Introduction

The Introduction is in two parts.  Part 1 describes the South Wales Coalfield Plateau and includes a map. It describes the drive around the perimeter and a drive up through the WesternValley and also its geological sequence. It also describes the types of walks – excursion, circular etc.

Part 2 discusses navigation and includes a piece about GPS. It also covers Nautical and Statute miles, Longitude and Latitude as well as the OS National Grid – Easting and Northing.

The walks are set out in chapters which are in three sections:

The Title Page – which gives details of the walk such as timings, distance and height gains as well as type of walk, e.g. end to end, and  the route of the walk drawn out on Ordnance Survey Maps @1:25,000 scale

Preamble Notes - which contain photographs of the walk, an overview of the walk and notes on two or three of the following interests: Geology, Topography, Local History, Industrial Archaeology, Infrastructure, Wildlife, Plants, Politics and People who lived in the valley. 

 The Walk – this contains photographs of interesting features and thumbnail picture “way marks”. It also gives a detailed description of the route.

Preamble notes include: Geology and Topography: and describes a massive landslip which changed the landscape. The walk takes in Twmbarlwm, Mynydd Henllys and Mynydd Maen.

Walk No. 2 – Ty-Du Park to Upper Ochrwyth

Preamble notes include: Geology, Topography, History and People who lived in the valley: It describes how they dug coal from the surface of Middle Coal Measures on Mynydd Machen, and some interesting topographical features, including a dolomite quarry.

Walk No. 3 – Ty-Du Park to Ynys Hywel

Preamble notes include: Topography, Trees and Plants, Infrastructure (bridges across the rivers) and Industrial Archaeology (a colliery waste tip and a materials handling system) and People who lived in the valley. It describes the fine views from Mynydd Machen.

Walk No. 4 – Ynys Hywel to Mynydd y Grug

Preamble notes include: Ynys Hywel Activity Centre, Topography and Woodlands, and describes the glaciations of the Sirhowy Valley. The walk describes the excellent views from a large accessible colliery waste tip.

Walk No. 5 – The Stones of Mynydd Maen

Preamble notes include: Topography, 19^th. Century Politics, an analysis of the:  Boundary of Minerals settled by Act of Parliament 1839. An agreement settled by Act of Parliament, between Sir Benjamin Hall (aka Big Ben) and Capel Hanbury Leigh to exchange mines and lands which is recorded in stone monuments on the hill- tops, and unravels the mystery as to why they did this.

Walk No. 6 – The Stones of Mynydd Llwyd

Preamble notes include: The ruined tower, and the stones of Capel Hanbury Leigh. The walk describes hydraulic mining to collect Ironstone for use in Hanbury Ironworks as well as the Blaendare Ironworks site.

Preamble notes include Topography, Industrial Archaeology (hydraulics – a water collection system on the mountain top) and Scenic Landscapes. The distance covered in the walk is 6 miles; the first part of the walk describes the section of the walk up the north-west side of valley side. The middle two miles section takes place on the plateau top, and finally, the last two miles of the walk is about the return down the south-east side of the valley.

Walk No. 8 - Amphitheatre of Beeches

Preamble notes include: Topography, (another landslip), Industrial Archaeology (coppicing for charcoal) and ancient broadleaf woodlands.

Walk No. 9 – The Tunnel of Trees

 This walk describes a very interesting, little known woodland feature found on a hilltop and stories about my encounters with snakes.

Walk No. 10 – Gwyddon Valley: the Long Gullies

This walk differs in as much it starts from the top of the plateau and descends into the Gwyddon Valley and climbs up out through either of two long, narrow and steep gullies, back up to the plateau top. It describes my observations on the harvesting of forestry pines for use in the world’s largest Biomass plant in Port Talbot (FCW estimate 60,000 tonnes per year).