Rhymney River

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The Rhymney Valley, north of Bargoed Rhymney Valley - geograph.org.uk - 1049228.jpg
The Rhymney Valley, north of Bargoed
The river as it passes through Machen Rhymney River, Machen - geograph.org.uk - 307161.jpg
The river as it passes through Machen
The river as it passes through Ystrad Mynach The River Rhymney, at Ystrad Mynach - geograph.org.uk - 372457.jpg
The river as it passes through Ystrad Mynach
The river in its lower reaches, as it passes through Llanrumney on the eastern outskirts of Cardiff River Rhymney Cardiff.JPG
The river in its lower reaches, as it passes through Llanrumney on the eastern outskirts of Cardiff
Mouth of the river, as it reaches the Severn Estuary just east of Cardiff Afon Rhymni meets the River Severn - geograph.org.uk - 582251.jpg
Mouth of the river, as it reaches the Severn Estuary just east of Cardiff

The Rhymney River (Welsh : Afon Rhymni) is a river in the Rhymney Valley, South Wales, flowing through Cardiff into the Severn Estuary. The river formed the boundary between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire until in 1887, the parishes east of the river, Rumney and St Mellons, were transferred from the jurisdiction of Newport, to Cardiff in Glamorgan. [1]

The river flows south from its source near Rhymney through New Tredegar, Bargoed, Ystrad Mynach, Llanbradach to Caerphilly at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley. Then past Bedwas, Trethomas, Machen, Draethen, Llanrumney and Rumney and its estuary into the River Severn.

The Rhymney Valley (Welsh : Cwm Rhymni) was created as a glacial valley. Sourced within the valley, on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons, the Rhymney River descends steeply through the town of New Tredegar towards Ystrad Mynach, and then onwards south across a flat plain before entering the Severn Estuary to the east of Cardiff. The villages of Groesfaen, Deri, Pentwyn and Fochriw are located in the Darran Valley and not the Rhymney Valley, which joins the Rhymney Valley at Bargoed.

Covering a distance of 30 miles (48 km), the catchment is divided into two distinct parts: [2]

Being located in part of the South Wales coalfield and South Wales Valleys iron producing area, the resultant black river had poor water quality through most of the 19th and 20th centuries. The river is culverted in many of its upper sections, including a tunnel under the former factory complexes in Rhymney, exiting at Pontlottyn. [3] Since the closure of the last of the coal mines in the late 1980s, the water has become a lot cleaner and is now full of fish and insect life and supports plenty of other wildlife. The river now supports a healthy stock of grayling and natural brown trout, and a lot of work has been undertaken to remove former industrial restrictions on the river to allow the fish to gain access to its upper reaches. [4] The river is in the care of Natural Resources Wales and the South East Wales Rivers Trust. [2]

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Bargoed is a town and community in the Rhymney Valley, Wales, one of the South Wales Valleys. It lies on the Rhymney River in the county borough of Caerphilly. It straddles the ancient boundary of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, with Bargoed lying in Glamorgan and Aberbargoed in Monmouthshire. 'Greater Bargoed', as defined by the local authority Caerphilly County Borough Council, consists of the towns of Bargoed and Aberbargoed and the village of Gilfach. The combined population of these settlements is about 13,000. The town's rugby club Bargoed RFC holds the world record for the most consecutive league wins in a row and was World Rugby magazine's team of the year in 2005.

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Caerphilly County Borough is a county borough in southern Wales, straddling the ancient county boundary between Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. It is governed by Caerphilly County Borough Council.

Rhymney Human settlement in Wales

Rhymney is a town and a community in the county borough of Caerphilly, South Wales. It is within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. With the villages of Pontlottyn, Fochriw, Abertysswg, Deri and New Tredegar, Rhymney is designated as the 'Upper Rhymney Valley' by the local Unitary Authority, Caerphilly County Borough Council. As a community, Rhymney includes the town of Rhymney, Pontlottyn, Abertysswg, Butetown and Twyncarno.

The Rhymney Railway was a railway company in South Wales, founded to transport minerals and materials to and from collieries and ironworks in the Rhymney Valley of South Wales, and to docks in Cardiff. It opened a main line in 1858, and a limited passenger service was operated in addition.

Ystrad Mynach Human settlement in Wales

Ystrad Mynach is a town in the County Borough of Caerphilly, within the ancient county of Glamorgan, Wales, and is five miles north of Caerphilly town. It has a population of around 13,500 and stands in the Rhymney Valley. Before the Industrial Revolution and the coming of coal mining in the South Wales Coalfield the valley was rural and farmed. It lies in the community of Gelligaer.

The Rhymney Valley is one of the South Wales valleys, with the Rhymney River forming the border between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. Between 1974 and 1996 a Rhymney Valley local government district also existed. The valley encompasses the villages of Abertysswg, Fochriw, Pontlottyn, Tir-Phil, New Tredegar, Aberbargoed, Rhymney, Ystrad Mynach and Llanbradach, and the towns of Bargoed and Caerphilly.

The Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway (B&MR) was a railway company in Wales. It was originally intended to link the towns in its name. Finding its access to Merthyr difficult at first, it acquired the Rumney Railway, an old plateway, and this gave it access to Newport docks. This changed its emphasis from rural line to mineral artery.

South Wales Valleys Group of industrialised peri-urban valleys in South Wales

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Hengoed Human settlement in Wales

Hengoed is a village on the west side of the Rhymney Valley - between Ystrad Mynach to the south and Cefn Hengoed to the north. Across the valley it looks towards Maesycwmmer. The village is in the county borough of Caerphilly, in the traditional county of Glamorgan, Wales. The name literally means 'old wood' in the Welsh language. The electoral ward of Hengoed includes the villages of Hengoed and Cefn Hengoed and a part of Tir-y-Berth in the north west. The ward population was recorded at 5,548 in the 2011 census, an increase of 10% over the previous 10 years, due in part to several new-build housing developments in the ward between 2001 and 2011.

Pengam Human settlement in Wales

Pengam is a former coal village and community in the Rhymney Valley, Caerphilly county borough, in Wales. It is also a community, containing itself and the nearby village of Fleur de Lys, and at the 2001 census it has a population of 3,842, rising slightly to 3,848 at the 2011 Census.

Bargoed railway station

Bargoed railway station serves the town of Bargoed in the county borough of Caerphilly, South Wales. It is a stop on the Rhymney branch of the Valley Lines network. It is located close to the Bargoed Interchange bus station.

Ystrad Mynach railway station

Ystrad Mynach railway station is a railway station serving the town of Ystrad Mynach, south Wales. It is a stop on the Rhymney Line of the Valley Lines network.

Caerphilly railway station

Caerphilly railway station is a railway station serving the town of Caerphilly, south Wales. It is a stop on the Rhymney Line of the Valley Lines network. The station is located at Station Road in the South of the town. Facilities include a small shop and a Ticket Kiosk. A self-service Ticket machine was installed near the entrance to the station on 22 December 2008. Several advertising murals depicting holiday travel in various parts of South Wales have been placed on the northbound side of the station in order to improve the 'look' of the station.

Lisvane and Thornhill railway station Railway station in Cardiff, Wales

Lisvane and Thornhill railway station is a railway station serving the Lisvane and Thornhill areas of north Cardiff, Wales. It is a stop on the Rhymney Line of the Valley Lines network.

District of Rhymney Valley

Rhymney Valley was one of six local government districts in Mid Glamorgan from 1974 to 1996.

The College Ystrad Mynach is a former college of further education based in Ystrad Mynach in Caerphilly county borough, Wales. It had over 13,000 students ranging from school leavers to adult mature students. It taught mainly vocational courses from entry level to Degree.

The Rumney Railway in Wales was a 4 ft 2 in plateway built to connect the ironworks at Rhymney to the Monmouthshire Canal Company's tramroad near Newport, Wales providing a connection the wharves at the Newport Docks. The line was opened in 1826. It was later converted to a standard gauge railway,

Rail transport in Cardiff has developed to provide connections to many other major cities in the United Kingdom, and to provide an urban rail network for the city and its commuter towns in southeast Wales. Today, there are three train operating companies in Cardiff: Great Western Railway, CrossCountry and Transport for Wales.

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The South Wales Metro is an integrated heavy rail, light rail and bus-based public transport services and systems in South East Wales around the hub of Cardiff Central. The first phase was approved for development in October 2013. Works are currently underway with a brand new depot under construction at Taff's Well and new trains being constructed at Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) 15,000 sq metre factory in Newport. This will also include the electrification of the core Valley Lines and new stations. This will be the biggest overhaul to the railways of South Wales since their construction 170 years ago.

References

  1. ↑ "The History of Cardiff's Suburbs - The history of the suburb of Rumney". Cardiffians.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. 1 2 "Rhymney River". South East Wales Rivers Trust. Retrieved 7 May 2012.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. ↑ "Rhymney river tunnel". WelshCoalMines.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2012.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. ↑ "Rhymney River". South East Wales Rivers Trust. Archived from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)

Coordinates: 51°29′N3°07′W / 51.483°N 3.117°W / 51.483; -3.117

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