All walks › Rhondda and the Western Valleys
Rhondda and the Western ValleysAberfan and the Taff Trail
The village where a colliery tip engulfed a school in 1966, with a memorial garden on the site and the Taff Trail running through.
- Distance
- 3.1 mi / 5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 45
- Ascent
- 150 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Paths link the memorial garden, the cemetery and the Taff Trail along the river. Gentle throughout.
Worth knowing
- The memorial garden stands where Pantglas school was. It is a place to be quiet in.
- The cemetery above holds the graves of the children in a long double row.
- The tips above the village were removed after the disaster.
What you’ll see
The memorial garden, the cemetery, the Taff, and the regenerated hillside above.
Background
On 21 October 1966 a colliery spoil tip slid onto Pantglas junior school, killing 116 children and 28 adults.