{"id":11418,"date":"2022-04-16T00:03:24","date_gmt":"2022-04-15T23:03:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11418"},"modified":"2022-04-16T00:12:41","modified_gmt":"2022-04-15T23:12:41","slug":"bargoed-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11418","title":{"rendered":"Bargoed"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\u00a0Bargoed<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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This walk took us to Bargoed Woodland Park, which was created on land formerly occupied by Bargoed, Britannia and Gilfach collieries. The country park has been created from barren waste ground left after the closure of the last mine in 1985. 90,000 new trees, 6500 bulbs and 8000 wildflowers have been planted. This was once part of the largest colliery tip in Europe and LS Lowry immortalised it in his 1965 painting \u2018Bargoed\u2019.<\/p>\n

We started from the Pengam car park, south of Bargoed, where a wooden sign was carved with leaves of holly, hawthorn, oak, and sycamore each with its flower or fruit. As we got out of the cars, we all shivered and put on extra clothes, if we had them; although it was a sunny morning it was several degrees cooler here than it had been in Wenvoe.<\/p>\n

We kept to the west of the river Rhymney following it and then the Nant Bargod Rymni upstream, towards Parc Cwm Darren. It was easy walking on a tarmac path and most of the morning we climbed steadily on a disused railway track.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As we passed Bargoed town we saw a couple of the sculptures installed as part of a Bargoed public art project. Funded by the European Union there are 4 sculptures totalling \u00a3200,000. At the northern entrance to Bargoed\u2019s High St is \u2018The Angel of Bargoed\u2019 with open arms inspired by the statue\u2019s proximity to Angel Way, the War Memorial and the church overlooking the site. As we by passed the town, we saw \u2018The Daffodil\u2019. There are three large painted steel daffodils, near Bargoed station, welcoming people to this valley. It is so tall that you can see it from distant hillsides.<\/p>\n

It was lovely to walk in sunshine with the sound of running water; we were in a steep sided valley and water rushed down it. Many bricks had been used in impressive arched tunnels and steps funnelling the water and there was a huge brick wall reinforcing the hillside.<\/p>\n

As we entered Parc Cwm Darren, we spotted a display of bright scarlet elf cap on rotting wood covered in bright green moss. We looked down at a wooden bridge and continued walking across a tarmacadamed bridge. A stone sign told us we were at \u2018Caradoc\u2019s Bridge\u2019. Caradoc was a Silurian leader\u00a0who fought against the Roman occupation in Wales but was eventually captured and taken to Rome. It is believed that this bridge near Deri has been called Caradoc\u2019s Bridge in his memory.<\/p>\n

Another memorial stone recorded more recent events \u2018In memory of those whose lives were touched by the tragic events at the Darren Colliery, October 29 1909\u2019. The 27 names of those who died are listed.<\/p>\n

At the northern part of the walk, we turned back on ourselves climbing the steep hill side to reach the ridge. Just before the top we spotted a concrete bunker below the path and clambered on top of it, to rest and eat our lunch. Within moments we were treated to not one but two red kites soaring above us, so close we could clearly see their colouring. In no time they were out of sight as they flew off up the valley and we were left with the memory and magnificent views.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The day had warmed up and we enjoyed blue skies and open landscapes, our route often following tarmac paths. One field was covered in green mossy humps, none of us knew how they had occurred. In the hedge alongside a road, we spotted bird feeders. Someone had made them from toilet rolls, with the outside coated in fat and then rolled in bird seed (or was the seed melted in the fat before rolling the toilet rolls in it?), so simple but very effective.<\/p>\n

Returning to Pengam towering over us was a statue placed over an old ash tip. This statue is 40ft and called the Lady of the Stream, it depicts a woman watching over children in the area, supposedly in reference to Pengam folklore of youngsters drowning in a stream.<\/p>\n

Arriving back to the cars we saw poetry (having missed it when we drove in) cut into metal at the entrance to the carpark<\/p>\n

\u2018When the children come here to plant primroses and violets <\/em><\/p>\n

let us tell them about the old tree and the fact of its joy <\/em><\/p>\n

let us teach them about change <\/em><\/p>\n

let us show them a future\u2026\u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

Our route had enticed us with a dipper in the river, tadpoles, coltsfoot, showing its yellow flowers before the leaves and of course those wonderful red kites and most of it had been on solid paths but no spring lambs yet. Afterwards we went to Caerphilly Garden Centre, where we sat outside in sunshine for drinks.<\/p>\n

Walk 7.75 miles, 1300ft. Map OS 166<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Bargoed This walk took us to Bargoed Woodland Park, which was created on land formerly occupied by Bargoed, Britannia and Gilfach collieries. The country park has been created from barren waste ground left after the closure of the last mine in 1985. 90,000 new trees, 6500 bulbs and 8000 wildflowers have been planted. This was once part of the largest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-2Ya","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":424,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=424","url_meta":{"origin":11418,"position":0},"title":"Bargoed","author":"Wenvoeadmin","date":"19th April 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"We started the Bargoed walk in the Pengam area. Soon after starting, we came across a very tall sculpture in a small public garden. The 40ft statue, which is called the Lady of the Stream, was erected in 2009. It stands on a former ash-tip, which was reclaimed as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4553,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4553","url_meta":{"origin":11418,"position":1},"title":"Trelewis and Govilon","author":"Alan Williams","date":"28th April 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Trelewis Heavy rain overnight, which continued as we drove up the A470, suggested that we were to get a thorough soaking and trudge through mud for much of the walk. How wrong we were, the rain was light as we left the cars in the Taff Bargoed Park and soon\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4335,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4335","url_meta":{"origin":11418,"position":2},"title":"Quakers Yard and Hendryd Falls","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th February 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Quakers Yard - Starting at Quakers Yard, until the 18th Century, known as Rhyd y Grug, \u2018the ford of the rustling waters\u2019, where the Bargoed Taff and Taff rivers meet. Its name changed when land was bequeathed to the Quaker movement for use as a burial ground or yard.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5692,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5692","url_meta":{"origin":11418,"position":3},"title":"Parc Cwm Darran","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st April 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Parc Cwm Darran. Parc Cwm Darran lies at the site of the Ogilvie colliery where coal was mined from 1923 until 1975. We started by walking along the Ogilvie lake. There are a few sculptures to the side of the path and numerous pieces of outdoor gym equipment (the Ogilvie\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Picture3-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10324,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10324","url_meta":{"origin":11418,"position":4},"title":"Parc Cwm Darran","author":"Alan Williams","date":"19th September 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Parc Cwm Darran On a fine day at the end of June we travelled to Parc Cwm Darran, north of Bargoed. Even the drive here was interesting as we found ourselves driving across an area which none of us had ever visited before \u2013 a vast coal reclamation site. We\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Picture8.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5446,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5446","url_meta":{"origin":11418,"position":5},"title":"Clytha Park and River Usk.","author":"Alan Williams","date":"6th January 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Clytha Park and River Usk. The notice board at the National Trust car park in Clytha Park offers two walks 2.5 or 5.5 miles. Combining them created a walk of 7.75 miles with a 500ft climb. We set off on a late autumn morning; the weather was grey but dry.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Footsteps"","block_context":{"text":"Footsteps","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=38"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/walk-2-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11418"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11418"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11423,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11418\/revisions\/11423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}