Margam Park 2

Length: 12.64 km

In 2003, this stage was going to be a combination of Stage 12 - Margam Forest and Stage 13 - Margam Park 1 , but now it has been reduced in length and is now just another run through Margam Park 1.

This is the final stage of the 2003 Wales Rally GB and therefore the final stage of the 2003 World Rally Championship. Make the most out of this, as of next year, the rally will be held in September and will no longer be the final round of the championship.

How to get there?

The entrance to Margam Park (Car Park T2)

Some parts of this stage are actually quite tricky to find, as a lot of the access roads have been blocked by police.

Car Park T2 is the easiest to find, as it is basically Margam Park itself. The picture on the left shows the entrance. This car park will be the finish of the whole rally, and therefore the whole World Rally Championship, so expect it to be very busy, especially if a British driver has a chance of winning the rally or the championship.

Go straight over a roundabout and then turn right onto the B4281 in the village of Pyle. After approximately 1 mile, take the second left and follow the Wales Rally GB signs down a one-way system through narrow lanes to the Car Park.

Car Park S2 is even easier to find, as it is located very near to the M4. Leave the motorway at Junction 40 and follow the Wales Rally GB signs straight to the stage - it is just over 1 mile from the motorway ! The Car Park will be located on your right-hand side, just as you enter the Margam Forest.

Stage Maps

Thanks to Multimap.com, you can now view Stage Maps here.

Click here for the SS18 access to Car Park S2 (1:25000).
Click here for the SS18 access to Car Park T2 (1:25000).
Click here for the SS18 start area (1:25000).
Click here for the SS18 start area (1:50000).
Click here for the SS18 finish area (1:25000).
Click here for the SS18 finish area (1:50000).

The B4282 along the northern edge of the stage is completely out-of-bounds for spectators, so don't even bother trying to find a short-cut that way. You will be turned around by police, and may miss part of the stage as a consequence.

Also, do not leave the M4 at junction 38, as you will be immediately turned around and sent back onto the M4.

As this stage is the final competitive stage of the rally, the area at the front of the stately home will be very busy, but is probably worth a look if you want something different, and want to see the drivers and cars close up. Other than that, don't park at Car Park T if you want some serious rallying action.

In 2003, if you want to spectate at Margam Park 2 you will need to buy either the World Rally Pass (not Car Park S2) or the Forest Stage ticket 7 (Car Park S2 or T2). There will also be purchase on the day tickets available (subject to availability) for both car parks.

For full ticket details, including advice, you will be able to find out all the information you need in the Tickets section.

Parking Information

The parking area at Car Park T2

The view towards Car Park T2 as you head towards the stage

Further along towards the stage

Car Park S2 is of a good standard, and much like some of the parking areas on the other forest stages. It only has one fork to it, so if you find the parking area there are no other routes to try and find.

Once you're parked and have got changed into clothes ready for the stage, you will not have too far to walk to the stage, although obviously this will depend on which part of the car park you decide to stop at.

Car Park T2 at Margam Park itself is a tarmac road which leads onto a grassed area, which can get very wet and muddy as the number of spectators increases.

The actual entry into Margam Park itself will be very busy. There will be a heavy police presence, and also a one-way system in operation. You cannot enter the park from the Eastern side, you will have to go down to the roundabout, come back on yourself and enter the park from the Western side.

Once inside the park, you will soon come upon the large parking area. As you can see in the first picture on the left, the parking area is a good quality, although this picture was taken in 2002 when the weather had been particularly dry. This was a very rare occasion for the Wales Rally GB, so expect the grassed area muddier in 2003.

Once you're parked and have got changed into clothes ready for the stage, you will walk towards the stage and pass the toilet cubicles, which are near to the area in the second picture on the left. The third picture shows the type of surface you can expect to walk on as you leave the car park.

How far to the stage?

Walking towards the stage

Into the woods, just outside the park perimeter

From Car Park T2, you will be able to stroll around the gardens of Margam Park as you try to find a good spot to watch the drivers. If you do park here, you will probably just want to see the competitors drive past as close as possible, so anywhere near the entrance to the park will do, making it a walk of less than 500m. The first picture on the left shows you the type of ground you will need to walk on.

Bear in mind though that you cannot really get close to the action in the park itself. All spectators are fenced off from the action, and in my opinion the action is far too far away, as you will see if you look at the Margam 2 2002 Gallery section.

If you would like to get a bit closer to the action, follow the path that runs next to the stage, and exit the perimeter of the park (see second picture on the left). If you have access to an ordnance survey map you will see this area is just to the right of a Fort. Here you come to a cross-over point where you can get reasonably close to the action. Have a look at the Margam 1 2002 Gallery section - this is where I took these pictures from.

Catering at Car Park T2 is probably some of the best you will find at any of the stages (except for Cardiff), as it is within the gardens of the stately home and therefore very accessible.

However, the catering at Car Park L is also of the usual high standard, allowing for a large number of spectators.

There are a whole host of facilities in and around the Margam area. The M4 has it's Swansea West services between junctions 46 and 47 and also Sarn Park services just off Junction 36.

The village of Pyle also has a small amount of shops where food can be purchased.

Best spots for spectators

The cross-over point just outside the perimeter of the park itself (Car Park T2)

Family viewing at Car Park T2

More family viewing ...

If you are a forest stage enthusiast, stay away from Car Park T2 at Margam Park itself, or you will be disappointed, as you can see from the pictures on the left.

The first picture is the cross-over point, just outside the perimeter of the park itself, which is only a few minutes walk into the woods. It's not the best of spots in the whole rally, but if your ticket restricts you to Car Park T2, this is probably the best you will be able to do without a very long walk.

The second and third pictures are of the "family-friendly" spectator areas, which are great if you have small children, but bear in mind you will not experience any of the real rally action close up - you won't be able to smell the exhaust fumes, you won't be able to see the drivers faces and you certainly won't feel the buzz of the competitors as they drive past you. Even the commentators over the public address haven't got a clue ! They only seem to know the names of Colin McRae and Richard Burns.

Car Park S2 has two viewing options. The first is a very tight left hairpin after a long fast straight which has caught out some drivers in the past. The second is a section where you can view the cars from above in a quarry area. This is quite different to many stages where you just watch as the cars whizz by, and is well worth a try.