If you want to take a break from the daily stresses of life, you’ve come to the right place. The Bryngarw estate was developed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries by members of the Traherne family as a place of beauty and relaxation. It has the same purpose today, but now it’s a park for everyone to enjoy. It plays an important ecological role too, being home to a diverse range of flora and fauna living in a mosaic of natural habitats.
Run by Awen Cultural Trust in partnership with Bridgend County Borough Council, Bryngarw Country Park has benefitted from the addition of some excellent facilities over the years, most recently an improved visitor centre that includes a café, interactive displays about the park, a storytelling den and more.
Our park rangers can help you get the most out of a visit, and we offer a year-round programme of activities featuring everything from open air theatre to guided walks. There are plenty of educational opportunities too, from ‘bird bingo’, nature trails and pond dipping to ranger-led group activities.
Whether you want to hit the woodland trails on your bicycle, spot some amazing wildlife or simply enjoy the peace and stillness of our Oriental Garden, a visit to Bryngarw Country Park will recharge you and help you connect with nature.
Discovery Gateway
Bryngarw Country Park is one of 12 Discovery Gateway sites designated by Welsh Government as part of the Valleys Regional Park initiative (VRP). The aim of the initiative is to recognise and maximise the potential of the natural and cultural heritage of the South Wales valleys. Welsh Government, through its VRP programme, has worked with Awen Cultural Trust to invest almost £750,000 in the infrastructure of the park, to improve the visitor experience and enhance our educational offer to even more schools and groups.
Our History
The Bryngarw estate, with its beautiful house, formal gardens and picturesque lake, has a rich history dating back hundreds of years. It used to be part of a much larger estate, known as the Coytrahen Estate, which included Coytrahen House and grounds, as well as numerous other pockets of land around Glamorgan.
Y Tîm
Keith Douglas
Operations Manager for Natural Heritage - Keith has worked at Bryngarw as a ranger since the late 1980s, and as a countryside manager for over 30 years. His previous jobs involved working for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sussex Wildlife Trust and Dartmoor National Park. His speciality is woodland birds, especially woodpeckers and he has travelled widely throughout Europe to look for other woodpecker species. He volunteers for the RSPB. Rheolwr Gweithrediadau Treftadaeth Naturiol.
Beth Hopkins
Education & Development Coordinator - Beth first joined the ranger team in 2014 as a Seasonal Ranger. Since completing a degree in Wildlife Biology, she has worked and volunteered for a number of conservation organisations including Gwent Wildlife Trust, Swansea Ecology Research Team and the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales. Having a passion for the natural world and travelling, Beth has been on conservation-related trips to Africa and South America and, in her spare time, is an amateur wildlife artist.
Adam Davies
Ranger - Adam joined the team as a temporary Park Ranger in 2020, after leaving his former career as a mechanical maintenance craftsman in the automotive industry. As well as being a qualified tree surgeon, Adam has a special interest in all things bushcraft and wild food foraging and has attended numerous courses on the subject. In his spare time, Adam is a keen bird watcher and also loves mountain climbing in Snowdonia National Park.