Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Essentials
GETTING THERE
By rail, Abergavenny (45 mins, £11) and Merthyr Tydfil (1 hr.,
£5) have connections to Cardiff. Train times are irregular but frequent. The
Stage-
coach
X43 bus from Brecon stops at both towns, but it's good to have a car and it's
an easy drive from Cardiff and the M4.
VISITOR INFORMATION
There's an area tourist office at the Blaenavon Iron-
works (
&
01495/792615;
www.blaenavontic.com), which has seasonal opening,
but the Blaenavon World Heritage Centre (see below) is best for information.
Exploring the Area
Big Pit
HISTORIC SITE This is also called the National Coal
Museum, but the Big Pit is truly what it is: a former coal mine that sits on a sweeping
mountainside. It's what Wales was all about: hard work and dirt, and you can see it
from the inside. After a multimedia presentation, you're given a hardhat and lamp and
taken 92m (300 ft.) down the mineshaft in a real, clanking pit cage for a 50-minute
tour. It's all authentic, and your guide is a real miner who remembers the place being
closed by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. The tunnels, including
underground stables for pit ponies, are dark and atmospheric. Above ground is a well-
designed museum in the pithead baths, a number of old buildings to explore, and a
cafe. It's all the more impressive in the bleak midwinter, with the landscape covered
in snow. It's one of the country's must-see attractions, and it's free.
Blaenavon.
&
01495/790311.
www.museumwales.ac.uk. Free admission. Daily 9:30am-5pm; tours
10:30am-3:30pm. From town follow museum signs.
Blaenavon Heritage Railway
RAILWAY Built to transport coal from the
Big Pit (see above), this is the highest and steepest standard-gauge railway in England
and Wales reaching the countries' highest station, Whistle Halt (400m/1,307 ft.). It's
not a long ride, but there is plenty to see: mountain ponies, peregrine falcons, red
kites, and lots of hardy sheep. Five minutes from the main station Furnace Sidings
are Garn Lakes, a lovely spot for picnics. The Whistle Inn at the end of the line has
a beer garden. There are events throughout the year, including Santa Specials.
Blaenavon.
&
01495/792263.
www.pontypool-and-blaenavon.co.uk. Tickets £5 adults, £3 children
5-15. Apr-Sept departures on weekends and some weekdays from around 11:30am-4:30pm, and other
dates for events. From town follow signs.
Blaenavon World Heritage Site
HISTORIC SITE This is the official
name for one of the most impressive Industrial Revolution sites in Europe. The town
of Blaenavon and its surroundings were awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in
2000.
Blaenavon World Heritage Centre,
in the restored St. Peter's School, gives
an overview of the industrial landscape, with its interactive displays. It is also the start
of various walks, and has a gift shop and cafe. The rather bleak valley setting is home
to Europe's best-preserved 18th-century ironworks (which was fired by the local
coal). Even seeing what's left of the five furnaces is enough to make you feel hum-
bled. It wasn't even the biggest ironworks in Wales, but in 1789 it was the most
advanced in the world. There are plenty of places to wander, such as the restored
workers' cottages. The site includes the marvelous Big Pit museum and Pontypool
and Blaenavon Railway, which are attractions in their own right (see reviews, above).
Church Rd., Blaenavon.
&
01495/742333.
www.world-heritage-blaenavon.org.uk. Free admission.
Centre Apr-Sept Tues-Sat 9am-5pm (until 4pm Oct-Mar). Ironworks daily Apr-Oct 10am-5pm;
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