All walks › Rhondda and the Western Valleys
Rhondda and the Western ValleysEbbw Vale and the Mynydd Carn-y-Cefn Ridge
Up out of a valley that made steel for a century onto open mountain, with the whole coalfield laid out from the top.
- Distance
- 5.0 mi / 8 km
- Time
- 2 hr 50
- Ascent
- 320 m
- Difficulty
- Demanding
- 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
The way up from the valley floor onto the ridge and follow it before dropping back. Steep at the start, open and easy above.
Worth knowing
- The steelworks closed in 2002 and the site became a garden festival then a college and hospital.
- The ridges either side of the valley are open common with ponies.
- The Ebbw Vale line reopened in 2008 after forty years, which makes this reachable by train.
What you’ll see
Open ridge, the transformed valley floor, and the Bannau to the north.
Background
Ebbw Vale steelworks was once the largest in Europe and employed over fourteen thousand people.