Experience The Valleys this weekend It s about the people as well as the place The Valleys 13 You may know how great The Valleys are. But do your friends and family? Phenomenal Country Parks Awe-inspiring Castle Tours Jaw-dropping Walking Festivals Real Food Festivals Outstanding Cycle Trails
Adrenaline & Adventure The weekend isn t just for winding down. Sometimes you want to get your heart rate up. Plan an adrenaline fuelled weekend in The Valleys. 1 Cycling The Valleys may be renowned for its incredible mountain biking tracks. But its BMX tracks aren t too shabby either. The track at Parc Bryn Bach is the only National Standard BMX track in Wales. The Valleys also has over 400km of family friendly cycle paths. That may sound like a lot. But don t worry, if you get tired, you can also stop for a breather and take in the spectacular views along the way.
2 Bush-craft at Bryngarw Why mow the lawn on a Sunday, when you can learn some serious bush-craft skills at Bryngarw. They ll teach you all the tricks needed to survive in the wild. 3 Parc Taf Bargoed Parc Taf Bargoed may be a hidden gem, but the action-packed cycling, canoeing, and climbing facilities will smack you right in the face particularly the Rock UK Summit Centre. And if you re not quite in the mood to carve up the lakes or the cycle tracks, you can always try your hand at fishing. 4 Dare Valley Country Park The Valleys offer the perfect opportunity to try some outdoor pursuits. None more so than Dare Valley Country Park. 500 acres dedicated to canoeing, kayaking, archery, orienteering, horse riding or mountain biking. Go on. We dare you! Horse riding If cycling isn t your thing you can swap two wheels for four legs in The Valleys. Greenmeadow Farm has a selection of mild mannered ponies that you can ride around miles of unspoilt countryside. 5 Waterfall Walking Adrenaline doesn t always come from throwing yourself over a cliff edge. You can get an adrenaline rush by watching water do exactly the same thing. Come and see the waterfall at Sgwd yr Eira or Neath Valley Waterfall Country. They will blow your mind. Of course, the examples above are just a tiny sample of the adrenaline-fuelled activities available in The Valleys. To find out what s going on in your local area visit www.thevalleys.co.uk/weekend Experience The Valleys. It s about the people as well as the place. 2
History & Heritage As a member of The Valleys community, you may have heard all about the history of the area. But have you actually seen it? 6 Guardian Six Bells We, in The Valleys, are very proud of the people who live in the region. None more so than the men who worked at Six Bells Colliery. That s why the site has been dedicated to their memory.
7 Cyfarthfa Castle The Industrial Revolution allowed the world to create railway lines, machinery and ocean going liners. It also produced one of the finest mansions of the industrial age Cyfarthfa Castle. 8 Big Pit: National Coal Museum There s only one thing bigger than the pit itself, and that s the personalities of the former miners who run the guided tours. Truly a once in a lifetime experience. 9 Caerphilly Castle Caerphilly Castle is one of the finest medieval castles in Europe. And it has dominated the landscape of The Valleys for hundreds of years. Thankfully, everyone is a lot more welcoming now. 10 Llancaiach Fawr Manor Llancaiach Fawr Manor was built in 1530 and played a prominent role in the violent civil war of 1642. You can even enjoy a nice cup of tea and a cake. Very civil indeed. 11 Kidwelly Castle Kidwelly Castle is a fearsome castle. Getting into this impressive fortification, during the 15th century, cost many people their lives. In 2013, getting in is a lot easier you just pay at the gate. Of course, the examples above are just a tiny sample of the heritage available in The Valleys. To find out what s going on in your local area visit www.thevalleys.co.uk/weekend Experience The Valleys. It s about the people as well as the place. 4
2013 Events The Valleys has experienced landmark events and memorable moments for over 2,000 years. 2013 is no different. 12 Wiggle Dragon Ride Wales 9 June Follow the cyclists as they climb from Margam Country Park through The Valleys and over the hills including The Rhigos and The Bwlch. 13 Medieval Fun at Margam Country Park 15 June Watch jousting, archery and falconry swilled down with a pint of old-fashioned mead. 14 Blaenavon World Heritage Festival 29 30 June Witness one of the most colourful parades in The Valleys. Featuring local historic figures such as Sarah Hopkins and Ken Jones. National Library of Wales 15 Kyffin Williams: A Life in Pictures 1 July 31 August Discover one of Wales finest artists at Cyfarthfa Castle, Merthyr Tydfil, with images never seen in public before. 16 Abertillery Blues Festival 12 13 July A unique festival with an international line-up that brings the sound of bluegrass to The Valleys. 17 Ammanford s Big Day Out 13 July It s massive. It s huge. It can only be one thing Ammanford s Big Day out.
For more information on local events visit www.thevalleys.co.uk/weekend Experience The Valleys. It s about the people as well as the place. 18 Ponty s Big Weekend, Pontypridd 20 21 July Pontypridd. Big on rugby. Big on friendly welcomes. Big on music visit Pontypridd s famous music weekend in Ynysangharad War Memorial Park. 19 The Big Cheese 2013, Caerphilly 26 28 July Centred around Caerphilly s spectacular castle, the Big Cheese features music, dance and some of the finest cheeses in the UK. 20 Big Welsh Bite, Pontypridd 2 4 August See some of the UK s most famous TV chefs but with a difference they re live in Pontypridd. This year you can get up close and personal with TV s Gino D Acampo. 21 The Kings Fair, Llancaiach Fawr 18 August Bring along your King, Queen and little Princes and Princesses. Wales Valleys Walking Festival 7 22 September Put the car keys in a drawer. It s time to let some expert guides walk you around The Valleys and its glorious footpaths. 22 Discovery Festival 28 October 3 November Discover kayaking. Discover climbing. Discover star gazing. It can only mean one thing. It s the Discovery Festival at Dare Park and across The Valleys. 6
Your guide to The Valleys Kidwelly 11 Cross Hands 17 Ystradgynlais Ammanford Merthyr Tredegar Ebbw Vale 8 14 Tydfil Pontardulais Seven Rhymney Blaenavon M4 5 1 Pontardawe Sisters 7 15 16 Glynneath Aberdare Abertillery 3 Clydach Pontypool Aberdulais 4 22 6 10 Bargoed Treorchy Afan Forest 21 Blackwood Neath Cwmbran Blaengarw Cwmcarn Maesteg Ogmore Vale Pontypridd Swansea 12 13 18 20 Caerphilly Margam 2 9 19 Llantrisant M4 M4 Newport Bridgend Cardiff Adrenaline & Adventure 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Parc Bryn Bach Bryngarw Country Park Parc Taf Bargoed Dare Valley Country Park Waterfall Country History & Heritage Guardian Six Bells Cyfarthfa Castle Big Pit: National Coal Museum Caerphilly Castle Llancaiach Fawr Manor Kidwelly Castle Events 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Wiggle Dragon Ride Wales Medieval Fun at Margam Country Park Blaenavon World Heritage Festival Kyffin Williams: A Life in Pictures Abertillery Blues Festival Ammanford s Big Day Out Ponty s Big Weekend The Big Cheese 2013 Big Welsh Bite The Kings Fair, Llancaiach Fawr Discovery Festival www.thevalleys.co.uk/weekend To receive The Valleys brochure phone 02920 880011 Love The Valleys @LoveTheValleys Many thanks to the following for contributing photography: Bridgend CBC Merthyr Tydfil CBC Caerphilly CBC Blaenau Gwent CBC Neath Port Talbot CBC I lawrlwytho eich fersiwn Gymraeg, ewch i www.thevalleys.co.uk/penwythnos Rhondda Cynon Taff CBC Torfaen CBC Carmarthenshire CC Crown copyright (2013) Visit Wales