Pisgah Chapel

The little whitewashed chapel sits on a hillside between Porthcawl and Bridgend, easy to miss if you're not looking for it. Pisgah Chapel is a proper piece of Welsh Nonconformist history - built in the 1800s when this landscape was all farming communities and scattered villages. Inside, it's austere and moving in equal measure: simple wooden pews, a modest pulpit, and the kind of light that comes through small windows and makes you actually think about why you're there.

It's the sort of place that grips historians and anyone curious about rural Welsh chapel culture. You won't spend hours here - thirty minutes is generous - but it's worth the short detour if you're staying nearby. The walk to it is pleasant enough, though the approach road can be a bit muddy depending on weather. No refreshments, no interpretive panels, just the chapel itself and whatever story you bring to it.

If you're based at Trecco Bay Holiday Park, this is a half-hour's drive and combines well with a wander around Porthcawl itself. The town's got enough going on - beach, promenade, fish and chips - to make an afternoon of it. Pisgah works best as part of a longer exploration rather than a standalone trip, but if you're interested in Welsh religious architecture or fancy something genuinely off the beaten track, it's worth seeking out.