I LOVE THE PARC LIFE: Just before lunch, on Sunday, April 15, I went walking in Bryn Bach Parc, Tredegar. It was a beautifully warm, hazy, sunny day and at this early time the park was comfortably busy.

Since my last visit, the path around the lake, which can be used by walkers or cyclists, has been resurfaced and has made the facility even more attractive.

It is about one-and-a-quarter miles around the lake, and now with the good surface, it is tempting walkers and cyclists to try out the non-taxing distance incorporating the very scenic lake.

But do not get misled by the park's brochure, which states the park has a mountain bike trail - the cyclo cross bike circuit - that offers a bike trail suitable for everyone, and will double-up as a racing circuit for major cyclo cross events. The track will be ten kilometres long, and will snake its way through the forestry areas of the park.

The park does have the above mentioned track, but you have to book it in advance and it can only be used for tournaments, competitions, etc.

If you do just turn up with your bike, you will only be permitted to cycle round the lake.

Apart from cycling and walking, the park has many adventure activities to offer, such as hill walking, caving, gorge walking, kayaking, climbing, abseiling, orienteering, mountain biking and simply relaxing at the side of the lake, or at one of the picnic tables.

There is also a camping and caravan site and the Countryside Centre itself offers accommodation.

The centre, situated near the lake, has recently been refurbished and has a fully licensed restaurant and bar. Sunday lunch, which has to be booked, is wonderful, as well as the hot and cold meals available the rest of the week.

The Countryside Centre is also a good choice for functions, parties or even conferences.

The lake itself offers fishing and carp night fishing. The birds on the lake include grebes, pintails and the beautiful Canadian goose.

The water ski-ing, that was once very popular at the lake, has been stopped because it used up half of the lake and was a great disturbance to the fishermen and the bird life.

However, the remote control model aeroplanes and boats are still popular. The speedboat meetings have races with their own timekeepers and competitions.

The rescue dogs, Newfoundland and St Bernard breeds, are trained at the lake and this is simply fascinating to watch. The dogs are so strong, reliable and obedient and it is awesome to see them in action.

On Sunday, there were groups of Brownies who had been camping at the park for the weekend. They were visiting from Llanhilleth, West Wales.

Bryn Bach Park also has its own weather station which is used by the Met Office. It's no wonder this park was voted the third biggest attraction in South Wales in 2006.

Slightly away from the lake is the park's nine-hole golf course. It has its own centre and looks very well kept with a 250 metre driving range.

The BMX track is very impressive. People flock to it to take part or simply to watch as the bikers bounce over the bumps and negotiate the curves. It is open Monday to Sunday from noon to 7pm. It's a competitive track and built to national standard - the only one of its kind in Wales. It is 400 metres long and is available for beginners, experienced riders, tournament hire and club use.

Lap the Lake, which is a walk or run around the lake and organised by the Hospice of the Valleys, takes place in May, and the Parc Bryn Bach Olympic Distance Triathlon takes place on Sunday, July 29. The entry fee is £40 per person.

The event is made up of a 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride, and 10km run.

For further information on this event, or any other event of interest to you in this article, please contact the park on 01495 711816. There will be someone there happy to help you.

Applications for the triathlon are also available on line at www.

blaenau-gwent.gov.uk Sadly, banger racing will not happen again at Bryn Bach Parc. Although the event was fun and attracted many fans, it has been decided to use the area allocated to banger racing for lapwing conservation.

I am sure you will agree this is a very noble cause, and it is good to see the park contributing to preserving nature and its wildlife.

Let's hope the lapwings do well, and maybe we will get some sightings of them around the lake.