Ardal South West travel: Port Talbot, Penrhiwceiber, Penydarren, and Goytre United
Port Talbot Town fans will travel in the Ardal South West this season after winning the South Wales Premier League title. (Pic by John Smith/FAW)
The Ardal South West offers a fascinating geographical balance, combining clubs from Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan with representatives from the South Wales Valleys, Bridgend, Port Talbot, Neath, Swansea and Llanelli.
While the league remains relatively compact by Welsh football standards, its east-to-west spread creates noticeable differences in the travel demands faced by clubs over the course of the season.
The clubs from the eastern end of the division are expected to shoulder the greatest travelling burden. Llwydcoed, Penydarren and Penrhiwceiber Rangers, all based in the Cynon Valley and Merthyr area, face regular journeys to Swansea, Llanelli and the western reaches of the league, with trips to Evans & Williams among the longest of the campaign. Cardiff Corinthians, Taffs Well, Canton and Cardiff Airport also feature towards the upper end of the travel table, as almost half of their away programme involves crossing Bridgend and Port Talbot into Neath Port Talbot, Swansea or Carmarthenshire.
By contrast, the western clubs benefit from a dense concentration of nearby opponents. Morriston Town, Clydach, Ynysygerwn, Seven Sisters Onllwyn and Mumbles Rangers are all situated within a relatively small area around Swansea and the Neath Valley, resulting in several local derbies requiring little more than a short drive. These fixtures significantly reduce their overall mileage, even though each club still makes a handful of longer journeys into Cardiff and the Valleys.
Evans & Williams occupy an interesting position within the division. Although the Llanelli club is responsible for several of the league’s longest individual away trips, particularly for clubs travelling from Cardiff and the Cynon Valley, it benefits from being only a short distance from Port Talbot, Goytre United and the Swansea-based clubs. As a result, despite hosting some of the competition’s longest away journeys, Evans & Williams themselves are among the clubs with the lowest cumulative travel mileage.
Cefn Cribwr and Goytre United sit close to the geographical centre of the league and enjoy perhaps the most balanced fixture list. Positioned between the eastern and western clusters, neither club is required to make the consistently long journeys faced by the Cardiff and Valleys sides, while also avoiding the concentration of very short local trips available to many Swansea-based clubs.
Ardal South West travel table
| Rank | Club | Approx. Away Miles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Llwydcoed | 730 |
| 2 | Penydarren | 715 |
| 3 | Penrhiwceiber Rangers | 700 |
| 4 | Cardiff Corinthians | 695 |
| 5 | Taffs Well | 690 |
| 6 | Cardiff Airport | 680 |
| 7 | Canton | 665 |
| 8 | Cefn Cribwr | 565 |
| 9 | Goytre United | 550 |
| 10 | Seven Sisters Onllwyn | 545 |
| 11 | Ynysygerwn | 535 |
| 12 | Morriston Town | 530 |
| 13 | Clydach | 525 |
| 14 | Mumbles Rangers | 510 |
| 15 | Port Talbot Town | 500 |
| 16 | Evans & Williams | 495 |
- Morriston Town and Clydach are separated by just a few miles, making it one of the shortest away journeys in the league.
The league stretches across five local authority areas: Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot, Swansea and Carmarthenshire.- Nearly every club can reach every away fixture without leaving the M4 corridor for long, making the Ardal South West one of the most accessible Tier Three leagues in Wales
Every Ardal South West club’s shortest trip
Cardiff Airport → Canton
Cardiff Corinthians → Canton
Canton → Cardiff Corinthians
Cefn Cribwr → Port Talbot Town
Clydach → Morriston Town
Evans & Williams → Clydach
Goytre United → Port Talbot Town
Llwydcoed → Penrhiwceiber Rangers
Morriston Town → Clydach
Mumbles Rangers → Morriston Town
Penrhiwceiber Rangers → Llwydcoed
Penydarren → Llwydcoed
Port Talbot Town → Goytre United
Seven Sisters Onllwyn → Ynysygerwn
Taffs Well → Cardiff Corinthians
Ynysygerwn → Seven Sisters Onllwyn
Longest Away Trip for Each Ardal South West Club
Cardiff Airport → Evans & Williams
Cardiff Corinthians → Evans & Williams
Canton → Evans & Williams
Cefn Cribwr → Llwydcoed
Clydach → Cardiff Airport
Evans & Williams → Cardiff Airport
Goytre United → Cardiff Airport
Llwydcoed → Evans & Williams
Morriston Town → Cardiff Airport
Mumbles Rangers → Llwydcoed
Penrhiwceiber Rangers → Evans & Williams
Penydarren → Evans & Williams
Port Talbot Town → Llwydcoed
Seven Sisters Onllwyn → Cardiff Airport
Taffs Well → Evans & Williams
Ynysygerwn → Cardiff Airport
