All walks › Caerphilly and the Eastern Valleys
Caerphilly and the Eastern ValleysSilent Valley
Beech woodland at over 400 metres, among the highest in Britain, on the side of a valley that was solid coal a lifetime ago.
- Distance
- 2.8 mi / 4.5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 40
- Ascent
- 180 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
Waymarked trails climb from the car park through the beech hangers and along the old tramroad, returning by the valley floor.
Worth knowing
- The beeches here are close to the altitude limit for the species in Britain.
- The reserve sits on the site of Marine colliery, which closed in 1989.
- Steep and slippery under wet leaves in autumn.
What you’ll see
Upland beech woodland, tramroad terraces, and the Ebbw valley below.
Background
Marine colliery worked from 1889 and suffered an explosion in 1927 that killed fifty-two men. The woods above survived it all.