..........interesting facts
Leg 1 Start at Rhymney Comprehensive School SO 121
060 toCheckpoint 1,Visitor Centre, Parc Cwm Darran
SO 113 034.
Ponlottyn developed in the early 19th century as people moved into the area from
rural Wales and Ireland to work in local iron works and the coal mines. It’s also the
birthplace of Edward Chapman who won the Victoria Cross in Germany in April
1945. Parc Cwm Darran has been developed on the site of Ogilvie Colliery which
closed in 1975. In 1973 the colliery was used to film ‘Dr Who and the Green Death
‘starring Jon Pertwee.
Leg 2 Checkpoint 1 Visitor Centre, Parc Cwm Darran
to Checkpoint 2 SO 138 003
Common Land is a relic of the medieval period, it is privately owned but local farmers have the right to use it for such things as grazing livestock and cutting braken. The general public only have rights of access. Gelligaer and Merthyr Common is the largest common in Caerphilly County Borough and has rich historic
heritage. On the Common there are Bronze Age burial mounds, Roman Roads and
Roman practice marching camps, the site of a 6th century church at Capel Gwladys
and the sites of Medieval farmhouses (platform houses). Gelligaer Common has
been used several times as a location for episodes of the current Dr Who series.
Leg 4 Checkpoint 3 SO 128 037 to Finish at Rhymney
Comprehensive School SO 121 060
The scree slope and uneven ground here is the result of a landslip. This resulted in the hamlet of Troedrhiwfuch with its school, church and pub being demolished in
the 1980’s with only two properties now remaining. If you look across the valley you
will see what looks like a quarry. This is the result of another landslip which took
place in the 1929 and destroyed the New Tredegar Colliery. Ground movement is
still continuing and this year the road between New Tredegar and Pontlottyn has been closed to allow repair work to take place.There are similar areas of
instability to the east at Troedrhiwgwair in the Sirhowy Valley and Cwm and Blaina
in the Ebbw Fawr and Fach valleys. This instability is the result of past glaciation.
If the wind is from the west or north west you may well see hang gliders on the
mountain above Abertysswg.