The Buzzard Way | Part 3

Y Domen fawr is a 504m hill overlooking Ebbw Vale and the old steelworks site which is now home to a college, school, primary school, leisure centre and hospital amongst other things – showing just how large this industrial base was.

The hill itself is a child summit of the most Southerly mountain in the Brecon Beacons range – Cefn yr Ystrad. The concrete base is from a lookout tower built during WW2 to overlook the Steelworks.

A cemetery begun for victims of the 1832 cholera epidemic in Tredegar, although mainly occupied by victims of the more serious outbreak that occurred in the summer of 1849. The cemetery enclosure measures 36m (north-south) by 19m, and is bound by a modern steel fence, which was erected in 2008 to replace the original wrought-iron fence.

It appears to contain six rows of graves with some 30 graves in each row. About 25 headstones remain standing, some broken, and roughly another 25 fallen slabs are visible. Other graves are marked by stone edgings or mounds. Among legible inscriptions, in English and Welsh, nearly all record cholera deaths in 1849 and many are directly ascribed to workers at Tredegar Ironworks. One is dated to 1866. As there were often several burials per plot, total interments may number between 200 and 600. 

17 – Carn Stwpa

A Bronze Age monument that sits upon a tempting false summit on the walk up to Mynydd Bedwellte. Impressive views from this point and this cairn is visible from other hills on The Buzzard Way.

A 486m hill topped by a trig point and a bench. Part of a long ridgeway walk offering commanding views and soft, sheep and cattle-mown grass. A good place to sit and take in the views of where the walk has taken you so far, and where is next.

The rocking stone is an impressive outcrop on the steep valley side that you can hop onto to stand jutted out into the valley. I would not recommend doing this in damp or wet conditions as the drop is substantial and the rock sloping and slippery. Worth a short detour on this route as it is definitely a less visited spot in South Wales.

20 – Waterfalls

I suspect these little waterfalls might be dry in summer, but when in flow they are very pleasant and worth marking as a point of interest as you will walk right past them. It would make a good spot for taking a break and having a snack, listening to the gentle splashing on the multiple falls.

21 – Capel-y-Brithdir

The monument consists of the remains of a chapel dating to the medieval period. Until its demolition in 1960, the medieval chapel of Capel-y-Brithdir stood alongside the ridgeway route along Cefn-y-Brithdir, 150m south-west of the 7th century memorial stone of Tegernacus (now in the National Museum of Wales).

During demolition, a cross incised slab of probable 10th-11th century date was found built into its walling. (The slab is now in St Gwladys’s Church, Bargoed). The demolished remains of the church were heaped within the lower part of its walls to form a platform-like monument. The scheduled area comprises the rectangular platform but not the surrounding churchyard (which contains recent graves).

The monument is of national importance in view of its proximity to the 7th century memorial stone, which was presumably the predecessor of the first church here. Such a relationship between an early memorial stone and a church site is rare and unusual. Moreover, the monument is significant for its potential to enhance our knowledge of the organisation and practice of medieval Christianity.

The site forms an important element within the wider medieval landscape. The site is well preserved and retains considerable archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of evidence relating to chronology, layout, building techniques and functional detail.

22 – Tegernacus Stone

The Tegernacus stone is a large, irregular upright slab, measuring about 2.25 metres high, 1.0 metres at its widest and 17cm to 22cm thick. The rough surface of the stone bears a four line Latin inscription vertically down the face – TEGERNA/CUS FILI/US MARTI / HIC IACIT.

It was originally placed near a trackway on the Cefn y Brithdir ridge, above New Tredegar, and would have been visible to those using the trackway. The seventh century inscribed stone was moved to the National Museum of Wales in 1923.

The stone was originally located about 150m to the north-east of Capel-y-Brithdir. A concrete slab now marks its original position.

The Romans first introduced boundary and road marker posts. The Roman marker stones showed the name of the Emperor only. The Marquis of Bute boundary stones, demarcating land under their control, continued this tradition so that the symbol and letters MB are shown.

An impressive waterfall that can run dry during the summer. It does not appear to have a name and has now disappeared from Google Maps. However, it is well worth the detour, even if it isn’t flowing thanks to the start cliff face.

Parc Cwm Darran was created on the land abandoned when the Ogilvie mine closed in 1975. Since 1975 most of the coal buildings have been demolished, debris buried, and mineshafts capped. The mounds of waste have been reshaped to blend into the hilltops, the colliery feeder pond is now a reed fringed lake, a pond has been created and trees and grasses have been planted to provide habitats for wildlife.

It is a testament to the transformation of the valleys, from wilderness to industrial ravaging and back again.