Briton Ferry (Welsh: Llansawel) sits at the mouth of the River Neath in the county of Neath Port Talbot, South Wales. The river flows from its source in the Brecon Mountains to its mouth at Baglan Bay to its estuary just below Briton Ferry.
The nearby church of Llansawel dates back to Norman times. The solid squat tower is original, however much of the church has been rebuilt. Centuries ago the poets Mason and Gray came to stay at nearby Baglan. Mason, a canon of York, wrote one of his elegies in Briton Ferry churchyard.
Briton Ferry Woods is a natural woodland that has never been felled and remains one of the oldest ancient woodland areas since the last Ice Age covered Great Britain. The majestic beech trees, which display vivid orange hues in autumn and cool shelter from the sun in summer, welcome visitors to the wood. In spring time bluebells put on their show. Ancient upland Welsh Oak woods cover much of the slopes, which give way to healthy scrubland or moorland towards the top of the hill.