Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eating
The Old Barn Tea Room
( 01685-383358; Ystradgynwyn; 11am-5pm Mar-Nov) A beautiful 18th-century barn, decked out
with vintage furniture, that serves great cream teas and a fine Sunday lunch. To find it,
head north out of town on the back road that leads through the national park and towards
the Talybont Reservoir.
CAFE £
Orientation
Merthyr sprawls across the head of the Taff Valley, and you'll need to do a bit of walking
or cycling to see the sights. The train and bus stations are close together at the south end
of town.
Information
9.30am-4pm Mon-Sat) Near the
Tourist Office (
01685-727474; www.merthyr.gov.uk ; 14 Glebeland St;
bus station.
DON'T MISS
RHONDDA VALLEY
Northwest of Cardiff, the Rhondda Valley - the most famous of the South Wales valleys - was once synonymous
with coal mining. The closure of the last pit in 1990 left the valley bereft, but since then Rhondda has succeeded
in converting an abandoned colliery into an interesting exploration of the region's industrial heritage.
Rhondda Heritage Park ( 01443-682036; www.rhonddaheritagepark.com ; Trehafod; admission free;
9am-4.30pm, closed Mon Oct-Easter) brings new life to the old colliery buildings of the Lewis Merthyr coal mine
(closed in 1983). The displays are fascinating. The one on the Tynewydd Colliery Disaster makes for sobering
reading.
The highlight is the 40-minute underground Black Gold Tour (adult/child £3.50/2.50; 10am, noon & 2pm,
bookings advised) , where you don a miner's helmet and lamp and, accompanied by a guide (all are ex-miners),
experience a simulated descent to the coalface. The compelling commentary vividly re-creates the experience of
mine workers in the 1950s, and hammers home the social impact of the coal industry. Back at the surface, a mul-
timedia show explores the story of coal mining in South Wales.
The park is 13 miles northwest of Cardiff, between Pontypridd and Porth; take the A470 and then the A4058.
There are frequent trains from Cardiff Central station to Trehafod (£4, 35 minutes, half-hourly); the station's a
10-minute walk from the heritage park.
Getting There & Away
For cyclists, the Taff Trail heads south from here to Cardiff and north to Brecon.
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