Driving The Welsh Valleys - Mountains, Sheep And Richard Burton

[@andrewbutler6477]

I have lived in the south Wales valleys all my life now totally different to when I was a kid back in the 70s with the mines etc now gone just don't realise how green the area is just take it for granted 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@daletravels23]

I love my south Wales . Doesn't get any better than our places !!

[@jaynestagg9460]

Who painted my car green? Shoulders like tall boys.....I did it he said I painted your car green.........oooooo it's drying lovely I said......😁 love living near the sleeping giant, I love Wales so much, it's so stunning. Like porthcawl rock, the love for beautiful Wales goes all the way through me. ......💓 Is that your little boy up there Mrs. Boyce?. No never seen him before.🙈

[@flydriveexplore]

"Oo's the Picasso?‟ I said

[@maryevans1972]

if I could afford it I would move to Wales, so beautiful

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for commenting, the more we travel the more we appreciate coming back to Wales.

[@Queenshar40]

Wow!This is so beautiful!

[@PipeAway]

Those sheep are adorable! As long as they do not kick :)

[@flydriveexplore]

They don't really kick but be careful if you've got any food!

[@somsangsi]

I visited Wales a year ago on a school trip and the experience was amazing. We climbed lots of hills and mountains. It was hard at first considering I'm from London but on the 2nd last day of the residential I gotten used to it. It was really fun

[@somsangsi]

I want to hopefully visit Wales again it has very beautiful countryside

[@Henry154a6]

Very good video! By the way I knew Graham Jenkins rather good, brother of Richard, who was Managing Director of the Afan Lido in Port Talbot those days. As a young german engineer I worked in the Steel Company there 1968/69. I have still some friends (unfortunately several passed away) in this area. My wife and I are visiting them regularly. Thank you for this great video!

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for commenting and glad it brought back some memories. That valley and surrounding area has produced some great actors.

[@BasicBeachCommunity1]

Great views 🏞️🏞️🏞️

[@davidharris1562]

Pontrhydyfen was also the birthplace of singer Ivor Emmanuel and Opera singer Rebecca Evans

[@PeteLewisWoodwork]

Ahh - Pantyrawel - MY HOME VILLAGE...! I grew up in Hillside Terrace (early 1960's, prefab), Heol Aelfryn (late 1960's, house), Dan-yr-heol (early 1970's, another prefab), then Dan-yr-heol (1974 to1983, house built when the prefabs were replaced). I see the ever present sheep on top of the Bwlch (Bwlch-y-Clawdd) are still there, along with the stone paintings (Cymru Am Byth/Welcome To The Valleys) from the 1960's, I believe.

[@redheadedcutie7691]

So Beautiful. It reminds me of a wet version of Colorado except you guys have the dreamy Richard Burton and we just have South Park.

[@hruodvan7081]

My Grandparents were from Llandinam, off the river Severn!! Thank you for showing this.

[@flydriveexplore]

Glad you enjoyed, thanks

[@jasonjames6870]

I love the valleys very beautiful part of Wales.

[@flydriveexplore]

Agree, It is

[@ginge7945]

Im glad i just found your channel, great video! I didn't expect to see my aunties old house in pontrhydyfen. Its a beautiful village, The scenery is fantastic. Great for walking

[@flydriveexplore]

The sun came out when we reached Pontrhydyfen. Yes, it is beautiful and great for walking and cycling.

[@buddhastaxi666]

I was born in Meifod in 1954 where we had lived for at least 150 years. Other relatives were hill farmers or soldiers or timberfallers. Industry had passed by the valley...except for the Romans. The church in its llan is 1500 years old and was a seed church. Nearby was an anchorites place. Theres hill forts but no stone circles. Its wooded and folded by mountains. Its changed so much in 60 years. People still lived in run down tithe houses with a pump for water. It was so quiet you could hear the cattle talking in low frequency vibration. There were wood pigeons in the bluebell oak woods. Even red squirrels.

[@stevekenilworth]

love welsh mountain roads, every trip back home i could take M6 then M54 then A5 about 3 hours tops and that if bad traffic, i head south the wrong way to start my trip to wales head south then west for over and hour then crossgates then i head north following the mounting up west west wales, do no start to head east till in line then head east , every trip i take different detours every time, summer longer days so much longer drives winter less detours so vary from 7-12 hours to do around 170-190miles with some trips an average of 24mph and was driving 98% of it. takes time to get to place in Wales but most trips out the drive very pretty and amazing fun driving roads. each trip / time away back home in wales i always seen the drive to holiday as part of it, so each drive there and back could be done in 6 hours i choose 2 full day drives a day on way and day return, very enjoyable driving wales, not been back since 20 in town limit so average may go up so not 7-8 hours average winter drive prob 8-9 hour drive now i just have to see but at least between towns and villages great driving roads. be careful following detours for road closed, worst one it Dakar rally, road very dusty stones / gravel with huge pot holes you go on to three wheels at times, ended up in a woodland on dirt road the horrid single track lanes but they only horrid as very little passing places so if meet someone them one us got very long reverse, mid wales that was i asked local how is the road as it looked bad to start with they said a little bumpy but not so bad, not so bad what for a tank, they had small 15 ton truck and large vans on that road too it felt like Dakar rally the amount dust and off road. or one road i followed sat nav i planed a route through the woods i started as paved road very steep climb turned to gravel then mud and had to do 3 point side steep mountain on mud Y split in the road im driving a small city car but pulled it off, so easy to get stuck in mud of roll of end mountain in the woods. you can sure have some adventures, not scared taking my i20 off road at times you just need to know clearances and angles like going on three wheels and no locking diff you need the speed to get over the three wheel part enough to get both drive tires on the ground if not you be high and dry, loads fun, slow and steady, love the challenge and so far been to places where 90% city range rover drivers be scared of, so far never any damage you just got to take time not to fast not to slow in places you be amazed how far off road a city car can go

[@Mimi-vy1ci]

Wow! 😍 I LOVE IT! Wales is like a paradise. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 More power to your KZbin channel.. new subscriber from the Philippines!🇵🇭😊

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for commenting, glad you enjoyed.

[@daletravels23]

Hi mimi check my place out

[@BassistPaul]

Always a spectacular view from the Bwlch, down into Cwmparc and in the distance Treorchy, where I was brought up. Very well put-together video.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks. Yes, there are some great views from the top.

[@MrRony721]

Nice 👌🏻Thanks for your video 👍🏻

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for watching

[@deanmartin380]

Your videography style is very impressive.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks, we just used the iPhone for this one as well.

[@kevingullick1596]

Excellent 👏

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks

[@terrycollett1461]

Great video,beautiful scenery.That’s three I’ve watched this evening,all repeats.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks 👍

[@martinhosper2990]

Enjoyed it.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks

[@samjones3434]

Very nice video. I'm from Nantymoel myself, now living in Bridgend. My parents are both still living in Nantymoel so I'm up there very often, (you actually drove past their house on your way up to the Bwlch). Had some fantastic times growing up in that valley and was always up the mountains and forests walking and camping with friends in the summers. We take the natural beauty of Wales for granted unfortunately as we are surrounded by it every day but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else, I really miss living in Nantymoel 😢. You need to go up the Bwlch on a nice clear day (rare in Wales I know 😂) as the veiws down towards and over the Bristol Channel are stunning. You can see Somerset clear as a bell on some days 🙂. A little tip if you wish to use it is instead of travelling on the A4061 take the A4064 from Brynmenyn towards Llangeinor then the A4093, this will take you up over the mountains providing more stunning views and this way you will avoid the roadworks between Blackmill and Pantyrawel, you can then carry on the A4061 as the A4093 and A4061 both meet in Pantyrawel. Looking forward to your next video.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks for the direction tips, one of the very few positives about this year is that it made us explore locally and appreciate the beautiful countryside we have. We will hopefully do some more over the next few months, thanks again for taking time to comment.

[@johnjohnnyjohnson9987]

Good job! Very relaxing.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thank you! 😊

[@zenzen9131]

Great video. I do that very same loop many times in the summer on my motorbike, returning to Booth's for the obligatory coffee before the sun goes down :) A point of interest is the road that leads from the top of the Bwlch into the Afan valley is the highest A road in Wales :)

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks, we didn't know that about the A road.

[@zenzen9131]

@@flydriveexplore I only found out last week :)

[@OnASeasideMission]

Being a bit retro with your vids. Amazed that I lived in Porthcawl so long and never drove up that road. To my Mam's old home in Tonypandy many a time, but never over the Bwlch. Must admit, I had my eyes on the rocks outcropping at the roadsides. Hmmm. Upper Carboniferous sandstone, aka the Coal Measures? I spent a summer being what Tenby residents call a 'rock-tapper'. Oh, and those were definitely 'Welsh' sheep. Seen it all.

[@flydriveexplore]

It's a shame we can't even drive up there at the moment. Hopefully, in a few weeks, we can get out again. Those sheep must be missing the ice cream van!

[@OurWorldForYou]

Fabulous Marcus & Mel - lovely roads, and there is a touch of Iceland to some of the scenery. 😍 (I was gonna say why didn't you wait for a sunny day, but...) Take care, and the haircut looks lush 😉 - Gary

[@flydriveexplore]

The sun did come out a bit by the end but up the mountain it was a bit cloudy, the sheep didn't mind the weather.

[@crazywelshman5909]

You need to go Maesteg its amazing

[@flydriveexplore]

We know Maesteg 👍

[@richardevans7035]

​@@flydriveexploremerthyr tydfil gods county 😂

[@allinchapman8468]

Cracking vid, keep them coming, I live not far from the Bwlch but on the opposite side below the Rhigos mountain, maybe you could feature that area soon especially with the new features like the zip wire at tower colliery and tunnel at Bleancwm 👍

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks, hopefully as the lockdown eases we'll be able to get out and about a bit more.

[@cerealkiller4248]

I was brought up in Bryncethin, and went to Ogmore Comprehensive School. The first two years we travelled to Ogmore Vale, to Fairy Glen where the school was located, for the last 3 years we went to Brynmenyn to the other part of the school. The Brynmenyn part is still there, but Fairy Glen has long since been demolished and new houses were built on the site. Leaving Nantymoel now the trees on the left have been cut down, it looks like a nuclear holocaust at the moment. My wife is from Abergwynfi, you drove right past the end of her parents street and right passed her brothers house.

[@flydriveexplore]

We I first moved back to Wales I lived in Bryncethin for a couple of years. My mother's family were from Blaengwynfi.

[@cerealkiller4248]

Fly Drive Explore Small world 😁

[@kushcloud420]

I was born in Caerphilly south Wales

[@terrycollett1461]

Great video,one part of Wales I’ve never been.Wonderful scenery.Who’s Richard Burton.lol

[@flydriveexplore]

It is beautiful up there. The surrounding area is home to many actors, must be something in the water.

[@ronmitchell859]

Richard Burton is great and all but I was really hoping also to see something about Tom Jones. : )

[@flydriveexplore]

This is the valley for all the actors you have to up to Pontypridd for Tom Jones and the singers.

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

Could I ask you to do a driving tour of the eastern valleys around Brynmawr and Cwmbran? My dad is from Cwmbran.

[@flydriveexplore]

We don't really know that area but we'll see what we can do in the future.

[@NatSatFat]

Great vid, just want to tell you about a sign you passed at 9:30, it is Green Shield with a Red Welsh Dragon in it with the words Cymru am Byth above it, you won't believe it, but not long after I viewed your vid I came across a pic of "Steve Mcqueen" on his motorbike just in front of this sign? on the internet? I was flabbergasted? (don't think Steve ever came here at all) antway, just thought of your vid, if you want to see the pic of Steve in front of this sign just google it and the pic should come up.

[@flydriveexplore]

He used to enter a lot of off road bike competitions, maybe it was one of those.

[@daletravels23]

You have went to brynmawr way !!

[@raamunsoferamen3661]

If a sheep hits your car the car will suffer the sheep will walk off laughing

[@johnmcdyer7297]

I bet he flashed you because there was a parasite on the road in the form of a mobile speed camera not a sheep at all

[@raybeaumont7670]

Da iawn both - but it's a viaduct not an aqueduct.

[@flydriveexplore]

Thanks but I did say 'former'. It is a former aqueduct known as Y Bont Fawr. It was built to supply water for the waterwheels of the Pontrhydyfen Ironworks.

[@xanadu8468]

Do most people in the Valleys have English ancestry?

[@flydriveexplore]

There was an increase in immigration in the 18th and 19th century due to the industrial revolution, many who first worked in the mines came from south-west England. Although Welsh people who worked in rural areas moved to the cities and valleys too. There was also immigration from Ireland during the Irish famine.

[@xanadu8468]

​@@flydriveexplore My maternal grandparents are from the Valleys, but we have done their family tree and both sides are entirely confined to SW Wales.... The migration from England was apparently pretty large, but it was my knowledge that it was at the turn of the 19th Century when there was large-scale migration and prior to 1880, the vast majority of migration came from rural parts of Wales.... At least that was my knowledge.... Do you have English/Irish ancestry? I have a deep fascination with the social history of the valleys...

[@flydriveexplore]

@@xanadu8468 We do not have any living relatives or grandparents or great grandparents with English Heritage but we both have traces in our DNA results from South West England, Ireland and North West France.

[@xanadu8468]

I guess the migration from England can be easily be compared to what Scotland received from Ireland. Nowhere near enough to ‘displace’ the population but enough to make a sizeable impact. About 1/3 of Scots have at least some Irish heritage.