All walks › Rhondda and the Western Valleys
Rhondda and the Western ValleysPwll Waun Cynon
Pond and marsh in the middle of the Cynon valley, formed by mining subsidence and now one of the best wetland sites in the coalfield.
- Distance
- 2.2 mi / 3.5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 15
- Ascent
- 40 m
- Difficulty
- Easy
- 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
A short circuit runs round the pond and through the marsh on boardwalk. Level and easy.
Worth knowing
- The pond exists because the ground sank over old workings, which is true of several valley wetlands.
- Dragonflies in numbers through the summer.
- Small site, so combine with the Cynon Trail alongside.
What you’ll see
Open water, marsh and willow scrub, dragonflies and warblers.
Background
Subsidence ponds like this are an accidental by-product of deep mining and have become important habitat in their own right.