwyd river, Pontypool Park's hillside woodland, the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, and moorland rising to the Blorenge.
Vale of Glamorgan
A coastal district south of Cardiff, with the Glamorgan Heritage Coast's limestone cliffs, the Vale's rolling farmland, Cosmeston Country Park, and the Ely river.