Kenfig Pool

The walk down to Kenfig Pool catches you off guard - you're expecting a tidy tourist spot, but instead you get this genuinely wild stretch of water locked behind a massive sand dune system. It's proper remote feeling, even though Porthcawl's only down the road.

The pool itself is freshwater, separated from the sea by those enormous dunes, and it's become something of a nature reserve. Birdwatchers will have a field day here - herons, egrets, and various waterfowl are common sightings, especially in the early morning. The walk to reach it takes about 20 minutes across the dunes, and it's sandier than you'd think, so decent shoes matter.

Historically, this is where the medieval castle of Kenfig once stood before the dunes buried it sometime in the 1400s. There's not much to see of it now, but that backstory makes the landscape feel less empty and more laden with a sense of time.

This isn't for people expecting facilities or manicured paths. Families with young kids might find it a bit of a slog, but teenagers and keen walkers will appreciate the rawness of it. It's free and accessible year-round, though winter's genuinely moody here - the kind of place where you understand why people romanticise wild coastlines.

If you're staying at Trecco Bay Holiday Park nearby, it's well worth the detour as a half-day expedition. Don't expect crowds, even in summer.