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Cwmdu or Llanfihangel Cwmdu is a small village in the community of Cwmdu and District, situated in the heart of the Black Mountains in Powys, Wales. Its name is derived from the Welsh language "Cwm Du", which means 'Black Valley'. It is located on the A479 Talgarth to Tretower road. Nearby towns include Crickhowell and Abergavenny. The population of the community, Llanfihangel Cwmdu with Bwlch and Cathedine, which includes Cwmdu and nearby villages Bwlch, and Tretower. Cathedine is actually in the neighbouring community of Llangors. as of the 2011 UK Census was 1026. It is in the historic county of Brecknockshire.
Cwmdu has several public facilities, including a park, a village pub, the Farmers Arms and a cafe, the Mynydd-Ddu Tea Room.
Its former primary school, which opened in 1873 and was visited by Prince Charles in 2006, closed in 2012 and the building now contains an art gallery.
Cwmdu attracts many tourists every year, who mainly consist of hikers hillwalking through on the Beacons Way. Cwmdu is an attractive hiking destination as it is situated in the heart of the Black Mountains, and is only about 12 miles away from Pen-Y-Fan; the highest mountain range in South Wales and within the region's National Park.
The Church of the Archangel Michael is a grade II* listed building, largely rebuilt in 1830. [1]
In September 2012 Cwmdu was the site for the bi-annual AstroCamp. This saw a large gathering of astronomers and was televised by the BBC The Sky at Night programme the following October.
Crickhowell is a town and community in southeastern Powys, Wales, near Abergavenny, and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire.
Llandybie is a village and community which includes a large village of the same name situated 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Ammanford in Carmarthenshire, Wales.
The Black Mountains are a group of hills spread across parts of Powys and Monmouthshire in southeast Wales, and extending across the England–Wales border into Herefordshire. They are the easternmost of the four ranges of hills that comprise the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, and are frequently confused with the westernmost, which is known as the Black Mountain. The Black Mountains may be roughly defined as those hills contained within a triangle defined by the towns of Abergavenny in the southeast, Hay-on-Wye in the north and the village of Llangors in the west. Other gateway towns to the Black Mountains include Talgarth and Crickhowell. The range of hills is well known to walkers and ramblers for the ease of access and views from the many ridge trails, such as that on the Black Hill (Herefordshire) at the eastern edge of the massif. The range includes the highest public road in Wales at Gospel Pass, and the highest point in southern England at Black Mountain.
Bwlch is a small village and an electoral ward in the community of Cwmdu and District, Powys, south Wales. The settlement is strung out along the A40 road which crosses a low col above the Usk Valley at this point on its route between Brecon and Crickhowell.
Cathedine is a small hamlet that lies between the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains, in Powys, Wales. It is an approximately 2 miles from Llangorse and 2 miles from Bwlch, in the community of Llangors.
Llangors is a small village, community and electoral ward in southern Powys, in the historic county of Brecknockshire, within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Llangynidr is a village, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Crickhowell and 9 miles (14.5 km) south-east of Brecon. The River Usk flows through the village as does the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. It is in the historic county of Brecknockshire.
The Vale of Ewyas is the steep-sided and secluded valley of the River Honddu, in the Black Mountains of Wales and within the Brecon Beacons National Park. As well as its outstanding beauty, it is known for the ruins of Llanthony Priory, and for several noteworthy churches such as those at Capel-y-ffin and Cwmyoy. It is sometimes referred to as the "Llanthony Valley" as Llanthony is the village situated at the valley centre.
Tretower Castle is a Grade I-listed ruined castle in the village of Tretower in the county of Powys, Wales. It was built around the beginning of the twelfth century as a motte and bailey castle and this was probably replaced mid-century by a stone shell keep. The castle was enlarged in the early thirteenth century, but later fell into ruin.
Llanvihangel Crucorney is a small village in the community (parish) of Crucorney, Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Abergavenny and 18 miles (29 km) south-west of Hereford, England on the A465 road.
Llanfihangel Gobion is a village and rural parish of Monmouthshire, Wales, lying within the administrative community of Llanover.
The Beacons Way is a waymarked long distance footpath in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. It is a linear route which runs for 99 miles (159 km) east to west through the National Park, and passes many of the most important landmarks and mountain peaks in the mountain range. It also includes a few of the towns in the park as well as popular attractions such as Carreg Cennen Castle near Llandeilo at the western end of the path.
Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn is an ancient parish in the upper division of the hundred of Ilar, Ceredigion, West Wales, 7 miles south east from Aberystwyth, on the road to Rhayader, comprising the chapelry of Eglwys Newydd, or Llanfihangel y Creuddyn Uchaf, and the township of Llanfihangel y Creuddyn Isaf. It was also known as Lower Llanfihangel y Creuddyn, Lower Llanfihangel y Croyddin and Lower Llanfihangel y Croyddyn. This parish is situated on the rivers Ystwyth, Mynach and Rheidol and intersected by various other streams. An ancient parish was a village or group of villages or hamlets and the adjacent lands. Originally they held ecclesiastical functions, but from the sixteenth century onwards they also acquired civil roles. The parish may have been established as an ecclesiastical parish. Originally a medieval administrative unit, after 1597 ecclesiastical units acquired civil functions with the Elizabethan Poor Laws, which made the parishes responsible for welfare. The civil function was exercised through vestry meetings which administered the Poor Law and were responsible for local roads and bridges.
The A479, officially also known as the Glanusk Park (Crickhowell)—Llyswen Trunk Road, is a trunk road in Wales. It connects Crickhowell to Llyswen via the Rhiangoll valley and Talgarth, running through the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Mynydd Llangorse is a hill on the western edge of the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Powys, south Wales. It lies two miles east of Llangors and its lake and 5 miles south of Talgarth. Its summit at 515m overtops the location 600m to the south at which a trig point is sited by 9m. The broad spur of Cefn Moel extends south towards the village of Bwlch whilst a spur to the southeast forms Pen Tir which reaches just over 450m above sea level. It is a Marilyn with a prominence of 161 metres.
The Rhiangoll is a river in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Powys, Wales. It rises on the western slopes of Waun Fach, highest point of the Black Mountains and drops steeply down to the west into the north–south valley through which the A479 runs between Talgarth and the hamlet of Tretower and through the village of Cwmdu. It is joined by various minor tributary streams on its left bank including the Ffinnant, Nant yr Ychen, Nant-y-fedw and Nantygarreg, all of which rise on the flanks of the ridge extending between the Pen Trumau spur of Waun Fach and Pen Gloch-y-pibwr. Two tributary streams flowing from Mynydd Troed and Mynydd Llangorse enter on its right bank as does Nant Ewyn east of the village of Bwlch.
Tretower is a hamlet in the community of Cwmdu and District, in the southern part of the county of Powys in Wales. It lies on the A479 road within the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park at the foot of the Black Mountains just off the Usk Valley. Tretower is frequented by tourists visiting the impressive Tretower Court and the nearby ruins of Tretower Castle, both of which are now managed by Cadw. Cadw own the Court whilst ownership of the Castle lies with the owner of Tyllys Farm in the centre of the village.
In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade I structures are those considered to be "buildings of exceptional interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.
Llangynidr Bridge, also known as "Coed-yr-Ynys Bridge", is an early 18th-century bridge that crosses the River Usk to the north of Llangynidr, Powys, Wales. It carries the B4560 road towards Bwlch.
Llanfihangel Talyllyn is a small village in the community of Llangors in Powys, Wales. It is also a community electoral ward for Llangors Community Council.