Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nov-Mar Fri-Sat 9:30am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm. Follow signs from the A465 northwest of Cardiff,
outside Pontypool.
Rhondda Heritage Park
ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX In the Rhondda
Valley, heart of Welsh coal mining, the former Lewis Merthyr Colliery at Trehafod has
been transformed into a family history attraction. There's a reconstructed village
street, including shops and homes, so you can see how life was lived from Victorian
times up to the 1950s. Admission is free but you pay for the Black Gold Tour, an
audio-visual presentation and tour of the pithead buildings followed by an under-
ground trip. You get a helmet lamp but only go down a few feet, and the train ride
finale is a Disney-esque vibrating carriage with runaway train film backdrop (great fun
for children). There's also Energy Zone, a giant adventure playground, open April to
September, a cafe, and a gift shop.
Coed Cae Rd., Trehafed, Pontypridd.
&
01443/682036.
www.rhonddaheritagepark.com. Free admis-
sion; Black Gold Tour £5.60 adults, £4.30 children 3-15. Daily 9am-4:30pm. Closed Dec 24-early Jan
and Mon Oct-Easter. Btw. Pontypridd and Porth, just off the A470, near junction 32 of the M4.
Where to Eat
This is far from the most attractive part of Wales and therefore isn't a place to base
yourself. Stay instead down in Cardiff, or up in the Brecon Beacons. For lunch, the
Heritage Café
(
&
01495/742339
) at the BlaenavonWorld Heritage Centre, with
its big windows and mountain views, is decent enough, with healthful options and
some seasonal fare. And the
Whistle Inn
(
&
01495/790403
) above Garn Lakes,
by the railway, offers pub grub. There are also various cafes in Blaenavon.
18
ABERGAVENNY & THE
BLACK MOUNTAINS
163 miles W of London; 31 miles NE of Cardiff
Traditionally viewed as the gateway to the Brecon Beacons (although it is outside the
National Park),
Abergavenny
is more closely associated with the Black Mountains,
an entity unto themselves that forms the eastern edge of the park. Sitting on the River
Usk, Abergavenny is possibly the finest market town in Wales and increasingly a
foodie destination. It is a popular weekend getaway. There's history, too, with a Nor-
man castle tucked away in the backstreets, a classic Norman church, and a good
museum. It's also a hub for mountain drives and walks. Outside town, the
Black
Mountains
offer some of the most dramatic scenery in the Brecons, bald peaks,
dizzying drives, and walks along the River Gavenny, River Usk, and Brecon and Aber-
gavenny Canal.
Abergavenny is a good base for a range of
outdoor activities,
including pony
trekking, hill walking and climbing, golfing, hang gliding, and fishing. You can also
take a boat out for a day or longer on the canal, which passes near the town. To get a
feel for the area's remoteness and hill farms, the single-lane roads, and the meander-
ing river valleys, a car is essential.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
By rail, Abergavenny is linked to Newport (Arriva Trains
Wales; £8), 19 miles to the southwest, from where there are connections to London
(2
1
⁄
2
hr.) and Cardiff. There are also trains from Abergavenny to Shrewsbury and
