Neath Abbey - A ‘Must Do’ Walk Through Welsh History

Neath Abbey, South Wales is a short distance from the M4 and Swansea Bay but it’s “off the beaten path” for many visitors to Wales.
Neath Abbey and the neighbouring ironworks are often overlooked. Not only by tourists but by us South Wales locals too.
On this short Welsh river walk which is less than a mile I walk along the picturesque River Clydach and come across many places which trace the local Welsh history going back over 900 years.
During the industrial revolution, Neath Abbey was a busy ironworks and the two blast furnaces of Neath Abbey ironworks still stand today. As well as producing iron, Neath Abbey ironworks used to power the industrial revolution by making steam engines, maritime engines, iron ships and locomotives.
Neath Abbey ironworks was in use until the 1880s.
A few minutes from the ironworks is Neath Abbey itself. A monastery founded in 1129 for Richard de Granville one of the twelve Knights of Glamorgan.
By the 13th century, Neath Abbey was one of the wealthiest abbeys in Wales.
Despite paying a fine to Henry VIII the abbey was dissolved in 1539 and the estate was granted to Sir Richard Williams.
A few years later a grand mansion was constructed in the cloisters of the southwest corner of Neath Abbey. This mansion was used for about 100 years before being abandoned due to the growth of the industry in the area.
Neath Abbey was used as copper smelting works and furnaces, workshops and workers houses were built within the grounds and over time the ruins were engulfed by industrial waste.
The historic ruins of the abbey were finally excavated in the 1920s and the abbey is now managed by CADW, the welsh agency which manages many Welsh historic sites.
It is free to enter the abbey, you can check the opening times here cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-t...
So If you haven’t yet visited this Welsh historic gem; then you should definitely make the trip.
‘Neath Abbey - A ‘Must Do’ Walk Through Welsh History’ - Filmed April 2021 #NeathAbbey #VisitWales
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[@flydriveexplore]

See more of the Welsh waterfall country kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKapgouMm8-nsJI

[@mariabatlles7032]

A stone throw away from my house and one of my favourite places in the world to forage, walk and meditate. It's always so peaceful and I am usually the only person there. I can't believe such a huge amount of beauty and history is so hidden behind a garage and a few unassuming commercial buildings. I actually love it just like this. So blessed to have this at my doorstep. 💜

[@RobCharles1981]

Enjoyed that Marcus - I've been to Neath Abbey too - and there's also a nice chippy in Neath called Hikarys give them a try when you next visit! :-)

[@flydriveexplore]

I hadn't been there for years, thanks for the info about the chippy.

[@RobCharles1981]

@@flydriveexplore Cheers Bud!

[@pauljones1350]

Great video spent many years in neath but never in this area never seen this place either great engineering and buildings amazing the train brings that bridge to life knew only neath abbey

[@flydriveexplore]

It's amazing how all that Victorian rail engineering is still in use.

[@NeathVideos]

You can ask the occupiers,of the house on the right as you enter the abbey,for the key to that large door (the crypt) I think it’s called,or they may open it for you,and the original all mosaic flooring is still Intact. You should revisit sometime-I’m about a mile or so away from the abbey,in Neath itself. Excellent video as always

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for the info. I knew there was a crypt but didn't know about the key and how to gain access. I just thought it was closed due to the current situation. I will make another visit later in the summer

[@Sanddancer1]

after melin court waterfall i walked down to here also on the strength of the video . i dont drive so i got the train to neath then walked to melin court fall then down to this one keep the videos coming i love watching them and your directions are very helpful 👍

[@flydriveexplore]

Glad it was helpful. Cold today but dry and sunny.

[@David_Nurse]

Good job! Another enjoyable video. Thank you for sharing this gem with us.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks, it is an interesting walk

[@LKBRICKS1993]

Thank you. I really enjoyed watching your video. So interesting to watch.

[@flydriveexplore]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@barrycrump6189]

I really enjoy your videos that depict these little, out-of-the-way gems. I always imagine the hustle and bustle that went on during their heyday and even the discussions that the workman might have had while building these places. Incidentally, I think the only way you are going to entice Mel out on one of your video adventures is to ensure that you pack a jumbo sausage in your lunchbox.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks, she does come on a lot of trips but when I'm filming there is a lot of hanging around. I may try the jumbo sausage trick!

[@OnASeasideMission]

Another piece of (My) unexplored Wales and I spent years living a bus ride away. And truckload of history. Love it.

[@flydriveexplore]

Cheers. There are a lot of forgotten and unexplored places around South Wales

[@OnASeasideMission]

@@flydriveexplore Not wrong. I got lost finding a street in Porthcawl one visit. And to paraphrase River Song, love a bit of industrial dereliction. Hull is actually a beauty spot for great old buildings. And the only good chimichanga I've had since Denver.

[@herecomesfreshfire1291]

I live in the street above the waterfall and mill! The mill buildings collapsed a few years ago because a tree fell during a storm and destroyed the building. I spent many a day hanging out there with friends as a teenager before it collapsed :). Thank you so much for bringing light to this beautiful place. It’s on my doorstep but I knew barely anything about the history ❤️

[@flydriveexplore]

Glad you enjoyed it. It is very picturesque there and lots of local history too.

[@mariabatlles7032]

Wow! Thank you for that info. I had no idea it was a mill. I thought it was an abandoned derelict house. I live 5 or do minutes walk away from the area. We are so blessed to have all this beauty and history so close to us.

[@NatSatFat]

Marcus your absolutely correct, I drove through Neat loads of times, did I ever stop? No, nothing to see, or so I thought? Did you know the 2 blast furnaces are NOT identified on a OR map? they are there in the Satellite view but you have to look for them? (no labels) just north of the Abbey, and while looking on the map about your walk, I found out the A465 near there, IS a dual carriageway? fantastic, it was a single road all the way to Hirwaen when I was there? but it seems its going to be a great road all the way from Swansea to Abergavenny, all dual carriageway? (I wonder why, the heads of the valley road is nothing there or was nothing there when I was there? Great vid, love abscure places.

[@maggienificent]

What a lovely area! It is impressive how much history you bring to us. It is inspiring me to find out more about the history of the area where I live!

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks, it was lockdown that made us look around our local area. We are surprised at how much we can find

[@jontaylor1587]

you have a lovely voice!

[@maggienificent]

@@jontaylor1587 I am not sure if this is directed at me but if it is, thank you!

[@valariebedard4013]

Beautiful scenery. Wow! Amazing!

[@valariebedard4013]

Thanks for sharing,, love nature and history..

[@flydriveexplore]

Thank you very much! It is a beautiful area.

[@tmttvf]

I'm from Neath, but moved from Resolven to Carmarthenshire two years ago, I have never seen the iron works open, it always appeared to be fenced off by the business that's adjacent, great video again.

[@flydriveexplore]

I could understand why some of the unsafe areas were fenced off but the workshop looked OK. Maybe they'veve done it to protect the place and stop people messy around and vandalism etc.

[@amymcmahonbooks9586]

Off the beatens are the best kinds of paths.

[@BikeThrottleOfficial]

Very relaxing music and editing 👏

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks, trying to get the atmosphere right.

[@josephcrookes193]

Love this! Subscribed - Cant wait for more

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks, should have another one out on Sunday. Somewhere not really that far away.

[@user-hu6kh1uo5g]

Looking at your vid again has whetted our appetite to visit. Have packed our wellington boots and waterproofs to investigate. Wish us luck that we find the places you filmed at.We are aiming for Taillwyd Road opposite the Smiths Arms under the viaduct. We can always ask a local for directions. Happy New Year to you both.

[@flydriveexplore]

Have a good time

[@andycoles4588]

Nice one 👍👌 Really appreciate your video, Brilliant. Its true we don't realise how much we have on our doorstep and keep putting off visiting these great historical attractions. Tintern Abbey is another favourite. 👍👍

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks, we have a lot of places that don't really get the attention they deserve.

[@whattovisitinromania5044]

Beautiful nature in the area! Really interesting place to explore! 😍❤️👌

[@flydriveexplore]

There is and its very quiet too considering it's near the town.

[@hywelbranch6667]

Brilliant.

[@flydriveexplore]

Cheers 👍

[@nailedt0thecr0ss]

love your videos.

[@flydriveexplore]

Glad you like them!

[@dgrimes133]

Truly enjoying your videos of the Welsh countryside as I hunker down in northern New England (USA). Would like to see Wales in person once restrictions ease, hopefully before much longer.

[@flydriveexplore]

Hope you get to visit soon, it is often overlooked by overseas tourists but Cardiff is only 2 hours from London. Saying that we do love our visits to the US and hope to travel there soon.

[@dgrimes133]

"...often overlooked by overseas tourists..." Well, then that's another feature in favor of a visit. My interests are in history (mainly medieval), also places associated with folktales and Y Mabinogi. If you care to pass along any, suggestions for visits would be appreciated. Diolch.

[@cecilhall3428]

@@dgrimes133 Iʻm an American who moved to Wales, highly recommend visiting (if you havenʻt since your original comment!). Neath Abbey is quite lovely, same with Oystermouth Castle which isnʻt super far from this site

[@lazydaisy649]

Awesome video.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks

[@johnmcdyer7297]

Very interesting that was Marcus, my wife has an old oil painting 1913 of this site painted from the little stream or canal just outside the entrance and in the back ground you can see an old collery but the ruins are almost identical ,thanks for posting

[@flydriveexplore]

Interesting. Yes, apart from being cleaned up the basic landscape and structures haven't really changed that much.

[@peterrichards602]

Would it be possible to see a picture of the painting? Thanks.

[@johnmcdyer7297]

@@peterrichards602 certainly I’ll send a picture of it to you what’s your email address

[@peterrichards602]

@@johnmcdyer7297 Hi, my email is [e-mail]. Thanks, Peter

[@johnmcdyer7297]

@@peterrichards602 sorry Peter I don’t know how to send it not that clever on computer s can do it on an email though I think ,but off u tube I don’t know

[@petergriffiths369]

Did you walk under the viaduct to the road that runs from Skewen towards Llandarcy? There's a huge structure built to the top of a cliff that was probably as high as the viaduct, that is if it's the same viaduct. I was told it was a blast furnace. It was close to Skewen and maybe a different ironworks. Last week I walked the canal on the opposite the Abbey, The one on the other side of the river. As the canal was in good condition I thought of paddling a canoe down to Briton Ferry. If you're interested we could hire a rowing boat and do both canals. I'll row while you film. Fly drive Paddle Explore ! Neath is a gold mine of archaeology.

[@flydriveexplore]

I may walk the canal, not sure about paddling. I'm not that familiar with the area but the top of one if the blast furnaces against the cliff lies alongside Longford Road

[@petergriffiths369]

@@flydriveexplore Ah, found it in my AtoZ marked "Neath Abbey Blast Furnace". OK, I give in, as it's still sunny I may take the iron horse to Skewen tomorrow.

[@chloelou3933]

Absolutely love your videos! Being from bridgend myself, it's amazing how I dont know about certain places to go and visit

[@petergriffiths369]

I'm sure Marcus can help you there. I'm from Porthcawl but am living in Swansea. I'm presently working on Swansea and Neath areas Photographing and filming archaeology. If you're in Swansea I suggest visiting the massive Hafod Copperworks which is under restoration.

[@flydriveexplore]

Same here, only since lockdown we've discovered these local places.

[@andrewwhelan7311]

Great programme. DIOLCH from independent Tropical merthyr Tydfil. We also have huge furnaces in Cyfarthyr Merthyr, and there are plans to reinstate them for future generations. Hope this happens.

[@flydriveexplore]

The Crawshay ironmasters. We'll have to take a look over the next few months.

[@andrewwhelan7311]

@@flydriveexplore Look forward to your welcoming informative narrative. A pleasure and at the right pitch to promote gods own country. Araf deg mae mynd ym hell / It is slowly you go far .

[@jontaylor1587]

hello, thanks for highlighting our area, I live only a few metres from where you were in the Cwm, when you were walking towards the old iron works approaching the viaduct, on your right there's foundations of 5 old cottages that were build in the 1790s for some of the iron works employees. they were still there up to the early 1950s, my father had a old school friend living there at the time must of been a smelly place to live back then lol, the old iron works in its heyday was responsible for manufacturing some of the world's first machines including the world first harbourside crane.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for the info. I hadn't been there for years forgot how nice and interesting that area is.

[@mariabatlles7032]

There is also an old grave stone on the ground, I think from the 18 hundreds opposite the cottages.

[@brianrowlands9751]

There was a row of nine cottages. My father and aunts were born in number 2 in the 1920s, and their mother in 1892. Great grandmother, the last of the family living there, died there in 1946. In the late 1920s the cottages were flooded to the first floor when the dam upriver burst after heavy rains. The remains of the cottages are presently being excavated. Thanks for this video.

[@raybeaumont7670]

Cheers Marcus - another interesting and entertaining vlog. I've visited the Abbey numerous times but didn't know about the old iron works. So I went for an explore last week. I could see the River Clydach but couldn't find a path to actually get alongside it. Please can you give me an idea where is the best location to access the river and the waterfall etc. Many thanks in advance. A hello to Mel. Hwyl

[@flydriveexplore]

Hi, I drove up and parked on Longford Road , there are a few paths off that road down to the river itself.

[@raybeaumont7670]

@@flydriveexplore Thanks Marcus - much appreciated. I'll try a mini adventure this coming week.

[@user-hu6kh1uo5g]

Where exactly are you Marcus, please? which main road did you leave to get to this lovely place?

[@flydriveexplore]

Neath Abbey is just off the A465 in Neath, South Wales

[@ginge7945]

I never knew that was called river clydach, shame on me considering I've been in the area 41 years

[@flydriveexplore]

That name is quite common around Wales, there's a few rivers and villages with the name.

[@tony40400]

I have been watching you for a while, and I am very impressed both by your knowledge, how you portray it, and recommend where to go, the only thing I have to say a negative about is.... like the map you used on this video very old and out of date, can I ask for the benefit of myself and others, can you show an image where the places are on Satellite maps instead, so it would be easier for us if we had a straightforward map instead of an old one where we had to guess the locations. I have noticed you do use different maps on your videos. Can you stay with a modern upto date one please.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for the feedback I understand your point. I try to give out the coordinates and more details when it's a lesser-known place. The old map I used in this was intended to show the way it was shown in Victorian times. I may have cut the change in time a bit too short in my final edit.

[@tony40400]

@@flydriveexplore , Thanks for the quick get back. I do love your vids, both my wife and I, as soon as you post we are there to watch them and as said, Really do enjoy them. I run a camera club and you have opened new ground for myself and club to go and enjoy - where we wouldn't have though about before . SO please keep it up and look forward to seeing a lot more. And if you want someone to come with you on a trip, would be more than happy to. Very best wishes to the both of you.

[@iaw7406]

I walked there from abertawe along the tennant canal, dodgiest path ive ever been through

[@ronmitchell859]

_ and "no one here." Does beg some questions.

[@flydriveexplore]

I think lots of places aren't really promoted that much and are often overlooked.

[@ronmitchell859]

@@flydriveexplore Who would tend to promote such things in that part of the world? Thanks for taking us to these places we'd never see with your videos!

[@iaw7406]

How did you actually get in the abbey ? When i went it was all closed off !

[@flydriveexplore]

All open to the public now, a small area is closed off for renovation.

[@iaw7406]

@@flydriveexplore i went this winter (janurary probably) and it was all fenced. Then it got dark and i needed to get the bus back before i got mugged :(

[@andrewhayes4914]

Metaldetectoriswales