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Taff's Well to Garth Hill. 41.5 miles, 2 hours.
From the railway station turn right along the main road of the village, to the public gardens on the left-hand side. At the rear of the gardens is a square, brick built structure, the location of Taff's Well itself.
The water from the underground spring is similar in composition to that of Bath Spa. In the later l9th.c., with the expansion of the rail network, local people were opening their houses to accommodate the many visitors to "the smallest spa in the world". The well proved popular into the 20th; in 1929 it was renovated and a swimming pool was built on adjacent land, but floods in the 1950's ended its career.
Take the left-hand path, between the Taff's Well public-house and the school, cross the bridge and walk up the steps. Bear left up the zig-zag path and turn right, into the village of Gwaelod-y-Garth.
This small settlement still contains many excellently preserved cottages, some originally built for workers in the local iron and brick-making industries. Despite its rural character, the area has been exploited in the past for its natural resources, particularly iron-ore, extracted from the network of rich veins in the area. In the late-l6th.c. iron furnaces were established on a site near the river, setting a trend that continued in the larger operations of the Pentyrch Iron Company which ceased production in the 1890's.
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Turn left beside the Gwaelod-y-Garth Inn and continue upwards onto a rough track, leading to a stile and a gate. Go through the gate and follow the path up to Lan Farm. Walk through the yard and out into the lane beyond. Continue down to a metal gate and road. Turn left, and continue this leftward curve to the entrance of another farm, Garth Fawr. Cross the stile, bear right, then take the left-hand upward path through ruined farm-buildings. Continue on this gradual upward ascent to reach the trig point on Garth Hill.
The view is unexpected, and dramatic. Turning full-circle on the trig. point mound, the hill ridges of the Rhondda, Cynon, and Taff valleys form the rim of a gigantic bowl. To the south lies the vast sweep of the coastline, with the islands of Flatholm and Steepholm to your left, and Somerset in the distance.
There are two optional return routes, both of roughly equal length, described below.
OPTION 1
From the trig. point mound, turn to face the sea. Just beneath the mound is a sheep-track, traversing the summit. Take the left-hand route on this path, leading towards Taff's Well, then take the right-hand path leading down to a rocky outcrop. Bear right before the outcrop, along a narrow track which leads along the
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contour of the hill.
Continue to a stream and small waterfall, bear left and descend to the road. Turn left on the road to a public footpath on the right. Cross the field to a gate into woodland; turn left after the gate and take the winding path which descends through the trees. This is Coed Rhiw'r-Ceiliog, designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a sanctuary for several rare plants.
The path emerges onto a road. Turn right past housing, and walk past a playing-field in front of a crescent of houses. Continue to the main road, and turn left at the junction. Continue beyond another playing-field, turn left on the public footpath and return to the station.
OPTION 2. '
From the trig. point, take the downward route, heading towards the coast. This route bears right, passing farms and leading down to a T junction at the main road. Take the road straight ahead for a few yards, then cross the stile in the hedge to the left. Take a rightward diagonal route across the field, cross the next stile and bear right towards the woodland.
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