All walks › Rhondda and the Western Valleys
Rhondda and the Western ValleysClydach Vale Country Park
Two lakes in a hanging valley above the Rhondda, with paths climbing to the ridge and a view down the whole valley.
- Distance
- 3.1 mi / 5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 50
- Ascent
- 200 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
Level paths circle the lakes, with steeper tracks climbing onto the mountain above. Choose either or link them.
Worth knowing
- The lakes sit in an old quarry and colliery site, now grassed over.
- The Cambrian colliery disaster of 1965 killed thirty-one men here and is marked by a memorial.
- The lake circuit is easy; the ridge climb is a proper hill walk.
What you’ll see
The two lakes, open mountain above, and the Rhondda Fawr stretching away below.
Background
Cambrian colliery worked from 1872 and was the scene of the Tonypandy riots in 1910 and an explosion in 1965.