Visiting Cwm Clydach Park

So last Sunday we headed out on what was another glorious day, the sun was shining and it was nice and warm. So this time we headed to a place called Cwm Clydach Park. This is in the Rhonnda district of South Wales and only about a 40 min drive away.

With it being Sunday as well, we left at around about 13:30pm as my daughter had gymnastics in the morning till 11:00am and then we went and done the food shopping together.

The route there was pretty straight forward as we headed towards the motorway like we normally do as this cuts through south Wales from east to west, so any places you would like to visit anywhere north of that you get on the motorway and head towards. We only stayed on for one junction and then got off. We headed up then along a main A road to Rhonnda. There was no turning off along the way and was straight forward. The place we were visiting was only five minutes past that. We followed the sat nav that was given to us on the site and though it did lead to the right place in a way, it did though lead us to the lower lake.

We wanted the main site and to walk from there so we headed back back along the only route that lead us to the lake till we reached the little town the place was in. We stopped and asked a lady on the side of the road where the place was and she told us the way. It was only a few turnings back where we had come so was easy to find. Once we started to turn into the place we seen a small car park with a river flowing near it. We parked the car up and got out.

We stood and looked around and could see it was a really nice area. We were down in the valley and all around us were high green hills with on on side houses starting to stretch up the hill. We walked into the main site which we thought would be a tourist information center or something along those lines, basing on the website but it was more of a pub for the locals. So there were no maps or anything about the area so it was lucky I had printed some off. We were just hoping that these were better than the last trip we went on.

We came out the centre and headed along the main path towards the hills and lake where we first came to in the car. As we walked the river was next to us and though it wasn't the biggest it was still nice and on the other side the views up the hills.

After a short while we came to an opening that lead into the river and had large rocks to sit on and a small waterfall. Here were a lot of the local kids and there family's just sitting around and playing in the water. We stopped for a little while while my daughter went in.

Then we headed up the straight path once again. We stopped to look at different things along the way and after a little while we came to a bridge and you could walk under it and around where the river widen, so we stopped once again.

Then we noticed a large wheel stood upright.

We walked across to it and seen it was really large and had come from the mining that use to be there before. It was now more of a remembrance place for the miners that had lost there lives in the years when it was open. There was an information on what it was about and a really nice seated area as well.

After looking at this we headed up a path that lead behind the wheel. We were then picking up a path that would lead us through a forest area and up the lower lake.

We walked for awhile and talked about things and then came to an opening where the lower lake was. Now we could have took the long route to the top of the hills for the views but with the time that we left and how long it would take we decided to leave this for another day as my daughter would have been home really late. So we headed down to the lake and seen it was really pretty and very green.

We had to walk around the lake and kind of come back on our self's as we were at the end of the lower valley and the only way was up apart from going back. The walk around was nice and seen a red river and waterfall which was died from coming through the hills.

As we headed back we took the other track way that would lead us to the wheel once again. Upon reaching that we once again took the path behind the wheel but once behind it we headed down the path towards the car. We were now just walking parallel to the main path we first started on just a little higher up.

From here we had some different views and the walk back to the car was nice. In all though we didn't climb high or go on an crazy adventure it was nice to get out and go see a new place for awhile and when we come back again we will do the hills and go exploring up there