Pontypridd
SITUATED where the Rhondda meets the Taff, Pontypridd is the lively gateway to the south Wales valleys – a town shaped by industry, song and sweeping green hills.
Its most recognisable silhouette is the 1756 Yr Hen Bont (Old Bridge) by self-taught mason William Edwards, a daring single-span stone arch that was among the longest of its kind when built and still steps elegantly over the Taff today.
A stroll away lies Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, the town’s riverside commons and venue for the National Lido of Wales – Lido Ponty – whose restored pools revive a golden age of outdoor swimming and summer fun. The park is also home to statues of Evan and James James, the father-and-son duo who composed Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, Wales’s beloved anthem, underlining Pontypridd’s claim as a town of music as much as masonry.
Music echoes in other ways too: Treforest, on the town’s southern edge, is the birthplace of Sir Tom Jones, while the University of South Wales keeps a large student community buzzing across its Treforest and Glyntaff campuses.
For fresh air, the 55-mile Taff Trail threads right through Pontypridd, linking parks, canal and old railway cuttings for walkers and cyclists bound for Cardiff Bay or the Brecon Beacons.
Recent years have brought a new look to the centre. The Llys Cadwyn development has replaced the old Taff Vale precinct with offices, a library and leisure hub beside the river, while a new Riverside Plaza is opening views to the water and creating a flexible space for events – part of a wider programme that’s helping the town bounce back from floods and modernise without losing its character.
Add in the historic indoor market and independent shops and you’ve a compact centre that rewards a wander and a chat.
Finally, Cardiff sits just up the line – regular Transport for Wales trains put the capital about half an hour away – so Pontypridd works brilliantly as a base for exploring the valleys by day and the city by night.