Tales of the Trails: Ynysybwl
Cycling trails exploring the history and heritage of the area
Discover the tales of the trails
Wales’ valleys and the mining communities which sprung up in them are a proud part of our past which deserve to be remembered.
Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Cadw – the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, Cycling UK’s Tales of the Trails project has worked with Ynysybwl Regeneration Partnership to capture the stories of residents and bring them to life with cycle trails which take people into the landscape where they happened.
Coal transformed these places, with the Lady Windsor colliery opening in Ynysybwl in 1886, and most of the 7,000-strong village community relying upon the pit. Since the colliery closed the valley has undergone a transformation, with community enterprises like Daerwynno Outdoor Centre and Up-Cycle making the most of the area’s potential for outdoor activities.
Explore these trails yourself to discover more about the past, present and future of Ynysybwl and Llanwonno.
“I think the impression most people have of the valleys is that they are just a wasteland, but it’s not… It’s a beautiful place and ought to be explored more.”
Dewi Pritchard, former pit blacksmith and teacher
Click or tap the places to find out more about them, and swipe to see video clips which delve deeper into the history. You can watch the full film further down the page.
Site of Lady Windsor Colliery
Site of Lady Windsor Colliery. Click to expand.
It’s hard to imagine now that this green hillside was once black and scarred, with a coal mine that was operational for over a century from 1884 to 1988. The high-quality coal produced here was ideal for maritime uses.
Up-Cycle
Up-Cycle. Click to expand.
Up-Cycle is a community project which refurbishes donated bikes for resale and trains young people in bike maintenance skills.
Lady Windsor Colliery memorial
Lady Windsor Colliery memorial. Click to expand.
The colliery was responsible for the growth of Ynysybwl from a small village of around 270 people to a thriving industrial town. During its peak period, the colliery employed over 1,000 people. Working conditions were poor, but it was one of the first collieries in Wales to provide pithead baths and a medical treatment room in the 1930s.
Butcher's Pool
Butcher's Pool. Click to expand.
Formerly known as Butchers Field because it was where animals would be brought on the way to market, this area was later developed into a paddling pool.
Corpse road (Mynachdy Road)
Corpse road (Mynachdy Road). Click to expand.
This road was known as the ‘corpse road’ because it was the way used to carry coffins up to St Gwynno Church at the top of the hill.
St Gwynno Church
St Gwynno Church. Click to expand.
This graveyard is the burial place of legendary athlete Guto Nyth Brân or Gruffydd Morgan (1700–1737), one of the greatest runners of his time. There are many stories about him, including that he caught a hare chasing sheep or outran a bird in flight. His final feat was to run 12 miles in an astonishing 53 minutes. Upon completion of the race, he was clapped on the back in congratulations and promptly died of a heart attack.
Guto Nyth Brân sculpture
Guto Nyth Brân sculpture. Click to expand.
This sculpture outside the pub was created by a local artist. If you look through the hole in the centre towards the church, you can see the gravestone of famous local athlete Guto Nyth Brân.
Daerwynno Outdoor Centre and Caban Guto
Daerwynno Outdoor Centre and Caban Guto. Click to expand.
The dedicated volunteers at this community-run outdoor activity centre offer a year-round program of activities for school children, including climbing, orienteering, canoeing, and wildlife and nature education.
Waterfall
Waterfall. Click to expand.
Site of Lady Windsor Colliery
It’s hard to imagine now that this green hillside was once black and scarred, with a coal mine that was operational for over a century from 1884 to 1988. The high-quality coal produced here was ideal for maritime uses.
Over the years, conservation work has regenerated this area into a nature reserve.
“The hillside along here was black from the pollution, so nothing grew. You’d see tiny little men stood up on the gantries, will all this belching filth coming out of it. Quite an incredible sight. I’d never seen anything like it… The transformation has been amazing, how green it has become.”
Steve Axe, who often passed through Ynysybwl during the 1980s
Up-Cycle
Up-Cycle is a community project which refurbishes donated bikes for resale and trains young people in bike maintenance skills.
Lady Windsor Colliery memorial
The colliery was responsible for the growth of Ynysybwl from a small village of around 270 people to a thriving industrial town. During its peak period, the colliery employed over 1,000 people. Working conditions were poor, but it was one of the first collieries in Wales to provide pithead baths and a medical treatment room in the 1930s.
“It wasn’t really the job for me. It was a dangerous job – people got injured, people got killed. You get disillusioned with places.”
Dewi Pritchard, former pit blacksmith and teacher
The memorial sits on the Taff Trail, a popular cycling and walking path converted from the Ynysybwl to Pontypridd railway line, which closed in 1953.
Butcher's Pool
Formerly known as Butchers Field because it was where animals would be brought on the way to market, this area was later developed into a paddling pool.
When the much-loved pool was threatened with closure in 2014, the community came together to save it. Together the Friends of Butchers Pool and Ynysybwl Vision have raised money to keep it running and gradually renovated the pool.
Corpse road (Mynachdy Road)
This road was known as the ‘corpse road’ because it was the way used to carry coffins up to St Gwynno Church at the top of the hill.
St Gwynno Church
This graveyard is the burial place of legendary athlete Guto Nyth Brân or Gruffydd Morgan (1700–1737), one of the greatest runners of his time. There are many stories about him, including that he caught a hare chasing sheep or outran a bird in flight. His final feat was to run 12 miles in an astonishing 53 minutes. Upon completion of the race, he was clapped on the back in congratulations and promptly died of a heart attack.
His life is celebrated every year on New Year’s Eve with the Nos Galan road races, when a mystery runner carries a torch from Ynysybwl to Mountain Ash to kick off the races.
Guto Nyth Brân sculpture
This sculpture outside the pub was created by a local artist. If you look through the hole in the centre towards the church, you can see the gravestone of famous local athlete Guto Nyth Brân.
Daerwynno Outdoor Centre and Caban Guto
The dedicated volunteers at this community-run outdoor activity centre offer a year-round program of activities for school children, including climbing, orienteering, canoeing, and wildlife and nature education.
Named after Guto Nyth Bran, the legendary runner, Caban Guto visitor centre serves the best coffee in the forestry. Run by volunteers, Caban Guto offers light refreshments and information on the local trails, local culture and history as part of the larger Vision for the Valley project. You can be sure of a warm welcome.
Waterfall
Tails from the trails - Ynysybwl
1940-1947 Bartholomew historic map courtesy of the National Library of Scotland
Tales of the Trails has been delivered in partnership with Ynysybwl Regeneration and the local community and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
