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A Dry Garw Valley Walk - Part 2 Walking The Hills From Pontycymer To Blaengarw
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ม.ค. 2024
- After the heavy rain of Part 1, I continue my Garw Valley Walk from Pontycymer, along the hillside and back to Parc Calon Lan, Blaengarw.
▸The Walk Map: bit.ly/47wv5B8
▸The Starting Point: Parc Calon Lan Blaengarw
🧭 51° 37' 33.8”N 3° 35' 30.4”W
🧭 51.626056, -3.591778
▸What 3 Words: shortens.yappy.leaves
This time the sun is trying to come out as I walk down to Pontycymer from where I resume the walk. It’s up the hillside and the Eastern side of the Garw Valley before heading back up the valley to Parc Calon Lan in Blaengarw.
Sheep, hills, terraced houses and rugby pitches - some very Welsh views.
▸The Point Which Continues From Part 1
🧭 51.612840, -3.586564
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Marcus you are bringing back memories, My Aunt Janet kept the Blien Caerau Hotel also known as the Monkey Hotel, During the War my brother John and I stayed at the Pub and some time later we went to Caerau School. We walked from Caerau over the mountain to the Garw and we got lost getting back. I remember we ending up in Maesteg and we were given something to eat and Drink for a penny and we got home in the evening and everybody were excited to see us 5 kids as we all returned back to the Pub.
Glad it brought back some memories. I bet it looked quite different back then.
Another great video Marcus. An area that I know well. I have walked in those paths many, many times.
Thank you for allowing me to add my comments here.
The river you walked alongside in the early part of the video as you said was the Garw River. When I was a boy growing up in the valley in the 60s we called it "The Black River" and it was black to look at. You could not see the bottom as the coal washery in Blaengarw emptied into the river. The water was not sooty but full of small grains of coal. Putting your hand in the water it would come out covered with speckles of small coal. No fish or much of any wildlife around that river back then.
At timeline 7:30 you walked along a road that crossed the valley, a few years ago now there was a large steel bridge painted pitch black, called locally and unimaginatively "The Black Bridge" a real landmark in Pontycymer. This was levelled at the same time the area was landscaped and you can no longer see that it crossed the river and extensive coal board railway track that would have been 20 feet or more below. BTW on your right, there is the Garw leisure Centre and just beyond is the headquarters of Garw Valley Railway, a team trying to introduce tourist railways in the valley. They can be searched for on Google.
You then come to Alexandra Road. You mentioned that you thought it was Alexandria Street. I am not 100% sure but I think this street may have been Alexandria Road on some old maps in the past, then it was changed to Alexandra Road.
@around 9 minutes you walk past Pontycymer cemetery. This featured in a movie called "Very Annie Mary" which was shot in the Garw and Ogmore valleys.
@ 11 minutes in, you turn left. Had you turned right you would have gone on to Fforchwen farm. When I was young, the farmer Tom Hopkins used to round up his sheep on horseback. He looked like an old-time cowboy riding across the mountain. He left his farm some time ago and was the subject of a 6 part documentary that is still available on TH-cam. Just search for "Last Days At Fforchwen"
@ 14:50 you reach the crossing point, this was where the clean river flowed down this sub-valley into a reservoir just above the now rugby field to feed the Ffaldau colliery. A little further down the river from this crossing point we used to dam the river and swim in its extremely cold water. A few times a year however at the crossing point the river was dammed by farmers so there was a large pond. This was used by the farmer to "dip his seep" possibly in addition to the disinfectant dipping.
Then the path you crossed onto was indeed the tram road known locally as "The Dram Road" referencing the Coal Dram.
@16:22 you mention the Rugby Pitch. Although well established now, back in the 60's this was a refuse tip. I remember exploring this rubbish tip for any 'discoveries' as this was at the top of our street. Later it was then covered with clay and turf and made into the rugby pitch and because of the clay layer, Laurence Park suffered badly from being waterlogged.
Happy memories.
Thanks for all of that information and detail. Good to hear it from someone who knows the area so well. I have seen the film "Very Annie Mary" but we may rewatch it after walking through the area. Thanks for putting the time stamps in (like this 16:22) YT automatically links them to the exact position so your references are easy to find.
Enjoyed this and many other walks many times as a young boy living in Blaengarw. Summer holidays our mothers would send us out with a packet of sandwiches in the morning and we would spend the whole days playing on the mountains. Very happy memories
Thanks, its a beautiful area to explore.
Great weather 🌴☀️
It's currently melting where I live some snow this year... Just about 6 in I think nothing too dangerous except for the ice which is really dangerous.🧊
There's actually a pottery maker in the area who came here from Wales I didn't get a chance to go up to his shop because it's closer to the mountains and you have to have good weather good vehicle. I think it's called Blue ridge pottery and this whole area is clay soil makes some interesting blue green reddish sort of pottery.🫖
Thank you Marcus. I do a lot of walking around this area and sometimes look at your videos to see if you have managed to walk paths I can see on OS maps, before I try to do them myself. I can see a few in this video and the wet one before it that I will use in the future. I can add to your comments by telling anyone who doesn't know the area that when you meet local people on your walks, up there, they are generally friendly and helpful. It's a nice place. When dry.
PeteW
Cheers
An amazing difference from the last video
Yes, it was a perfect day for walking.
Worked in Blaengarw years ago planted all the tree's 🌳🌳 on the tips just above the top lake .lovely place to work met some lovely people .anyone know if there's any fish 🐟🐟 in the top lake now .always wanted to go back see how it looks today .thanks for the video 👍
👍
I like to hear how people see things changing over time how buildings are built and change and the effect on the natural world like the the water and the trees and so forth. It's very interesting I know where I grew up there was mostly orange strawberry asparagus lettuce and some factories when my grandparents move there in the '70s... It was actually known for its oil wells and it wasn't a very nice place to live at first... Then over time more people move there Disneyland moved in and it grew and grew until today where everything's overpriced. 🤣🤣🤣🙃
Yes, it amazing how things can change over a relatively short period of time.
Well done! Beautiful scenery 👌 😍 xx
Thank you! Cheers!
Well done that man! a nice dry walk, the Garw valley looks great, fine walking country.
Yes, it was perfect weather this time.
Much better weather!
It was very nice.
Great video! How long does this walk take to do?
This part would take about and an hour and a half.
I’m going to have to do this walk next time I’m in south Wales. Spotted my great grandparents’ grave in that shot over the wall (the one with the big angel on top). You’re right that it’s an under appreciated area
Definitely worth doing. 👍
It's understandable that you broke the walk. There could have been a couple of hairy crossings in that downpour. The views were worth it as well.
It was a perfect day with great views when I went back.
Hi Marcus, you're in Kevin Sinnott's world. Have you seen his paintings? I plan to visit his Studio 18 in Pontycymer
No, I'm not that familiar with his work, I'll take a look. Cheers