Draethen is a village in the county borough of

Caerphilly Caerphilly (, ; , ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley and separated from the Cardiff suburbs of Lisvane and Rhiwbina by Caerphilly Mountain. It is north of Cardiff an ...

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, 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 Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

, and the community of

Rudry Rudry () is a small village and community located to the east of Caerphilly in Wales. As a community Rudry contains not only the village of Rudry, but also the villages of Draethen, Garth and Waterloo. The population of the community at the 2 ...

. The village is located some east of Caerphilly, and northeast of

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

. Located on the southern reaches of the

Rhymney River The Rhymney River () is a river in the Rhymney Valley, South Wales, flowing through Cardiff into the Severn Estuary. The river formed the boundary between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire until in 1887, the parishes ea ...

within the historic boundaries of

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

, Draethen is bordered by

Bedwas Bedwas is a town situated two miles north-east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly county borough, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshi ...

to the west,

Rhiwderin Rhiwderin () is a small village in the west of the city of Newport, South Wales. It lies in the community parish and electoral district (ward) of Graig. The original village lies across a level crossing alongside the Ebbw Valley Railway and ...

to the east, Michaelston-y-Fedw to the south east and Lower Machen to the north. Draethen Woods contain a number of former lead mining sites and surface workings dating back to at least

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

times. The mines once exploited a vein of lead ore that exists in the exposed

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) ...

of the Southern Outcrop in this region. All the sites are presently fenced off, but there are no known access restrictions, making it a popular location for experienced cavers. The Rhymny Valley Ridgeway Walk, the Rhymney River Circular Walk and the Llwyn Hir Forestry Walk all meet up at Draethen.

References

External links

UKCaving.com - Draethen Lead Mines

Draethen, Waterloo and Rudry Community Council
{{authority control Villages in Caerphilly County Borough