Llantrisant
PERCHED on a hilltop above the Ely Valley, Llantrisant – literally ‘Parish of the Three Saints’ (Illtyd, Gwynno and Dyfodwg) – blends deep medieval roots with modern Welsh life.
The old town curls around the Bull Ring, where narrow lanes, pastel cottages and the elegant 18th-Century Guildhall set the scene for stories of longbowmen and freemen. Above it all rises Billy Wynt, the stub of a watchtower or windmill on the Common, where sheep still graze under ancient rights and wide views sweep across the Vale of Glamorgan to the Bristol Channel.
Llantrisant has a reputation for independence, embodied by the radical Victorian surgeon Dr William Price, whose groundbreaking cremation case helped change British law; his statue keeps watch in the town.
A short hop away, the Royal Mint has struck the nation’s coins here since the late 1960s, and its visitor attraction, The Royal Mint Experience, opens a window onto that hidden world of dies, presses and design.
Retail has its own landmark too: Leekes of Llantrisant is a destination in itself, a vast, family-run home and department store that draws shoppers from across south Wales for everything from furniture to cookware, anchoring the area’s modern economy.
Between heritage trails at the Guildhall, rambles across the heathered Common and family outings to the Mint, Llantrisant balances charm with momentum – a compact, characterful place where Wales’s past and present meet on a breezy hill.