Clydach Lakes
The Lakes at Clydach Vale (Cwm Clydach Country Park)
Clydach Vale sits northwest of Tonypandy in Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the Rhondda Valley, named for its position on the Nant Clydach, a tributary of the River Rhondda.
The valley was once dominated by heavy coal mining industry, most notably the Cambrian Collieries, which were the scene of two major disasters in 1905 and 1965. A regeneration programme transformed the once-blackened landscape into the wonderful park that exists today.
It is hard to imagine, with its lush green forestry and large open lakes filled with wildlife, that Clydach Vale Country Park stands on the remains of the Cambrian Colliery — Mother Nature has reclaimed what was once one of the most intensely-mined areas in the world.
In 2021, the park was given Country Park status, recognising it as an official Welsh Country Park.
There are essentially three bodies of water in the park:
The Bottom Lake is the larger and more accessible of the two main lakes. It has an island where a wide variety of birds live, and is also used by a local canoe club.
Visitors can take a circular route around it, feeding the ducks, and there is a Lakeside Café with an outdoor dining deck.
The Top Lake is reached via a roughly 20-minute walk up a wide track from the bottom lake. The edges of the valley are lined with forests that tower around it.
Here you might spot the resident but elusive Kingfisher, and there are benches and fishing platforms located around it. The top lake also features a plunge pool — known by local wild swimmers as the "Clydach Freezer" — and a waterfall.
The Secret Mini Lake is a smaller, hidden third body of water beyond the top lake. It appears after heavy rainfall and has its own waterfall.
Of additional note, the stream running between the two main lakes serves a micro hydropower system, generating 55kW of energy — enough for approximately 60 houses — while offsetting around 119 tonnes of CO₂ per year.
On the route between the lakes stands a memorial to the men and boys who died in the Cambrian Colliery disasters, with a wheel, coal dram, and shaft lift cage placed as a tribute, along with markers showing where the deep mine shafts were sunk.