Aberdare is a bustlingtown in the Cynon Valley, SouthWales, and the most populous in the Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough.The town has a history that goes back to the Middle Ages, when it was just asmall village in an agricultural zone. The village grew rapidly in the early19th century thanks to the plentiful presence of coal and iron ore in theregion, and the population of the parish grew tenfold in the first half of thecentury.
Aberdare today is apopular tourist destination, its once scarred industrial landscape replantedand returned to nature. The town is conveniently located around 20 miles fromCardiff and 22 miles from Swansea, and on the doorstep of MerthyrTydfil and the BreconBeacons.
Shopping in Aberdare
As the biggest town in the Rhondda Cynon Taf countyborough, Aberdare has a large selection of shops,with many high street chain stores, a good number of independent traders and anindoor market.
Food and Drink in Aberdare
There are lots of restaurants, cafes, takeaways andpubs in Aberdare, whether you’re after traditionalWelsh or English food, fish and chips, international cuisine or fine dining. Ifyou’re eating in one of the pubs you might like to try one of the beersproduced by Aberdare’s own brewery with yourmeal.
Sport in Aberdare
Aberdare has its ownrugby union team, Aberdare RFC, formed in 1890, who play at the Ynys Stadium,and also its own football team, Aberdare TownFC.
Places to Visit in and Around Aberdare
Dare Valley Country Parkis less than a mile from Aberdare, and is a publicpark covering 500 acres of countryside, with a network of walks and trails, avisitor centre, a camping and caravan site, and a wide range of flora andfauna. The park is situated on land formerly used for coal mining, that wasreclaimed and landscaped in the 1970s.
Aberdare sits justoutside the Brecon Beacons National Park, which offers an incredible range ofoutdoor leisure activities and has a long history and many ancient monuments,including cairns and standing stones, as well as an abundance of wildlife.
Cynon Valley Museum and Gallery is located on theoutskirts of Aberdare, on the site of the old Gadlys Ironworks. The museumoffers a glimpse into life in the Cynon Valley over the last 200 years, andhouses collections revealing the history of humans in the valley over the pasteight millennia, while the gallery shows exhibitions of contemporary Welsh art,crafts and design.
Penderyn distillery, in the nearby village ofPenderyn, is the only distillery in Wales and the first to legally distilwhisky in the country for more than 100 years. It produces a selection ofsingle malt whiskies, as well as vodka, gin and a Welsh cream liqueur. Thedistillery is a very popular tourist attraction, with a visitor centre, anexhibition about the history of Welsh whisky, tours of the distillery, atasting room and a retail shop.
