Kenfig National Nature Reserve - Bridgend

Michelle B.

Lovely clean beach. Well maintained sandy paths down through the sand dunes. It takes about 10-15 mins to walk the dunes to the beach but it’s a lovely walk on a wide well maintained sandy track. Dog and horse friendly. We go most weekends through the winter with the horse and dog and find people very friendly and respectful around the horses. Lovely coffee shop next to the car park which is handy and there’s a farmers market on a Sunday morning in the nature reserve car park.

Paul M.

Beautiful, peaceful nature reserve with extensive dunes and heathlands, wild flowers and butterflies, and then a stunning empty beach at the end of the walk. One of the hottest days of the year and we saw less than half a dozen people on the beach all day, and some of the time we were alone with miles of soft sand. Can’t wait to come back. And cheap parking a lovely bonus.

Paul R.

Went there today for a walk and absolutely fell in love with the place. The walks are amazing, you have sand dunes, a lake and if you're up for a trek you can even go to a beach.

I took the dogs and they were running up and down the dunes living their best lives.

The coffee shop at the Kenfig nature reserve is a right treat.

I had a vanilla latte and a homemade cinnamon bun. The price was good (I think £6.10 for both) and the coffee and cake were delicious 😋

I bumped into a local there and they advised me to try the pasties there as they are stunning. The only issue though he said was they sell out fast!

I will be back 😀

Ché N.

Great walk. Possibly a little easy to get lost if you’re unfamiliar. I used the compass app on my watch to get back. Can be boggy in places but a great walk to the beach.

Lewis M.

An incredible place. Somewhere so different to anything you usually experience. We parked at the visitor centre, had a cracking coffee and toasted bagel at the food hut, then took a steady 40 mins or so to amble through the dunes towards the beach.
If you are a bird twitcher, or have an interest in ecology, fill y boots. Seeing horses on the trail was lovely. Some crazy low canopy sand dune woodlands, the like I've never seen before. Great to explore. Cool in the summer. Dozens of different hidden trails to choose from.
You begin to hear the surf about a half mile off, crashing echoes off the dunes, quite deceiving. And then quite suddenly the trail spills you out atop the beach - and what a beach! MILES of pure sand, flat and gleaming where wet. The beach is incredibly far from the water at low tide, we saw some bikes doing crazy big loops, we saw some sea anglers, lone folks wandering. But generally hardly ANYONE there. We walked for 45 minutes up the beach splashing through the shallow surf that went on for 100s of metres towards the sea. Just paradise. You feel detached from the world you arrived from. The industrial structures far in the distance give it a surreal atmosphere.
We then headed up the beach into these long drifts of sea wood, which we explored for ages. Some huge trees, and lots of small wood and odd human items, cast in the sea years before.
We then settled in a nook in the sand dunes overlooking the beach, and had our own private sheltered sun trap sand dune camp spot, where we put up our anglers tent, laid out a blanket, got some food out, and just totally relaxed. A bit of sunbathing, a bit of exploring. Some sleeping, some eating. Then, a slow amble back through the surf again, this time the tide further out exposing crazy sand formations and odd rocks. Absolutely beautiful. So much sky.
The walk back through dunes was harder, it being hot and the dog being a bit older and needing carrying over the softer parts, but it was still really good fun.
Back to the visitors centre where we washed down from the cold water tap, and then hit the road.
Next time we are going to look at the old castle ruins of medieval Kenfigg.

Honestly? A magical nature reserve, and one of the most captivating beaches I've ever visited in the UK, as a Brit.

Paul D.

Nice peaceful place, my dog loves the area, walking through the dunes to the beach and back via the lake, Beautiful place 👌🏻

Jason A.

A beautiful place for a dog walk. We love the walks here. So much variety of the routes you can take. You can spend minutes or hours here exploring. I highly recommend it for those who like to walk. Just bring decent footwear as it can get boggy.

Ondine B.

Couldn't figure out how to pay for parking so I'm hoping I don't get a big fine. Lovely little coffee shop there with great coffee. Amazing beach, good surf. Great for dogs. Friendly people. We'll be back.