1. As you exit the train head up the stairs or using the lift be sure to head to your left to the Town side of the station. As you exit the station cross over onto the pedestrianised area and then to your right to start walking out of the Town on Commercial Road/A48. You’ll be following this road for just under a mile.
2. Follow this road passing Taibach Rugby Club, eventually passing the Somerset Arms pub. Just after this take a left turn onto Constant Road opposite Mount Surgery. Follow this road up and around to eventually come to a T-junction. Head right to join Inkerman Row and walk along and then right under the motorway. Follow the road up to the house and take the signed footpath on your left. Be sure to take the footpath alongside the wall climbing up.
3. At the top of the path head left through the gate – you have now joined the high-level Wales Coast Path (WCP), keep an eye out for the yellow and red markers as you’ll be following this for most of the remaining walk. Follow the path around the hillside to a kissing gate, and after this descend on a slight left, it’s quite muddy in places here, to reach a kissing gate. Through the gate follow the path between 2 fields and continue along this to reach a road.
4. Go left here and then take the next right onto Field Terrace. Follow this to reach a mini roundabout and go right here and then right again onto Pen-y-Cae Road. Follow this up a steep hill to eventually reach a T-Junction ahead of you. Go right here onto Broomhill and at the end of the houses take the steps upward.
5. You are still following the WCP as you climb up steps and a steep path to reach a T-Junction. Go left here around the hillside. Take the time to enjoy the expansive views, and follow the path as it starts to descend, eventually reaching a gate and a road. Go right here walking past houses to shortly take the signed footpath on your left.
6. This descends to a road, go straight over being careful to cross to take another signed footpath. At the bottom of this path head to the mini roundabout and go right over the bridge, still following the WCP. Once over the bridge go left and left again to walk behind the houses and along the river. Take the metal footbridge over the river and then head right to follow the WCP through a car park.
7. At the end of this car park head left and take care to cross the roundabout ahead to enter the Tesco car park. You have now left the WCP. Walk alongside the river near Tesco to reach a footbridge. At this point you can head right into the Aberafan Shopping centre for refreshments in the Hideout Café. The walk goes left down past other shops eventually joining Station Road. Follow this road passing cafes and pubs to reach the train station.