IV.

Places of Interest

Aberdare stands at the head of the Cynon Valley, at the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, with Graig Mountain forming a scenic backdrop. In the centre of the town is a statue to Griffith Rhys Jones, who led the South Wales Choral Union to victory in the first choir contest, held at London's Crystal Palace in 1872. Jones's choir was an exemplar in the famed choral tradition of the Welsh mining valleys, which had at its roots the need to provide music in the chapels. The Treorchy Male Voice Choir is one of the well-known contemporary choirs. Pontypridd is where Evan James and his son James wrote the Welsh National Anthem, Mae Hen Wlad fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers). Llantrisant is the home of the Royal Mint.

Just to the west of Pontypridd is the Rhondda Heritage Park, which offers an insight into the history, heritage, and culture of the local area. Visitors can descend into the mine shaft and take a guided tour through the underground roadways of the colliery, experiencing what it would have been like to work on a coalface in the 1950s. There are forests and woodland parks within the county. With 200 hectares (495 acres) of varied landscape, Dare Valley Country Park was once the site of 19 coal mines. The park’s woodland and lakes are an important habitat for bird life, including peregrine falcons, kestrels, buzzards, and sparrowhawks.