Taff Bargoed river Looking North - geograph

The Taff Bargoed () is a river and valley near

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

, and lies off the

Abercynon Abercynon (), is both a village and a community (and electoral ward) in the Cynon Valley within the unitary authority of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The community comprises the village and the districts of Carnetown and Grovers Field to the south ...

roundabout on the

A470 road The A470 (also named the Cardiff to Glan Conwy Trunk Road) is a trunk road in Wales. It is the country's longest road at and links the capital Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. While previously one had to navigat ...

, and is approximately 14 miles from

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...

. The main settlements are Nelson, Edwardsville, Quakers Yard, Treharris,

Trelewis Trelewis is a small village in the Taff Bargoed Valley of south-east Wales, currently located in the southern part of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough. It is a former mining village and together with nearby Bedlinog was until 1974 part of the Gell ...

, and

Bedlinog Bedlinog is a small village (and larger community) located in The Taff Bargoed valley (Cwm Bargoed), north of Pontypridd, north west of Caerphilly and south east of Merthyr Tydfil in south-east Wales. It is currently in the south of Merthyr ...

. The valley is situated where the three County Boroughs of

Caerphilly Caerphilly (, ; cy, Caerffili, ) is a town and community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley. It is north of Cardiff and northwest of Newport. It is the largest town in Caerphilly County Borough, and lies wi ...

Rhondda Cynon Taff Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vill ...

, and

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after T ...

meet.

History

Originally a collection of farms, from the early 1800s the valley was industrialised through

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

, developing a rich

Industrial heritage Industrial heritage refers to the physical remains of the history of technology and industry, such as manufacturing and mining sites, as well as power and transportation infrastructure. Another definition expands this scope so that the term a ...

. During the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

the area was home to the

Trelewis Drift Mine Trelewis is a small village in the Taff Bargoed Valley of south-east Wales, currently located in the southern part of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough. It is a former mining village and together with nearby Bedlinog was until 1974 part of the Gelli ...

, the Taff Merthyr Colliery and the

Deep Navigation ''Deep Navigation'' is a collection of short stories by Alastair Reynolds. It was published in February 2010 for the 47th annual Boskone Science Fiction Convention where Reynolds was the Guest of Honour. The collection brings together a number ...

collieries. In 1886 the Rhymney Railway opened the Taff Bargoed Line up the valley, serving

Bedlinog railway station Bedlinog railway station served the village of Bedlinog in the historic county of Glamorgan, Wales, from 1876 to 1964 on the Rhymney Railway. History The station opened on 1 February 1876 by the Rhymney Railway. It was situated to the sou ...

and

Cwm Bargoed railway station Cwm Bargoed railway station served the village of Fochriw, in the Taff Bargoed valley of Caerphilly County Borough, Wales, from 1876 to 1964 on the Rhymney Railway. The station was east of Merthyr Tydfil, but was in a parallel valley. Histo ...

. Passenger services ended in 1964, but the line remained open for coal trains, later serving the

Ffos-y-fran Land Reclamation Scheme The Ffos-y-fran Land Reclamation Scheme is a major opencast coaling operation to the north-east of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. The contracted excavator/reclaiming company is Merthyr (South Wales) Ltdprev Miller Argent, which is owned by Gwent I ...

. The

coal mine Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

s closed in the 1980s, and since then the valley has been extensively redeveloped. The culvert through which the river used to run has been blocked off and the river allowed to flow naturally. Two lakes were built and areas were set aside with weirs for canoeing. Paths and bridleways were made linking Treharris and Trelewis and the site of the former Trelewis Drift Mine was converted into the Taff Bargoed Centre with the help of a grant from the Millennium Commission, and became the Welsh International Indoor Climbing Centre. This has one of the biggest

climbing wall A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material most often used i ...

s in the United Kingdom. Parc Taf Bargoed is a regenerated area of parkland in

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Merthyr Tydfil County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Merthyr Tudful) is a county borough (since 1908) in the south-east of Wales. In mid 2018, it had an estimated population of 60,183. It is located in the historic county of Glamorgan and ...

and is a Green Flag Park. It is situated in the Taff Bargoed Valley between

, Treharris and

. The former colliery site has been regenerated as a wildlife haven and a base for community activities. The pavilion, at the park gates, houses the warden and provides visitors with information on the history of the park and the wildlife to be found in the area. The building also provides space for community meetings and events and walking, cycling and horse riding is encouraged in the park. The Aberfan Canoe Club and the Parc Taff Bargoed Anglers Club meet here and periodically there are canoeing, kayaking and raft building activities.

References

External links

Photos of the Taff Bargoed and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
{{authority control Rivers of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Valleys of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough