9 – The Canyon
A long abandoned quarry that is now a fairly peaceful – dirt bikes aside – location to walk with some established cliffs and evergreen trees directly above and on parts of the cliff face. The area surrounding the quarry has now been forested, leaving it with the look of a post-apocalyptic landscape.
10 – The Blue Lagoon
The Canyon is split into two sections, with this, the second section being flooded and forming a small lake, known for the blueness of the water. Walking around the lake on one side is just about possible, but it is a tricky walk and The Buzzard Way avoids it, instead skirting around the lagoon, but you can take a short detour – marked on the route – to get views down to the water below and some more cliff faces.
11 – St Illtyd’s Church
St Illtyd’s church is said to be the oldest standing building within the County Borough of Blaenau Gwent. Although currently dedicated to St Illtyd, the original dedication of the church was to St. Heledd or Hyledd, as evidenced by parish lists of the 16th and 17th centuries (Baring-Gould 1911, 254). This gave the place-name Llanhyledd of which Llanhilleth is an anglicised form.
Now deconsecrated it is sometimes opened for short periods on certain weekends so you can explore inside.
12 – Byrgwm Trig Point
Despite being quite close to a country lane, this feels like an isolated trig point in a part of the world not well walked. Views North show the ridgeway that The Buzzard Way will follow all the way to the Heads of the Valleys. Views South look back to earlier hills and down to the Bristol Channel.
At 488m the views in every direction are broad and if the weather is inclement you’ll definitely feel it this high up and the spot is very exposed.
13 – Mulfran
The Buzzard Way doesn’t summit a number of hills along this section because they are largely dense with heather and don’t have any summit markers. The route does summit the final hill, Mulfran, which is a characterful summit at the Heads of the Valleys standing at 524m. Incredible views on the approach and from the summit, which has a clear track across it taking us towards the descent into the valley.
14 – Mynydd Carn-y-cefn
At 550m Mynydd Carn-y-cefn is the highest summit on The Buzzard Way and includes a white-painted trig point and extensive views over South Wales. It feels remote, despite the dirt-bike tracks nearby, and is another point on the walk that feels infrequently visited, despite the bleak beauty of it.