Attraction in Rhondda Cynon Taf

Rhondda Heritage Park at the Lewis Merthyr Colliery in Trehafod in the Rhondda Fawr is one of the most important industrial heritage attractions in Wales, dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of coalmining and the communities it created. The centrepiece underground tour takes groups into the former colliery workings guided by ex-miners who provide first-hand accounts of life underground, creating a genuinely moving and educational experience. Above ground, exhibitions in restored surface buildings cover the social history of the mining communities including domestic life, chapel culture, trade unionism and the distinctive musical and sporting traditions of the valleys. Situated at the lower end of the Rhondda valley and accessible by train from Cardiff.

The Rhondda Tunnel is a remarkable Victorian railway tunnel that once connected the Rhondda Fawr valley in Rhondda Cynon Taf with the Afan valley in Neath Port Talbot, driven through the mountain at the head of the Rhondda at an elevation of over 1000 feet and stretching for 3,443 yards to make it one of the highest and longest railway tunnels in Wales. The tunnel was opened in 1890 to carry coal from the Rhondda to the port at Port Talbot and was used for freight and passenger traffic until its closure in 1968. A community project has restored the tunnel for use as a cycling and walking route through the mountain, providing a unique underground experience on a dedicated bike trail that is unique in the United Kingdom. The Rhondda Tunnel Society oversees access and has created one of the most unusual and historically significant active heritage transport attractions in Wales.