As a family who love nothing more than a day full of adventure in the great outdoors, it stands to reason we would be National Trust members. However, a lot of my local friends here in South Wales don't know what national trust days out they can even have nearby and assume there aren't many. 

I grew up in the Midlands where you can't move for National Trust properties. The absence here in South Wales feels quite pronounced in comparison, but when you know where to look there are some hidden gems. So without further ado, here are our favourite National Trust days out in South Wales. 

Dyffryn Gardens

Located in Cardiff this is a bit of a drive for us but it couples perfectly with other excuses to visit Cardiff. My kids love nothing more than visiting the Lego Shop when in Cardiff so they can build mini figures, so compromising with me, the minimalist, who hates shopping, we always head to Dyffryn Gardens afterwards for an outdoor adventure.

There is a lot to see and do at Dyffryn. They have beautiful grounds, an old manor house to wander round, an entire room full of used books for sale (we lose my Husband to that room every time) and lots of places for the children to run free and explore. As well as a play area next to the car park, there is a relatively new park within the grounds too which is made from logs, and is great fun for the kids!

It really is well worth a visit. And for budding photographers you will have a field day there.

Dinefwr

Based in Llandeilo this is probably the National Trust property we visit the most. It's just a 35 minute drive for us and couples perfectly with a visit to the very quaint town of Llandeilo, with colourful houses and a lovely variety of shops and cafes. We personally find it really hard not to pop into Heavenly Chocolate when we are there. The name alone is probably explanation enough.

Dinefwr itself has a wonderful old manor house you can explore, and it is really child friendly, with interactive exhibits and none of those roped off sections which our children always seem to take as a personal challenge to find a way into. There are beautiful woodlands to explore, pond dipping, a deer park and a Castle. There is so much to do and it is in such stunning surroundings. It's beautiful all year round but seeing the bluebells here in April/May time is not to be missed.

Colby Woodland Gardens

Probably our favourite of all the local National Trust places, but at about 50 minutes drive from Swansea you need a full day to make the most of it. But it never disappoints and even our "would-rather-be-at-home-watching-people-playing-games-on-you-tube" middle child often requests this day out and loves visiting there. Wonders will never cease!

The fun starts here as soon as you park the car, with rope swings in the woods behind the car park. (Be sure to drive down to the second car park, not the one you come to first, to spare yourselves a walk). There is a very pretty walled garden, and a lovely cafe and shop. You can then explore the vast woodlands and find more rope swings over the stream and lots of natural bridges with fallen trees over the water. There is even a climbing structure built from fallen trees at the top of the woods, as well as these wonderful slanted logs you can lie back against to view the wood’s canopy. It's a real natural, make your own fun, kind of "playground" - my favourite kind! 

To make the most of your day there you should definitely walk down through the woods to the seaside town of Amroth. Quaint sea front houses and cafes and shops, and a vast pebble beach which has stunning views and cliffs lining it, and if you venture far enough there are sandy areas too. Take some cash with you and get some amazing ice cream from the "pirates" ice cream place, or if like me you regularly have zero cash on you, the local newsagents a few doors down sells ice lollies and ice creams and accepts card payments. The ice cream is kind of a must in our family to get the kids to make the walk down to the beach!

Beaches Beaches Beaches

Probably one of the main reasons to get a National Trust membership in South Wales, is all of the amazing locations that they have car parks. Most notably, the beach ones. We actually first became National Trust members back when they acquired the car park at Rhossili. We only have to visit there twice a month to get our moneys worth from our membership, so it’s definitely worthwhile for us.

Some of the beaches we have visited that I would highly recommend are;

• Rhossili (be sure to visit in the summer months for the spectacular sunflowers)

• Pennard

• Mwnt (we’ve seen dolphins here!)

• Penbryn (be sure to get some cake from the “Plwmp tart” cafe in the car park.)

• Bosherston lily ponds and beach

• Barafundle

• Marloes Sands (my favourite beach in the world… so far)

There are so many more than I have listed here, it is well worth checking out the National Trust map to see just how many amazing places you can visit, as well as places you can park to get out and explore further.

 Hopefully this blog has given you some ideas of places to visit here in South Wales.

I hope you manage to have as many great days out as we have had! And if you find yourself heading up to North Wales you’ll find even more amazing days out. You can read about some of our favourites here.