The Eastern or Afon Lwyd Valley
The easternmost valley is the Afon Lwyd, more usually called the ‘Eastern Valley’ by locals, which has a huge range of contrasts to explore and discover from one of the cradles of the industrial revolution to Wales’ only new town surrounded by glorious countryside.
The Afon Lwyd (Grey River) was also known as the Torfaen, meaning 'Rock Breaker', which is indicative of the forceful way the water rushes down the valley, hence the name of the local authority area which now covers the valley.
As its name suggests, Blaenafon (source of the river) sits at the top of the valley in a location so remarkable that in 2000 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of the complete survival of a 19th-century industrial landscape. Very recently, the Heritage Lottery Fund has supported the Forgotten Landscapes project to conserve and interpret the natural habitat and wildlife of the unique Blaenafon industrial landscape.
Blaenafon was one of the places that created the modern world. Its ironworks, where the award-winning BBC television series Coal House was set, is one of the most important surviving monuments from the early part of the industrial revolution. The works was one of the most important producers of iron in the world, where the Thomas-Gilchrist method to produce phosphorous-free iron was created, for which, in 1887, Andrew Carnegie, famous industrialist, philanthropist, and steel-king of America, paid the then-huge sum of $250,000 for the rights to use it in the United States. Today you can still marvel at what is the best-preserved ironworks of its period and type in the world.
The walking and cycling routes in and around the town allow you to discover the museums, monuments, quirky little shops - one makes award-winning cheeses, which are simply delicious - art galleries, and the Blaenafon World Heritage Centre. Every year, the town holds a World Heritage weekend with exciting events and activities for all the family.
You can also take a train ride on the Pontypool and Blaenavon railway, the highest standard gauge railway in Wales and the steepest standard gauge preserved passenger-carrying line in Britain. The steep pull up the line ensures some spectacular starts and its northern terminus, Whistle Halt, at 1307 feet above sea level, is the highest (and probably the most windswept) station in Wales and England. The Whistle Inn, next to the station, is famous for its extensive collection of miners’ lamps.
There is so much to see and do in Blaenafon, but no visit would be complete without a thrilling descent into the depths at Big Pit, a real coal mine and one of Britain's leading mining museums, where you can explore what life was like for the thousands who worked at the coal face, 300 feet underground, in the company of a real miner.
Wending your way south from Blaenafon following the course of the river, you pass through the hamlet of Cwmavon, which has several interesting and historic buildings surrounded by some wonderful scenery, and then Abersychan, a former hive of industry, including the fascinating site around the former British ironworks with spectacular views south down the valley towards the Severn estuary.
In the middle of the valley, is Pontypool, (Welsh Pont-y-pwl) whose name it is believed is derived from Pont-ap-Hywel (Hywel's Bridge), can claim with some justification to be the home of the Welsh iron industry with the first forge set up in 1425 and it is claimed that emigrants from Pontypool constructed the first forge in America in 1652.
The former home of the Hanbury family, who developed the iron industry in the town in the sixteenth century, can be seen at beautiful Pontypool Park through an elaborate set of wrought iron gates. It now houses the local museum which, amongst other notable collections, has an outstanding display of Japan lacquer ware, made in the town from the middle of the eighteenth century.
The park was a place of recreation for the Hanburys with a Folly and a Shell Grotto. The rebuilt Folly commands views over the rich agricultural lands of Monmouthshire to the north and east and towards the valleys to the west and it is said that no fewer than seven counties are visible from the tower on a clear day. The Grotto is probably the finest example of its kind in Wales. Restored in the 1990s, its incredible interior is encrusted with shells and gnarled wood with a patterned floor made of animal bones and teeth. In the 1840s, the Hanburys also created the adjacent American Gardens with its wonderful ‘Hansel and Gretel’ Lodge.
Pontypool Park is also home to one of Wales' longest dry ski slopes and to the local rugby team, whose famous front row of the 1970s was immortalised in song by Max Boyce.
Cwmbran (Valley of the Crow) at the south of the Afon Lwyd valley is Wales' only new town created in the 1950s. It is renowned for its extensive undercover commercial centre containing over 170 shops and stores with 3,000 free parking spaces as well as the Congress Theatre.
Nearby is the highly popular Greenmeadow Community Farm where the old barns and farmhouse have been carefully renovated to provide an interpretive barn, workrooms, craft workshops, cafe, bar, gift shop and restaurant. The farm offers enjoyment for the whole family with rare and Welsh breed farm animals, a pets corner, nature and woodland trails and much more.
Llantarnam Grange is a thriving Arts Centre, set in its own grounds, which hosts a thriving and expanding programme of exhibitions, lectures, workshops and school activities, along with a darkroom, cafe craft shop and studio for artists. The building itself dates back to 1179, built by Cistercian Monks and later renovated by the Victorians.
Recent developments in Cwmbran have seen the redevelopment of a lovely Riverside Park with a boating lake whilst the nearby historic manor house at Llanyrafon is currently undergoing an exciting renovation.
