Inspire Me

That’s one thing we have no difficulty with whatsoever.

The Valleys overflows with inspiration and you won't be short of things to do in this area of South Wales.

It all begins with our proud history, a compelling tale of overcoming struggle and strife, community spirit and culture. It’s retold everywhere, at museums and heritage attractions, arts festivals and theatres – even in conversations with complete strangers (though you won’t be a stranger for long in this famously friendly part of Wales).

Then there’s the way we look. With vales you get hills and mountains. In our case, lots of them, creating a restless, roller-coaster landscape of ups and downs that – to first-time visitors who don’t know us – is surprisingly green and fresh. We had our Industrial Revolution. That’s now history. The Valleys of the 21st century will inspire you to get out there, go walking and breathe in all that fresh air and scenery. You won’t know where to start. As well as all those hills and mountains we have the largest concentration of country parks in Wales – not to mention the biggest urban forest park in the UK (in the Afan Valley). See Sultan the UK's biggest earth sculpture.

It’s not surprising that we also inspire a strong sense of attachment. More and more people are drawn to The Valleys to discover their roots. In 2010, we host the National Eisteddfod of Wales and a number of high profile calender events.