Forest walk leads to rustic cafe serving best toasties and coffee

This forest walk leads to the most delicious toasties and you'll pass some historic old waterways and through some ancient woodlands on your journey

02:00, 18 Apr 2026

This accessible forest is where you'll find sections of the former Glamorganshire Canal(Image: Dave Pardoe / Getty)

We're blessed with abundant, wonderful woodland walks in south Wales where you can traverse gnarly paths under a canopy of greenery. One of the easier forest treks for families is Forest Farm, located on the banks of the River Taff, just south of the busy M4 motorway.

Here, you'll stumble upon remnants of the old Glamorganshire Canal and wander through a patchwork of habitats including woodland, wild meadows, ponds, and marshes.

Keep your eyes peeled for a storybook castle peeking through the ancient beech woods of Fforest Fawr.

The 55-mile-long Taff Trail also runs through the site, leading to longer walks out of the city and towards Brecon[1] via riverside paths, railway paths and forest roads.

Feeling peckish? Pop into the rustic cafe tucked away in Fforest Fawr, where you'll find some of Cardiff[2]'s tastiest toasties without breaking the bank.

Located beside the fairytale-like Castell Coch, Fforest Fawr is an ancient woodland managed by Forestry Commission Wales (Image: Portia Jones )

This area was once a hub of industrial activity as the Glamorganshire canal linked the ironworks of Merthyr Tydfil to the sea at Cardiff.

They were extensively used in industry, trade, and coal transport in south Wales.

Despite its industrial heritage, the area became a protected haven for plant and animal life and is a favourite place for Cardiff residents to visit.

The Mary Gillham archive[3] project reports that in 1970, the Cardiff Parks department took over management of the woodland reserve, and in 1981, it was formally declared a Local Nature Reserve.

In 1982, the main part of the reserve, the area containing Long Wood, Sheep's Bane Wood and the Glamorganshire Canal, was designated a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) by the Nature Conservancy Council, which helped to ensure its future protection.

There's lots of wildlife in Forest Farm(Image: Portia Jones )

These days, limited traces of the canal remain, and Forest Farm now provides a woodland escape from the city with quiet paths, picnic benches, and a network of walking trails. Stay in the know by making sure you're receiving our daily newsletter[4]

Though it's a local favourite, the woods stretch farther than you'd expect, and newcomers might find themselves delightfully lost. Thankfully, Friends of Forest Farm has mapped out a guided walk to help you explore with confidence.

If you want to extend your walk, there's also a guided route around Fforest Fawr[5] on the handy AllTrails app.

Starting at Castell Coch, the trail winds through the ancient woodland of Fforest Fawr along scenic paths where you can watch for wildlife and see vivid bluebells in spring.

The main route around Forest Farm is approximately three miles long and starts at the small car park in Forest Farm Road. You can walk to the car park from the Taff Trail, take the bus to Whitchurch village, or take the train to Coryton station and walk to Forest Farm Road to start the walk.

Forest Farm nature reserve is built around the old Glamorgan Canal(Image: Richard Swingler)

If you're following the trail curated by Friends of Forest Farm, from the car park you should head through the gated entrance and down to the canal via one of two paths. The one on the right has a gentler slope and a handrail.

You'll then see two watercourses.

The left is a 'feeder' from the River Taff at Radyr weir, which provided water for the Melingriffith tin plate works. The right is one end of the only remaining stretch of the Glamorganshire Canal that linked Merthyr Tydfil's ironworks to the Cardiff sea.

Head over the Sunnybank Weir bridge, follow the towpath, and continue looking for wildlife, waterfowl and waterbirds, including mallard, moorhens and coots. You might even spot a colourful kingfisher diving into the water if you're super lucky.

Forest Farm walk(Image: Portia Jones )

Keep following the trail, now the ancient woodland that rises above the far bank of the canal is predominantly beech, with much ash, some oak and alder, and is part of the 'Long Wood' Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

You'll soon come to a lock gate, then to a choice of paths: a steeper route with steps up to Longwood Drive, or a shorter, flatter route that turns left at the end of the canal, following a path parallel to Longwood Drive.

Choose your route and continue walking towards the motorway and the river Taff, and eventually you'll come to a T-junction with the Taff Trail.

At this point, you can tire the kids out for bedtime and extend your woodland walk by hopping on the Taff Trail and heading towards Fforest Fawr.

Here you can explore a sculpture trail, walk to Castell Coch and have a brilliant cafe stop where you can enjoy a warming cuppa by the fire and a freshly cooked toastie in a leafy setting.

The dragon sculpture on the trail(Image: UGC UWL)

Forestry Commission Wales manages Fforest Fawr on behalf of the Welsh Government[6].

It is a beautiful blend of deciduous woodland with small pockets of conifers.

Doctor Who fans may recognise the dense forest from season eight's Robots of Sherwood episode, where The Doctor uncovers a sinister alien plot and forms an alliance with Robin Hood.

Scenes from the episode were shot in the forest early in the morning, and the doctor, Peter Capaldi, was spotted filming scenes with Maisie Williams, who played Arya Stark in Game of Thrones.

This area begs to be explored, and if you fancy stretching your legs further, Fforest Fawr offers three circular walks: Burges' Way, Sir Henry's Trail, and the enchanting Sculpture Trail, which kids will love.

Just off these trails, you can swing by dreamy Castell Coch (red castle), a 19th-century Gothic Revival castle perched above the small village of Tongwynlais, and grab lunch from the secluded forest cafe[7] inside the woodlands.

Adjust your expectations, and you will have a rustic and leafy cafe experience in the woods, complete with resident peacocks and a log fire(Image: Portia Jones )

You'll find delicious toasties, soups, no-nonsense breakfast food and straight-talking staff here.

Look, this isn't a suave hipster cafe, so don't rock up expecting avocado on gluten-free toast, yeah?

Embrace the rustic charm and you'll be rewarded with a woodland cafe experience, complete with resident peacocks and a crackling fire.

The cafe is right on a forest trail, so you can continue your walk or walk back to Forest Farm, depending on how weary your legs are.

If you haven't explored this forest trail yet, add it to your 'must-walk' list and get your hiking boots ready for a lovely woodland walk in the diff'.

References

1. ^ Brecon (www.walesonline.co.uk)
2. ^ Cardiff (www.walesonline.co.uk)
3. ^ Mary Gillham archive (www.marygillhamarchiveproject.com)
4. ^ making sure you're receiving our daily newsletter (www.walesonline.co.uk)
5. ^ route around Fforest Fawr (go.skimresources.com)
6. ^ Welsh Government (www.walesonline.co.uk)
7. ^ forest cafe (www.facebook.com)