Holiday apartment in Blaenau Gwent: Nature, Trails and Mining History

Blaenau Gwent brings together landscape, nature and mining history within a compact area rich in these themes. There are also trails, lakes and cultural sites that reveal different sides of the area.

Landscape and Nature

Geographically, Blaenau Gwent encompasses the Ebbw Fach, Ebbw Fawr and Sirhowy valleys. Silent Valley is designated both as a Local Nature Reserve and as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The nature reserve has two woodland walking trails as well as a public footpath that continues further into the valley.

Parc Bryn Bach is a local nature reserve with 340 acres of grassland and woodland. The park grounds include a 36-acre lake. Parc Bryn Bach also offers water sports activities on the lake for groups.

Cwmtillery Lakes are situated in a wooded valley; the area's mining history is depicted through sculptures around the lake. Fishing and feeding ducks are possible at Cwmtillery Lakes as family activities.

Trails and Activities

Blaenau Gwent has various leisure, trail, BMX and mountain bike routes. There are also walking trails that follow old transport routes for mine railways and winding paths leading to the mountain peaks. This provides a range of ways to travel and exercise in the landscape, without limiting the area to a single activity.

Visitor activities in Blaenau Gwent include canoeing, gorge walking, archery and super-tubing. The selection therefore ranges from activities on the water to experiences in gorges and more sport-oriented options.

Culture and History

The 20-metre-high Guardian sculpture was commissioned in 2010 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1960 mining disaster in Six Bells, in which 45 men lost their lives. At Ty Ebbw Fach, a heritage room documents the history of Guardian, Six Bells Colliery and the village of Six Bells.

The Nantyglo Roundhouses complex was built around 1816 by Joseph and Crawshay Bailey, the ironmasters of Nantyglo Ironworks, as a fortified refuge against an armed uprising by their workforce, and is regarded, in effect, as Britain's last private castle. The privately owned Nantyglo Roundhouses can be viewed from the road.

Bedwellty House & Park is a listed Regency villa with a historic garden laid out in the 19th century for the Homfray ironmaster dynasty. The grounds also include an arboretum, tea rooms and the world's largest block of coal.

St Illtyd’s Church is considered the oldest building in Blaenau Gwent and conveys the atmosphere of 800 years of history. A museum in Ebbw Vale displays a unique collection of artefacts and documents relating to iron and steel production in Ebbw Vale.

A cinema in Wales is described as the oldest cinema in the country and has welcomed visitors since 1894. A heritage centre explains how a society served as the basis for Aneurin Bevan's introduction of free healthcare in the United Kingdom.

Other Places

The local pages also provide further information on Tredegar, Ebbw Vale, Cwm, Blaina and Brynmawr.

Holiday apartment in Blaenau Gwent

Compare the details provided there before deciding on an offer.

For the higher-level travel overview: Wales.

More Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Isle Of Anglesey, Gwynedd, Abertawe.