Pontsticill is a village within the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil in

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 ( ...

. It lies within the valley of the Taf Fechan on the southern edge of 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 ...

. The village lies within the

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

Vaynor Vaynor (, ) is a village and community (formerly a parish) in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough in Wales, United Kingdom. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 3,551. Location It is about four miles north of the town of Merthyr ...

in an area that was, until the local government re-organisation of 1974, within the historic county of

Brecknockshire Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was created in 1 ...

. Pontsticill is closely associated with the

Brecon Mountain Railway The Brecon Mountain Railway (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Rheilffordd Fynydd y Bannau'') is a Narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge tourist railway on the south side of the Brecon Beacons in Wales. It climbs northwards from Pant railway station (Bre ...

, a tourist railway which runs along the former Brecon and Merthyr Railway line. Immediately to the north of the village is the Pontsticill Reservoir which was completed in 1927. The village name originates from the Welsh words ''pont'' and ''sticill'' and signifies a 'bridge near a stile'.

Pontsticill Reservoir

Pontsticill Reservoir, originally Taff Fechan Reservoir, was opened in 1927 to supply water to much of the South Wales Valleys. The 110 ft high embankment holds 15,400 megalitres of water. The reservoir is popular with sailors, anglers and picnickers.

Abercriban Quarries

To the north of Pontsticill and to the east of the reservoir, lie Abercriban Quarries, a

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 ...

. Abercriban Quarries comprise two small disused quarries. The site is of special interest for the rock exposures of the Grey Grit Formation of the Upper Old Red Sandstone; these exposed rocks span the boundary between the Carboniferous and Devonian periods of geological time, approximately 360 million years ago.

Twinning

On 15 March 2023, the town of Pontsticill twinned with the town of Livré-sur-Changeon, in France

References

{{authority control Villages in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Brecon Beacons