All walks › Rhondda and the Western Valleys
Rhondda and the Western ValleysMynydd Gelliwion
Up from a countryside park built on railway sidings onto open mountain, with the Rhondda and Taff valleys meeting below.
- Distance
- 4.3 mi / 7 km
- Time
- 2 hr 30
- Ascent
- 300 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
Tracks climb from the park onto the mountain and follow the ridge before returning. Steady climbing with open ground above.
Worth knowing
- Barry Sidings was a marshalling yard for coal trains and is now a country park.
- The ridge gives a clear view of where the Rhondda joins the Taff at Pontypridd.
- Ponies graze the open mountain.
What you’ll see
Open mountain and ponies, the confluence at Pontypridd, and forestry on the slopes.
Background
The sidings marshalled coal trains from the Rhondda for Barry Docks, which by 1913 shipped more coal than any port in the world.