Dinas Rock
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Dinas Rock (
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...
: Craig y Ddinas, "Fortress Rock") is a high
promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the s ...
of Carboniferous Limestone which rises between the
Afon Mellte The River Mellte (; ) is a river in south Wales. It is formed by the confluence of the Afon Llia and the Afon Dringarth. It then flows south through the village of Ystradfellte to Pontneddfechan where it joins with the Nedd Fechan to becom ...
and its left-bank tributary, the
Afon Sychryd The Afon Sychryd is a river in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Although it is a relatively short river, with a total length of , it is notable for the gorge and two waterfalls through which it flows. Course The river has two upper arms, the first ari ...
on the border between the county of
Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...
and the county borough of
Neath Port Talbot Neath Port Talbot () is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county borough borders Bridgend County Borough and Rhon ...
in south
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. It can be found near the village of
Pontneddfechan ; ; also known as Pontneathvaughan) is a village in Powys, Wales. It is the southernmost village in the historic county of Brecknockshire, within the Vale of Neath and in the community of Ystradfellte. It stands at the confluence of the rivers ...
near Glyn Neath at the head of the
Vale of Neath The Vale of Neath (or Neath Valley, Welsh: ''Cwm Nedd''), one of the South Wales Valleys, encompasses the upper reaches of the River Neath in southwest Wales. In addition to the River Neath, it is traversed by the Neath Canal and the A465 du ...
. It derives its name from the presence of
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
earthworks on its summit, ''dinas'' in Welsh signifying a defensive site or "city".


Protected landscape and habitats

Dinas Rock lies within the
Brecon Beacons National Park Brecon Beacons National Park, officially named Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (), is a National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Wales. It is named after the Brecon Beacons (), the mountain range at its centre. The national park ...
and the
Fforest Fawr Geopark Fforest Fawr Geopark is a Geopark in the Brecon Beacons National Park, south Wales. It is the first designated Geopark in Wales having gained membership of both the European Geoparks Network and the UNESCO-assisted Global Network of National G ...
. It is owned by
Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales () is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Countryside Council for Wales, E ...
, who manage it for its wildlife interest and recreation. The mineral rights (and thus relicts of former mining and quarrying) are owned by Natural Amenities Ltd, a body concerned with the preservation of mines. The deep gorges which define its northern and southern edges are designated as a part of the Coedydd Nedd a Mellte (Neath & Mellte Woodlands)
Special Area of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
(SAC) on account of their thick oak and ash woodlands, which shelter important
bryophyte Bryophytes () are a group of embryophyte, land plants (embryophytes), sometimes treated as a taxonomic Division (taxonomy), division referred to as Bryophyta ''Sensu#Common qualifiers, sensu lato'', that contains three groups of non-vascular pla ...
communities, in particular certain species of moss. The woodlands are also designated as a part of the Dyffrynoedd Nedd a Mellte a Moel Penderyn (Neath & Mellte Valleys and Moel Penderyn)
Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
.


Industrial archaeology Industrial archaeology (IA) is the systematic study of material evidence associated with the Industry (manufacturing), industrial past. This evidence, collectively referred to as industrial heritage, includes buildings, machinery, artifacts, si ...

The landform has been re-shaped by the extraction of
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
and by the nearby mining of
silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant f ...
rock and its transport down-valley by various means. The former limestone quarry is now a car park; its walls are used by climbers and abseilers. The Dinas Rock Silica Mines just to the east of Dinas Rock itself used to provide large quantities of very pure crushed sandstone destined for the manufacture of refractory bricks for furnace linings and the like. A system of tramways, aerial cableways and inclines on the southern flanks of Dinas Rock conveyed the material from the mines to the valley below.


Recreation

Its dramatic appearance has long made Dinas Rock a destination for casual visitors, but its steep rocky flanks also attract
rock climbers Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in guidebooks, and o ...
and gorge-walkers. The tramways now provide routes for walkers to enjoy the site, in particular the Sychryd easy-access trail, which runs for ¼ mile from the main car park to the Sgydau Sychryd cascade between Dinas Rock and the spectacular rock known as Bwa Maen, on the southern side of the Afon Sychryd.


Climbing

The steep and overhanging southern faces of Dinas Rock are moderately popular with sports climbers, whilst easier routes are enjoyed by organised groups in the former quarry at the western end of the rock. It is considered by some as the best inland
cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...
in South Wales for rock climbing. The cliff features 75 sports routes through a variety of grades on clean rock with a variety of styles and features.


Gorge walking

The beds and rocky sides of the two rivers provide one of the most popular venues in Wales for gorge-walkers.
Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales () is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Countryside Council for Wales, E ...
(NRW) works with organised adventure sports providers and landowners to manage this activity, so as to minimise the damage which it can cause to the SAC, which NRW is charged with protecting under European environmental protection law.


Caving

There are a few short caves in and around Dinas Rock, including Ogof Pont Sychryd, Ogof Bwa Maen and Will's Hole. The last named is also known as Arthur's Cave or Dinas Rock Cave and extends to just under in length. It is associated with
Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain (; ; ; ) is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. The 12th-century writer Geoffr ...
, as it is one of the many locations reputed to be the place where Arthur's knights lie waiting for a call to defend Britain.


Motorcycle Sport

The International Six Days Trial was first held in 1913 in Carlisle. The event originally a reliability test became the premiere off road event sometimes known as the Olympics or Davis Cup of Motorcycling and was reported on across the world and in News Reels and National Daily Papers. It took place in Wales i
193319371938
an
1949
starting from
Llandrindod Wells Llandrindod Wells (; ; ; ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales. It serves as the seat of Powys County Council, and is therefore the administrative centre of Powys. The town was Historic counties of Wales, historically in ...
. Each day the riders faced about 400 km of riding. In these years the course passes and featured Dinas Rock as a technical challenging feature. It was sufficiently noted for the specialist press photographers to catch the riders passing through and images of Dinas Rock are found in the motorcycle magazine reports of the time.


References


External links


Speedtracktales: the History of the ISDT
* {{coord, 51.7606, -3.5747, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Cliffs of Powys Cliffs of Rhondda Cynon Taf Fforest Fawr Vale of Neath Climbing areas of Wales