Maesteg & the Heritage Hills
Just a couple of miles inland, the coastal strip gives way to rolling fields and dramatic mountains, wooded hillsides and spellbinding views. These are the industrial mining and iron areas of days past. Today the sites have given way to land reclamation with new industries and housing with beautiful walking and cycling routes offering spectacular views.
At their heart is the ancient market town of Maesteg in the Llynfi Valley. It is a bustling shopping experience with a daily market and a regular scenic rail connection to the main line at Bridgend.
One of the jewels of the valley is the pretty hilltop village of Llangynwyd with its imposing tall-towered church and the oldest thatched inn in Wales, boasting 350 different types of whisky.
The Garw Valley includes Llangeinor, while at the entrance to the valley is Bryngarw Country Park with 113 acres of natural and formal parklands. In the centre is Bryngarw House, built in 1834. Today it is a major conference centre and venue for functions, with 19 tastefully furnished bedrooms.
The Ogmore Valley stretches high into the Heritage Hills from just north of Bridgend, and has a cycle/footpath running the length of it.
Close by, Tondu Park contains remains of its Victorian Iron Works
One of the central features of Bedford Park, near to Kenfig Hill, is another well preserved, ironworks - now protected as a scheduled ancient monument set in more than 40 acres of ancient woodlands and meadows.
More detail on Maesteg
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