All walks › Caerphilly and the Eastern Valleys
Caerphilly and the Eastern ValleysTrefil and the Limestone Quarries
The highest village in Wales, on limestone country above the coalfield, with quarries that fed the ironworks below for two centuries.
- Distance
- 4.3 mi / 7 km
- Time
- 2 hr 35
- Ascent
- 250 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
A circuit, and the steep part comes first. Tracks climb from the last houses onto the limestone plateau and through the quarry ground, returning by a loop. Open with no shelter.
Worth knowing
- Trefil claims to be the highest village in Wales at around 400 metres.
- The Brinore Tramroad started here, carrying limestone north to the canal.
- Shakeholes and quarry faces; keep to the tracks.
What you’ll see
Quarry faces and spoil, limestone pavement and shakeholes, and the Bannau north.
Background
Trefil limestone supplied the Tredegar and Rhymney ironworks as flux, and the quarries worked from the 1790s.