Description
On the mountain sides surrounding Maesteg and its neighbouring villages of Llangynwyd, Pontrhydycyff, Garth, Cwmfelin, Nantyffyllon and Caerau there is evidence of the valley’s past, from early burials mounds and the earthworks of a Roman camp to the signs of coal and iron ore mining.
Each part of the town has its own story to tell: ancient Llangynwyd, a hill-top village still full of antiquity, long associated with the Maid of Cefn Ydfa; Maesteg which new around iron-making, and Spelters, from where the old tram-road set off on its long journey to Porthcawl docks; Garth, Nantyffyllon and Caerau, villages which grew from the developing coal mines of the Victorian era. Since the closure of the mines, much of the Llynfi Valley is being returned to a green landscape.
