12 Best Towns to Live in Wales
What are the best towns in Wales? We do not get to hear a lot about cities and towns in Wales, not as much as we do about those in England and Scotland. However, whenever the towns to live in the UK are ranked, Welsh towns find their way in. That inevitably reveals the best places to live in Wales. Sorting through the ranking, we are able to isolate the 12 best towns to live in Wales. Please bear in mind that our ranking relies to a large extent, but not entirely, on the most recent ranking of towns in Britain in the marketing report by the property finder company, Garrington’s. Factors considered are employment, green spaces, physical environment, quality of living, and architecture or heritage.
12. Narberth, Pembrokeshire
Just two years ago, Narberth was among the 8 Welsh villages and towns named the best places to live in the UK. It actually tops that ranking. Two years later, things are only getting better. A reputable online mortgage broker gives the town's average property price as 164,950 pounds. You can’t rush through your shopping in this beautiful small town. There are a lot of good and uncommon things to be bought and at reasonable prices there. On the high streets of this town are antique shops, vintage and craft outlets, award-winning cafes, delicatessens featuring local produce, restaurants and pubs among others. It also has a museum and romantic castle ruins. It has very good schools and great transport links.
11. Usk, Monmouthshire
Usk, a town and community in Monmouthshire, stands out in Wales. This town located 16 kilometers northeast of Newport is on the River Usk and is spanned by an arched stone bridge toward the western entrance to the town. This is a town with well-designed homes and bursting with community spirit.
We perfectly agree with the Sunday Times’ expert judges ranking Usk among the loveliest towns to live in Wales. Truly, on a more important note, a look at the air quality, school standards, broadband speed, and transport in this town will necessitate its inclusion here. It also ranks so well for green spaces, community culture, and the health of the attractive high street.
10. Glanaman, Carmarthenshire
Glanaman is another town with an overall high rank among the best towns to live in Wales. Out of 1372 places ranked in the United Kingdom, it ranks 71st. In the same ranking, we find it in the second position for natural beauty. For the quality of life rank, it holds the 200th position while its architectural beauty places it in the 796th position. As for green rank, it finds a place in number 555.
This town has a strong historical link to the ancient coal mining industry. Sited in the valley of the River Amman, Glanaman’s average family home cost is less than 350,000 pounds.
9. Blaenavon, Torfaen
Blaenavon, a town in Torfaen, is another Welsh town steeped in history. It was at one point the world giant among the important producers of iron, coal, and steel.
On the quality of life, it was the 69th best place to live in the UK while for natural beauty, it’s in the enviable third position. It’s also in the impressive 7th position for architectural beauty. The average family home costs less than 350,000 pounds. It would have ranked higher on this list but for its poor ranking for green space.
8. Brecon, Powys
Brecon in Powys, another market town, is also among the loveliest towns to live in Wales. The town is reputable for its annual scintillating jazz festival and its gorgeous cathedral is situated just within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
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Henllys Lime Kilns - Hidden In The Valleys
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Henllys Lime Kilns in Carmarthenshire is beautifully situated beside a river, carving its way through the valley. What’s left is well preserved and adds to the allure of the place and is just one stop on a beautiful walk.
Filmed: Spring 2021
Music: Morning Walk by Jonny Easton -
Entry: Free
----- Short History -----
- Probably built in the late 19th century.
- A narrow-gauge tramway was built after 1875, to connect the various limestone quarries at Foel Ffraith with limekilns near Henllys Vale Colliery.
- It associated with the Black Mountain quarries behind.
- Owned by Black Mountain Anthracite Co, later the New Henllys Anthracite Co. Ltd..
- Coal was obtained from the nearby Henllys Vale Colliery and limestone from nearby quarries via tramway.
- The chimney was used to power machinery. It had to be tall because of low wind down in the valley.
- Its four kilns are built into the hillside with an usually high bank of 10m.
- The kilns were connected to the Swansea Vale Railway.
- Henllys Vale closed by the 1930s, and most of the buildings were demolished by the 1950s.
- The chimney and limekilns were restored in 1986.
#Limestone #Kiln #Wales
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Hengoed Station 29/1/20
We visit Bargoed on the Rhymney to Cardiff Central line, this line makes up one of the valley lines originating from Cardiff and heading north into the northern part of the South Wales valleys. The station sees 4 trains a hour, 3 of these terminate at Bargoed, one services carries on through to Rhymney. Two trains in the morning and two back in the evening use Class 37's and a rake of MK 2 coaches. This is to cover services whilst Transport For Wales replaces its entire stock with new trains.
Rails in Wales Railtour. 66s at Cwmbargoed,Caerphilly,Aberdare,Taffs Well.
Requested longer re-run of this video recorded in March 2014. Starting at Ystrad Mynach where the rail-tour climbs to Cwmbargoed. Next, we see the return run down to Caerphilly where water is taken on board for the passengers. Final clips are on the run-up to Aberdare and return through Taffs Well on the outskirts of Cardiff
Wales Editable Map
Wales Editable Map includes 38 maps. The Wales Editable Map combines Wales Location map, Outline map, County map, Administrative subdivision map and Economic Region map, with additional 4 editable maps: Wales Political PowerPoint maps highlighting the country outline.
The Last Ever Pacer Train
The Pacer trains are finally disappearing from the rail network (although some will be saved by moving to heritage railways). Introduced in the 1980's there were only meant to run for 20 years, but were still in use in 2019, when Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations required them to be retired.
Northern's went in November 2020, GWR said goodbye to theirs in in December 2020, and the end of May saw Transport for Wales Class 143 finally run for the last time, so with two units out in operation, I went for one last bumpy, squeaky, trip, and say farewell ...
Thanks to James Bennet from TfW, more on their new fleet of trains is here:
Additional thanks to Alex, Chris and Rhydian for providing me with the Welsh subtitles for the PA
(Translated into English, it says Follow our safer travelling advice - Face coverings must be worn unless you are exempt - Plan ahead to avoid busy periods - Keep your distance, and wash your hands or use hand sanitser regularly.)
Caerphilly, Wales
Driving thru Caerphilly, Wales (Full HD, 1080, 30fps)
Facts taken from Wikipedia:
Caerphilly (Welsh: Caerffili) is a county constituency centred on the town of Caerphilly in South Wales. It returns one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.
Since its creation, the constituency has always elected Labour MPs, although the predecessor constituency of East Glamorganshire, and prior to that Glamorganshire had elected Liberal MPs throughout the Victorian era.
The Caerphilly constituency covers roughly the southern and eastern half of Caerphilly district, the part of the district historically located in Glamorgan. In the north-west of the constituency are communities such as Hengoed and Ystrad Mynach, extending in a southeasterly direction through Caerphilly and Llanbradach to the rural outcrops bordering Cardiff.
Hengoed Viaduct ☆Wiadukt w Hengoed
Wiadukt Hengoed jest również znany jako wiadukt Maesycwmmer, ale pierwotnie był nazywany wiaduktem Rhymney.
▪︎Bez względu na to, jaką nazwę wybierzesz, jest to jeden z najbardziej uderzających zabytków inżynierii kolejowej w Walii i jeden z najstarszych zachowanych wiaduktów tego typu, imponujący zabytek, który dominuje w krajobrazie doliny środkowej Rhymney od ponad 150 lat.
▪︎Wiadukt Hengoed, składający się z 16 łuków o wysokości 120 stóp w najwyższym punkcie i długości 284 jardów, jest lekko zakrzywiony, gdzie pierwszy łuk od strony wschodniej został skośny pod kątem, aby pomieścić stację level niższego poziomu dla Brecon i Merthyr główna linia, która przebiegała pod nią wzdłuż linii Rhymney w dolinie Rhymney w Południowej Walii.
▪︎Ta trasa biegnie na północ od Cardiff do Heath, Llanishen, tunelem przez górę Caerphilly do Caerphilly
▪︎Ta główna konstrukcja na byłej linii Rhymney Valley została zbudowana do przewozu kolejki dolinowej Taff Vale prawdopodobnie zaprojektowanej przez TW Kennarda według specyfikacji Charlesa Liddella.
▪︎Wykonawcami zatrudnionymi do wykonania prac byli panowie Rennie i Logan, którzy rozpoczęli prace nad konstrukcją murowaną w połowie 1853 r. ▪︎Wiadukt Hengoed był ostatnim dużym projektem dla Newport, Abergavenny i Hereford Railway, który zakończył rozbudowę „Taff Vale Extension” przed otwarciem linii w 1858 r. ▪︎Ostatnim kosztem był jeden śmiertelny wypadek podczas budowy i 20 000,00 (równowartość tej kwoty pieniędzy w 2013 r. wyniesie 11,9 mln!).
▪︎Po zamknięciu linii w
1964 r. Wiadukt Hengoed został zaoferowany do sprzedaży za nominalną kwotę jednego funta (1,00!) I jest obecnie własnością Railway Paths Ltd.
Dziękuję za poświęcony
Wasz czas ????
Mam nadzieję że podobał Wam się spacer starym wiaduktem .Pozdrawiam.
Materiał nagrany w maju 2020 roku
????Jarico-Sumer Time ????
Crumlin Navigation Colliery - The Fight to Preserve
The Crumlin Navigation is a site that will immediately catch your eye as you drive past it along the A467 and it appears through the trees. A fine example of Edwardian architecture that has stood the test of time. But now, new efforts, thanks to The Friends of the Navigation, are in place to restore these beautiful buildings. To reuse and repurpose them for the benefit of the entire community.
Filmed: Autumn 2022
Music: Vindsvept, fantasy - - Scott Buckley -
Entry: Restricted - Access was granted for the purpose of our filming. The site is managed by “The Friends of The Navigation”.
Official Website:
Book Events: LJ_jones10@live.co.uk
----- Short History -----
- The sinking of the mine shaft began in 1907 and the colliery was complete by 1911. Owned by the firm Partridge Jones.
- The Navigation Colliery was one of the first to be built entirely out of brick. Instead of the more common, and less expensive, local stone. The brick was also used in a creative and decorative way. This was done with the intention of constructing an outstanding set of buildings.
- It is now considered to be one of the best examples of Edwardian industrial architecture in the country.
- The Navigation was constructed whilst the coal industry was booming. South Wales was the largest coal-exporting area in the world.
- The coal was primarily used for the rapidly growing merchant fleet, hence the name “Navigation”. A name of distinction denoting the quality of the coal.
- By 1935 the colliery employed 444 men.
- In 1937, the mine was met with disaster; digging into the Black Vein breached an underground lake. Water poured its way up the mine shafts which led to emergency pumping. The bottom of the pit had to be raised by 39 metres as a result.
- Despite the setback, in 1947, when the industry was nationalised, the colliery still employed 415 men.
- And peak production was reached in 1954 when 145,129 tons of coal was produced.
- By the 1960s, however, the coal industry was in decline and in 1967 The Crumlin Navigation Colliery closed.
- The buildings continued to be used after closure for light industrial set-ups, like car and furniture workshops.
- The buildings were expensive to maintain, however, and with fire damage and vandalism they slowly fell into disrepair.
- The quality of these buildings though, has allowed them to survive and remain one of the best preserved sets of colliery buildings in Wales, and probably in the UK.
- The Navigation Colliery buildings have been listed Grade II and II* by Cadw.
- Volunteers and the local community are transforming the site into a community project. The process is aimed at gradually repairing the buildings through own labour and community involvement to bring back uses for the buildings once more and create local employment.
- The registered charity The Friends of The Navigation are working hard to restore and repurpose the buildings. This includes moving the culvert and establishing a hydro scheme to provide electricity for the site and back into the grid.
#Wales #Coal #Mining #Colliery #Navigation
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Pontypool Road Station
Photographs taken March 2021, at Pontypool Road using a Phantom 3 advance
Class 769 departs Rhymney
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We will be calling at the following principal stations - Class 769
I started recording after Ruth said Welcome aboard
Date recorded - Friday 10th March 2023
Onboard 769008 Cheriton with 2R16 1503 Transport for Wales/Trafnidiaeth Cymru service from Penarth to Rhymney/Rhymni calling at: Dingle Road/Heol Dingle (1505), Grangetown (1509), Cardiff Central/Caerdydd Canolog (1516), Cardiff Queen Street/Caerdydd Heol y Frenhines (1520), Heath High Level/Lefel Uchel y Mynydd Bychan (1525), Llanishen/Llanisien (1528), Lisvane & Thornhill/Llys-faen a Draenen Pen-y-Graig (1530), Caerphilly/Caerffili (1537), Aber (1539), Energlyn & Churchill Park/Eneu'r-glyn a Pharc Churchill (1541), Llanbradach (1545), Ystrad Mynach (1551), Hengoed (1554), Pengam (1557), Bargoed/Bargod (1603), Brithdir (1606), Tir-Phil/Tir-phil (1609), Pontlottyn/Pontlotyn (1614) and Rhymney/Rhymni (1617)
Transport for Wales/Trafnidiaeth Cymru Class 769 fleet:
769002
769003
769006
769007
769008
769421
769445
769452
All of which have been withdrawn as of the 21st May timetable change.
769008 was named Cheriton after travelling through the Channel Tunnel on Friday 10th December 1993 alongside 319009 (now 768001 for use with Rail Operations Group) which was named Coquelles. Both units also set a record for the shortest London to Brighton journey time at 37 minutes 57 seconds on Saturday 26th March 1994. This record stood until 23005 when the Speed Run event, organised by Southern, using Class 377 units 377472 and 377474 set a slightly quicker record of 36 minutes 56 seconds.
Gilfach Fargoed Train Station
Train Service From Penarth To Rhymney Calling At Gilfach Fargoed
Transport For Wales First Class | Cardiff Central - Holyhead 23/12/2019
In this video, you join me on a trip aboard Transport For Wales' 'Premier' service from Cardiff Central in South Wales, to Holyhead in Anglesey, North Wales. Our traction is a Class 67 locomotive, with a rake of MK3 coaches and a driving van trailer (DVT). The service offered was absolutely astounding, a fantastic three-course meal was served and the staff were exceptional. Thoroughly recommended! Enjoy!
Music:
Bensound - Dream (Copyright Free)
Bensound - Beyond The Line (Copyright Free)
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Swansea Bay - Coast & Countryside
What do you like to do on holiday? If taking great big lungfuls of fresh air is on your list then our coast and countryside is already ticking that box. Watch our shiny new video – then plan your own journey of discovery – it will be low on miles – but high in good times!
Beth ydych yn hoffi ei wneud pan fyddwch ar eich gwyliau? Os rydych am fwynhau awyr iach, yna bydd ein harfordir a’n cefn gwlad yn berffaith i chi. Gwyliwch ein fideo newydd sbon – yna, cynlluniwch eich taith darganfod eich hun – ni fydd llawer o deithio – ond bydd llawer o fwynhad!
First Class 769 at Redhill
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Class 769 at Redhill
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Pacers & Class 37s Around Cardiff
A trip around the Cardiff Valley Lines system riding the Transport for Wales Class 142 and Class 143 Pacer trains in their last months before withdrawal. Also includes some footage of the Class 37 and mk2 sets hired in from Colas on the Rhymney line services, including nos. 37025 Inverness TMD, 37421 and 37418.
Filming locations include Barry Island, Pontypridd, Heath High Level, Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central.
Photos from this trip are at mkttransportphoto.smugmug.com
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Chepstow Station 30/1/20
We visit Chepstow which is on the line between Cardiff Central and Gloucester, the line and the stations are operated by Transport For Wales, a few services are also operated by Cross Country Trains on their services between Cardiff and Nottingham. Services almost run on a hourly basis with a few odd extra services stopping in the late afternoon and early mornings. The line also is a important freight route allowing services to pass between the West Midlands and South Wales.
Vintage UK Diesels 1960's to the 1980's (Part 1)
This time we look back at some vintage diesels from my collection over the last 50 years
The soundtrack is 'A Secret Shared' by Tellurian (YouTube Audio Swap 2009)