Sandy Water Park and the Millennium Coastal Park offer a beautiful and historically rich experience in Carmarthenshire. This area seamlessly blends natural beauty with a fascinating industrial past, providing a diverse range of activities and sights for visitors of all ages and abilities.
The Millennium Coastal Park, inaugurated at the turn of the millennium, has transformed the coastal area of Llanelli from an industrial landscape dominated by steel and tinplate works into a vibrant green space. The park boasts miles of traffic-free cycling and walking paths, making it ideal for buggies and wheelchairs. The well-maintained paths follow National Cycle Route 4, offering a super traffic-free route along the scenic Loughor estuary and the Gower Peninsula.
The route passes by Llanelli beach and Tywyn beach, eventually leading to Burry Port, a charming harbor town with a beach and the newest marina in Wales. Heading east, the path goes by Sandy Water Park and Machynys beach before reaching the National Wetlands Centre. This area is a haven for birdwatchers, with opportunities to spot various sea and water birds, including flocks of dunlin, ringed plover, sanderling, and redshank along the coast. Further out on the mudflats, you can see shelduck, oystercatcher, and curlew, and the park itself is home to graceful swans. In the summer months, the area is adorned with orchids and other wildflowers, adding to its natural charm.
One of the unique features of the park is the presence of black rocks along the route. These are remnants from the steel furnaces, and a close look reveals bubbles formed when they were molten. This serves as a reminder of the area's industrial heritage, now beautifully integrated into the natural landscape.
Sandy Water Park itself is a focal point of the area. The lake within the park was originally one of the cooling lakes associated with the Duport Steel works, once a major industrial site known locally as the "Klondike works" due to its significance to Llanelli. Today, the park offers a serene environment for walking, with a path encircling the lake. For those seeking a longer walk, a detour through the Mabinogion woods reveals a sculpture trail, and the path continues onto the Millennium Coastal Path and the local Nature reserve at North Dock, ending at the sand dune spur.
The Millennium Coastal Park also offers practical amenities for visitors. Spacious car parks are available, and the X11 public transport route provides direct access to the Coastal Path at Burry Port harbor. Refreshments are readily available, and St. Elli's Bay Bistro offers a perfect spot to relax and enjoy the stunning views of Carmarthen Bay and the Gower Peninsula.
