A classic South Wales Valley hill walk taking in the 481m summit of Cefn y Rhondda.
There are lots of parking options around Penrhys, many of them taking you nearer to the woodland that takes you away from civilisation and onto the access land of the hill. I parked at a small car park near Our Lady of Penrhys and walked up the left-hand side of the housing estate that makes up Penrhys until you reach what looks like an abandoned community centre.
You can pick up a track at this point that takes you into the countryside and eventually skirts around the forest and up onto the first high point, Mynydd Ty’n-tyle, which is 428m above sea level. Views from here are extensive and looking North you can see the woodland that tops the highest point of Cefn y Rhondda.
You can continue to follow good tracks – helped no doubt by regular dirt bike use – until you come to a gate into a wind farm. This small section is on private land, but soon takes you back onto common land. The wide track winds through the wind farm, giving great views West.
Eventually this track leads you to a gate into the woodland, where the wide track continues. This section is sheltered and incredibly peaceful, leading you to the edge of the forest where views West and North open up, wide vistas of the Welsh Valley contrasting with the previously enclosed forest walk. Here you follow the track around to the right and then walk the straight track until you reach the trigpoint, situated on a small patch of tufty grass next to a small quarry probably dug when creating the wind farm.
Views from the trigpoint are limited by trees, but the top of the quarry bank is a bit higher and offers extensive views North.
You can continue north for a bit on the same track, before making a u-turn to pick up the track South that takes you back on the other side of the ridgeway, offering great views East as you start to descend. The paths here are grassy and many, so you can take different turns if you wish. I stick as close as I can to the edge of the hill, so I can look down into the Valley and appreciate the craggy edge and old quarry along the way.
Eventually you skirt around the forest again, but this time on the other side, and back to Penrhys. A walk along the road brings you back to the car park and this wonderful circular walk is over, but not before you take in the great views from the statue.
This is one of my favourite walks in South Wales. It’s isolated, varied and rewarding with a sense of peace as you enter the forest and a feeling of rebirth as you step back into the open on the other side. It is a perfect way to escape the crowds and feel, for a brief moment, that the world is yours alone to enjoy.
The South Wales Valleys, full of surprises.