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TheTaff Trail (Welsh:Taith Taf) is awalking andcycle path that runs for 55 miles (89 km)[1] betweenCardiff Bay andBrecon inWales. It is so named because it follows the course of theRiver Taff. Along much of its length, it follows theNational Cycle Network Route 8 (Lôn Las Cymru) that continues toHolyhead, and is substantially off-road.
The trail was launched in September 1988 by SirWyn Roberts,Minister of State for theWelsh Office. The project was initiated and co-ordinated by the Merthyr and Cynon Groundwork Trust, with the co-operation of the localcouncils through whose areas the trail passes. Financial and logistical support was given by theWelsh Development Agency and bySustrans, a sustainable transport charity.
Before the trail, there were several similar but disconnected routes in the area. Taff Elyborough council had created cycling routes within its boundaries, Cardiffcity council had provided the Three Castles Cycle Route fromCaerphilly into Cardiff, and theBrecon BeaconsNational Park was developing leisure trails to encourage the use of the park. TheGroundwork Trust forMerthyr Tydfil andRhondda Cynon Taf saw a need for the co-ordination of these efforts, and the Taff Trail was born.
In more recent times, there have been criticisms of the Taff Trail, both for being almost universally shared with pedestrians whenever it is segregated, and for being too narrow. Crashes have occurred along much of the Trail,[2] withCardiff Council promising to widen much of the route in their local area.
The trail makes much use of an abandoned branch of theTaff Vale Railway and of theGlamorganshire Canal. These had been built in the 18th and 19th centuries to transportcoal andiron ore fromMerthyr Tydfil, theCynon Valley and theRhondda valley to the docks atCardiff andBarry. The canals had become disused due to competition from the railways, and the railways in turn had become surplus to requirements as the heavy industries upon which they depended had been wound down. These routes, which although disused had remained largely intact, proved ideal for the needs of thetrail, providing a convenient path along the narrow Taff valley.
The trail begins inRoald Dahl Plass inCardiff Bay, at a sculpture namedThe Celtic Ring, created especially for the trail byHarvey Hood(51°27′48″N3°09′51″W / 51.4632°N 3.1641°W /51.4632; -3.1641 (Taff Trail (Cardiff trailhead))). Travelling west, it crosses the Taff and follows the river north through the centre of Cardiff along the Taff Embankment.[3][4] It passes within 50 yards (46 m) ofCardiff Central railway station and of theMillennium Stadium in thecity centre, before winding throughSophia Gardens, passing the home ofGlamorgan County Cricket Club.
The trail continues along the Taff throughPontcanna Fields & Llandaff Fields, and crosses the pedestrian bridge at Blackweir. It then follows the eastern bank of the Taff past Blackweir Lodge, under theA48 road flyover, past Llandaff Weir (Llandaff Rowing Club is visible on the opposite bank) nearHowell's School,Llandaff Cathedral and theBBC Wales studios, and through Hailey Park inLlandaff North. In this area (as with most of the path within Cardiff Council boundaries) pedestrians have been given priority, despite the national cycle route status of the trail. Especially on fair weather days, cyclists must proceed slowly due to pedestrian congestion and dog walkers.[2][5]
It then moves inland for a short distance, before rejoining the river back close toForest Farm, and continues along the river pastRadyr Weir[6] and under theM4 motorway.
After passing underneath theA470 dual carriageway, the Trail reaches the village ofTongwynlais. As well as shops, pubs, a café, and a cycle shop, it is home to theGothic fantasy castle,Castell Coch.[7] The Castell Coch grounds act as a lay by near the visitor centre, the Fforest fawr car park has been used by cyclists as a base to ascend the hills.Downhill mountain biking is a focal point to ride the 27 trails surrounding the castle grounds.[8] At Tongwynlais, the trail splits into two. The high-level route climbs the steep hill to Castell Coch, then up a very steep path (best avoided in muddy conditions), and along a forest track of sharp stones. The low-level route is tarmacked and runs below the castle, adjacent toTaff's Well railway station and then climbs steadily for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) along the formerRhymney Railway, until it rejoins the high-level route just before theNantgarw bypass.
Here the route turns left off the main path - an easy turn to miss - and crosses the bypass, joiningNational Cycle Network Route 4 (known in Wales as theCeltic Trail). Route 4 stretches from London in the east toSt David's in the west, and runs along with the Taff Trail as far asPontypridd.
The trail proceeds along the former Alexandra (Newport Docks) Docks & Railway Company line towardsRhydyfelin. At Rhydyfelin, the Trail emerges briefly to cross a minor road, before continuing through the Glyntaff Farm housing estate and passing along the length of Glyntaff Cemetery.
After the cemetery, the Trail joins Cilfynydd Road. The former route continued along the road for half a mile, before leading into the northern end ofPontypridd town centre. However, the trail is now signposted to cross a pedestrian bridge and pass through Ynysangharad Park. At the northern exit from the park, users may wish to take a short (50 yards) detour to visit theOld Bridge in Pontypridd. Cyclists may wish to use the bike locks outside the cafe promenade opposite the Northern exit of the park.
The Trail continues north-west on-road through Trallwng, before becoming traffic-free for a stretch, rejoining the Taff along the way. North ofCilfynydd, apermissive path alongside the Taff has been opened to avoid the previous road route between Cilfynydd andAbercynon. At Abercynon, the Trail follows the route of theMerthyr Tramroad, used byRichard Trevithick's Penydarren steam locomotive. This stretch has been recently upgraded, but the original stone tramroad sleepers can be seen at the side of the gravel track.
AtPontygwaith, the Trail climbs steeply above the A470 by means of some steps. It then follows above the A470 as far asAberfan, where it descends below the road and continues through the mainly residential areas of Aberfan. At this point, it passes theAberfan Cemetery containing the memorial to the children and teachers who died in theAberfan disaster. The stretch from Pontygwaith toMerthyr Tydfil follows the route of the formerGlamorganshire Canal.
After Aberfan, the trail passes throughTroedyrhiw andAbercanaid, before reaching Merthyr Tydfil at the Rhydycar Leisure Centre. From this point, the town centre is around 200 yards (180 m) away over the Taff. It is very easy to get lost in Merthyr, and travellers may find it easier to ignore the Route 8 signs, and follow their road map instead.
FromMerthyr, the trail continues across Cefn Coed Viaduct, throughCefn-coed-y-cymmer, then follows the Taf Fechan (the smaller of the two main tributaries of the River Taff) pastPontsticill Reservoir. FromPontsticill toBrecon is about 25 miles (40 km) of remote scenery crossing theBrecon Beacons mountains - partly pretty forest tracks and partly wide open, expansivemoorland. There are very steep roads on both sides of the mountain. Descending the mountain, cyclists can avoid the slow rough track on the east side ofTalybont Reservoir by taking the road along the west bank, on which traffic is normally very sparse. The route continues along the trackbed of the formerBrecon and Merthyr Railway toTalybont-on-Usk, then towardsBrecon(51°56′40″N3°23′19″W / 51.9444°N 3.3885°W /51.9444; -3.3885 (Taff Trail (Brecon trailhead))), in the last few kilometres following alongside theMonmouthshire and Brecon Canal.
A second route exists - also called the Taff Trail - from Cefn Coed to Brecon along the Taf Fawr (more or less parallel to the A470 road, but often on the opposite side of the valley) via the Garwnant Visitors Centre. This route is most suitable for walking and horse-riding. Although cycling (pref. mountain bike) is possible in places, it is not nearly so well sign-posted as the Taf Fechan route.
51°41′47″N3°20′50″W / 51.6964°N 3.3471°W /51.6964; -3.3471
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