Merthyr Tydfil is full of rich heritage. Records date back to around 1000BC with Celtic settlements. Fun Fact: The Welsh language developed from the language of Celtic settlers.

Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery

Cyfarthfa Castle houses some amazing exhibits, including a vast range of fine and decorative art collections. Such as art pieces by Penry Williams, the Welsh Turner, and George Frederick Harris. The museum is also home to some artefacts with rich heritage, such as, the first steam whistle, the first voting ballot box and dresses by Laura Ashley and Julien McDonald.

That’s not all the castle has to offer though; discover the origins of the Labour movement, from the Merthyr Rising of 1831 and Dic Penderyn’s martyrdom to the first Labour MP, Keir Hardie.  Learn about Richard Trevithick’s Penydarren Locomotive of 1804, the first locomotive to pull a load along rails. 

Also, see their curiosities from around the world including Ancient Egyptian grave goods.

Brecon Mountain Railway

Continuing the trend of rich heritage, The Brecon Mountain Railway follows the route of the original Brecon & Merthyr Railway which closed in 1964. Your journey will be fueled by the roaring fire of a vintage Steam Locomotive, if this intrigues you, during your visit you can visit the workshop where the Steam locomotives and carriages are repaired and serviced. Over Christmas, the Railway are running a selection of Festive Carriages, most of the tickets are sold out but if you’re fast you might be in luck.

Testimonial: “Fantastic as usual. Our 3 grandsons love this every year as do us adults. Brecon Mountain railway isn’t just for Christmas though lovely treat all year round with stunning scenery…”

Bikepark Wales

Unfortunately, Wales isn’t stuck solely in the past. Touching into their roots, literally, Bike Park Wales have seized an opportunity, utilising their natural surroundings to create an innovative and new amazing day out. Their Bike Park has something for everyone, with one of the longest amateurs trails in Europe and some of the steepest hills and sharpest turns on their expert trails. The team at Bike Park Wales summarise their site quite well “The concept is simple, picture a ski resort, remove the snow and replace the pistes with an array of sweeping flowy bike trails meandering to the bottom of the mountain and you are close.” If you couldn’t picture if before then I’m afraid there isn’t much hope (maybe stick to the castle)