Heads of the Valley Line - Episode 9 - Merthyr to Abergavenny

#EveryDisusedStation #DisusedRailway #headsofthevalley - If you like what we do and enjoy our videos please consider supporting us via our Patreon Site here:
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Its early February and despite some mild weather for this time of the year we have succumbed to a cold! This episode was the start of it, so be prepared for a few more in the coming weeks.... sniffle! This is the Heads of the Valley line and is truly spectacular. Around 2/3's of the line can be walked or cycled and its well worth the trip.
Welcome to Episode 9 of #EveryDisusedStation. You can visit the website for progress and information about our adventure. www.paulwhitewick.co.uk
Paul and Rebecca have decided to embark upon and rather silly challenge which will hopefully see them visit all 6500 (approx. figure) disused stations in the UK. As always the criteria being that we get as close as possible without a) Trespassing and b) endangering ourselves or others. Stations do include those that are in use as heritage lines. (of course they are no longer disused but in the sense of a mainline passenger station, they are certainly on our list).
Mistakes:
Pantysgallog (Low Level) Halt - We decided not to film here as there were loads of kids around, so we did a google maps overlay. Subsequently I messed up the station text overlay. Sorry!
Manful / cold - As the day progressed so did our colds... apologies, we tried to keep a smile on our faces... I think we succeeded. Just.
Attributes and Thanks:
Music: Epidemicsound.com
Pictures: Ben Brooksbank - www.geograph.org.uk/profile/4...
Maps - mainly Google map overlays. Thanks Google.

[@egnt1]

The two of you have such heart and determination: the walking, driving, filming, research, editing etc. What a great adventure for a couple. Thank you for taking us with you. If you’re ever in the North East let me know and I’ll buy the Costa’s.

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you Simon. Glad you are enjoying the channel. Keep an eye on our social media we normally let people know where are are heading. 👍👍👍

My old stamping ground...Wales. Great climbs.....And great to see you two again....

[@terryansell6641]

Thank you for this video always done with much humour so good to watch from New Zealand

[@lescalverley8335]

Thanks Paul. Plenty of closed stations between Halwill Junction and Padstow and Bude.. Found the Pant to Torpantau especially interesting as took a look whilst on the BMR.

[@greatbritishentertainmentl5636]

I knew this line when it was working as my mum was born in Ebbw Vale (1916) and we travelled to Abergavenny many times when I was a young boy of around 10 in the 50s. It was amazing in the centre of Ebbw Vale to watch steam trains cross the High Street at a busy junction - somewhere I have photos of this. Steam trains ruled the Welsh valleys moving coal, slate, steel and people out into the "real world". I remember travelling from Ebbw Vale to Barry Island by steam train one rare hot sunny weekend and getting lost on the beach! Eventually I found my two uncles on the packed beach. Great memories!

[@pwhitewick]

Ah that's lovely, thanks for sharing. 👍

[@greatbritishentertainmentl5636]

@@pwhitewick Forgot to mention that to pronounce Brynmawr is like Brin - mow - are . It's the way I remember it! Cheers Dave

[@colinbarrett5120]

amazing again, thank you.

[@paulwilliams5713]

I've walked most of this line, beautiful scenery

[@Sarge084]

My nan would undoubtedly have travelled that line, being from Abergavenny originally, but settled in Merthyr.

[@McMieke]

Brilliant

[@matthewharding89]

Your pronunciations are pretty good to be fair, here's a little help with some: 1. Govilon - Gov-eye-lon 2. Clydach - Cli-duck 3. Gelli Fellin - Geth-lee Fell-in 4. Brynmawr - Bryn-Mao (like Charmain Mao) this pronunciation even gets debate in the area and I'm from Beaufort, the neighbouring village, but that's how the majority will pronounce it. 5. Trefil - Trev-ill 6. Nantybwch - Nant-e-bull-k 7. Rhymney - Rum-knee 8. Dowlais - Dow-lice

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Matthew, I am taking that as a win!

[@nathanlucas6465]

I've been researching my family history, quite a large part of which covers this general area. Managed to find some old archive footage from when the village of Pwll Du was demolished. Many of the residents were moved to Govilon (and not happy about it!) and in the film they all seem to pronounce it Gov-eye-land. Would be interesting to know how big the area is where they add the D to the end of it. I guess it's similar to the 27 different spellings of Trellech

[@gorsjack]

How can whoever put thumbs down for this video be serious... Unbeliveable... Take no notice Paul & Rebecca. One of the best I've seen

[@nov3019892008]

Another great video, i was always curious about this line. Keep the great videos coming

[@pwhitewick]

Never knew it existed until a few weeks back. Certainly worth a visit and perhaps more accessible with the Heads of the Valley road being Dual Carriageway (almost finished).

[@michaelpilling9659]

Very interesting. I guess coal was king when this railway was in full use. Some great artifacts still remain. Pity about the intrusion of The Head of The Valley Road. More please!

[@terryansell6641]

Thank you from New Zealand a very interesting video

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Terry.

[@pughyp11]

I'm living in Pant Merthyr Tydfil Amazing video keep up the good work 👌👌.

[@PhilipMcAdam]

Again super video from you both. I agree with you that all that super infrastructure and they just got rid of it in a heart beat. It is the same over here in Ireland. Wonderful feats of engineering and the just got rid of it with a stroke of a pen. Personally I feel the motor car helped in its decline. But then again I am an every day cyclist and I would be biased. Super video folks.

[@Meengineer100]

Great video! I am trying to rebuild this line for Train Simulator set in the 1950s shortly before it's closure. The line has a very interesting history and I agree that it was a very scenic route. The line was very steep reaching a 1in34 gradient between Llanfoist and Govilon and continued on a continuous climb until Brynmawr. I have explored the areas between Abergavenny and Clydach myself (the part I am building in my project) but haven't gone much further yet. The viaducts which still stand and the staggered entrances at Clydach are a good reminder of the line and I recommend watching the Railway Roundabout episode which follows the SLS Special on the line on January 5th 1958 (if you haven't already). :)

[@pwhitewick]

Good luck with the simulator. Have I seen some of it online already??

[@Meengineer100]

Thanks. You might have seen my video on it already.

[@stephenminett111]

The pronunciation from Tredegar is tree-Dee-gu

[@cornelisemail6070]

Amazing 👌

[@mikehenfron]

Definitely should be sponsored by Costa. Another great video, living in the South Wales valleys, I'm enjoying your attempts at the pronunciation.

[@pwhitewick]

We love the South Wales valley and it's massive history. We'll get there with the pronunciation.... One day...😅

[@MrBook123456]

good video

[@mitchellmackoul5294]

Enjoyed this a bunch!

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Mitchell. Loads more to come! 👍👍

[@stephenpalcso42]

Great video, which definitely makes me want to pay a visit.

[@rich392117]

Thanks for posting. Great video. Have just walked most of the route, so interesting to see this.

[@pwhitewick]

Beautiful isn't it.

[@Sim0nTrains]

Great Video, really enjoyed seeing Gilwern Station, looked very disused but looks beautifully preserved.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Simon. Gilwern was a treat indeed.

[@stephendavies6949]

I grew up in South Wales where abandoned railway infrastructure was all everywhere. You made an excellent video

[@jambarreturns9060]

Nice view of Rebecca ‘making the Moves’ Great Video,yet again 👍

[@HenrysAdventures]

Another great video! You saying it would be flat reminds me of when my girlfriend said "Can we go for a walk in the Peak District but not a hilly one"! I said we can but it will be a long an old railway!

[@pwhitewick]

Haha.... In which case avoid the "Cromford and High Peak".

[@stephendavies6949]

Dowlais is fascinating too: 3 stations and the start of the old line thriugh places such as Cwmbargoed, Fochriw, Bedlinog & Trelewis, where the remains of stations can be seen clearly. Oh, and it's also where the Brecon & Merthyr line can be accessed - definitely not one to be tackled in the winter!

[@grahamroberts5605]

I live in Brecon and in my youth I use to walk the line from Brecon to talybont on usk

[@dukeofaaghisle7324]

For some reason, KZbin has suddenly started offering me your videos from 3 years ago, so I don’t know whether my comment is just going to be lost in hyperspace. However, I’m delighted to see you covering this line. As a teenager in the 1940s, my dad worked cleaning the locos at Abergavenny Shed. One of the locos (a Webb ‘Coal Tank’) is preserved on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.

[@dukeofaaghisle7324]

…I’ll even forgive the mispronounced place names 😉 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@StephenWilliams]

My immediate thought was Charlton Marshall when I saw Gilwern. I think it's the bridge at the end of the platforms that does it.

[@pwhitewick]

Yup definitely. Love coming across places like this.

[@TheSkiathosLover]

As usual - BRILLIANT -

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Carolyn, glad you enjoyed it.

[@DeeFPV]

welcome to wales to be honest wales is never flat

[@SMILEVIDEOTRAINS]

nail varnish and jumper ...good match.. great video again.. you two are super fit.

[@pwhitewick]

Haha.... Indeed, Rebecca loves to make sure she is colour coordinated. Fit.... Not sure about that though.

[@robrees8207]

Great video guys. I wonder if walking up the cycle route would have been easier!

[@peterjeremymckenzie8444]

Kudos to the other half putting up with this fascinating obsession, pronunciations made me laugh although I can easily mess them up myself, but try Coffee One, far better than Costa.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Peter. Noted... Not seen many Coffee Ones to be honest but cheers for the tip.

[@MegaBoilermaker]

Tred E gar in Welsh/ Cornish/ Breton.

[@rcurtisfl02hsv]

Did you ever get a sponsorship deal from Costa? If not they are missing a trick. Every time I see their distinctive cups in your hands I fancy walking to my local Costa and buying one, post lockdown! They could at least give you some reusable mugs and free coffee as the advertising is working!!! If they don't play ball your just going to have to get plain reusable mugs until they do sponsor you. Really loving all your videos and I 'm working through them in date order. Love the style, the going back and picking up cameras etc love, love. love it.

[@pwhitewick]

Alas..... we are still working on them. One day.

[@rcurtisfl02hsv]

@@pwhitewick When you get to visiting Royal Wootton Bassett's railway station you can visit the Wilts & Berks Canal as well and RWB has a really good Costa. If it's not too creepy let me get you a Costa! Actuall a donate you a coffee button might be a really good idea!!!

[@jlaakso1706]

Watching some of these older ones it occurs to me that you probably have a number of Welsh viewers that could probably give you the pronunciations, and perhaps even record an audio track that you could use in the video. You could do your attempt and then use a quick clip of them correcting you. Love your videos!

[@gorsjack]

Hi Rebecca and Paul. Another great video. Special to me as I live in Tredegar (Pronounced Tread-eee-gar BTW lol).... I haven't managed to watch all your videos (yet!) so I'm wondering if you have walked the Swansea Victoria - Pontarddulais line trough the lovely Clyne Valley? Which passed through Gorseinon... My home town. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing

[@don1estelle]

Next time check out the Topographic layers that's one of the steepest parts Clydach (Clidachh) Gorge

[@deanj6969]

I love your pronunciation of the Welsh words brilliant

[@deanj6969]

Well done on Merthyr Tydfil

[@pwhitewick]

@@deanj6969 that's pretty much all I can muster! Though I have since employed a Welsh pronunciation assistant!

[@robbydaps]

This is an outstanding video - well done the dynamic Whitewicks. I thoroughly enjoyed it - including the lamentable place name pronunciations and mis-spellings. It is Brynmawr! And Clydach is pronounced 'Clid-ach' with the 'ach' as in 'Bach' the composer which is the same pronunciation as 'bach' the Welsh word for small or little (Ty bach or 'little house' is a Welsh way of saying toilet!). Clydach is not 'Clid-bash'. Also it all rather fell away at Dowlais (well pronounced) where there were three railway lines and several stations. There's a great photo on the Old Merthyr Tydfil website (itself a marvellous interactive library of pictures and stories) of a steam locomotive emerging to cross the high street at Caeharris. At Pantyscallog you showed on the map the cutting leading to the Morlais 'Miler' Tunnel (still accessible) but no video - and at the other end of that there is Pontsarn station or halt on the Taff Trail / National Cycle Route 8 and then Cefn Coed y Cwmmer Station (with the Station Hotel still in business) and the Cefn Coed Viaduct - with the Taff Trail crossing it. Then the old railway line gets lost under the A470 but it does emerge at Rhydycar with an embankment that crosses a lovely Brunel bridge carrying his Vale of Neath line over the Glamorganshire Canal. At this point the Taff Trail re-appears below - going through that bridge. The embankment took the railway line into Merthyr Tydfil town centre where one station still exists (next to Tesco) - end of the old Merthyr to Abergavenny line. Please keep up the good work - and visit us again to complete this great journey.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Rob. And thanks for the help with pronunciation. I can't guarantee I will remember next time, but we plan on putting some more time into that aspect. We have been into Morlais before (check out our tunnel playlist). The journey tailed off at the end largely due to our deteriorating health I'm afraid. The quick snippets where all the energy levels allowed. We try and do one line at a time and are aware of the monumental rail network that was here. Rest assured we will be back and with a more significant emphasis in this section. Thanks again.

[@matthewphillips3144]

You were only a hundred yards or so from a tunnel portal at the end there (Pant low level)... The other end is probably a better bet tho. You would have seen the air shafts near the mountain railway too. A couple of nice viaducts nearby and a station that's now a pub close by too : )

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Mathew. Yes we entered from the Morlais end in another video (see the tunnel playlist). We thought there was a way out of the south buy note that it's now got a significant green fence as you suggest near pant.

[@matthewphillips3144]

@@pwhitewick Yes, just been watching some of your other videos in the area and made some comments, but looks like you are well ahead of me!

[@pwhitewick]

@@matthewphillips3144 cheers Matthew. Hope you are enjoying them 👍

[@jimswannack6309]

Wow, where was that fabulous bow string bridge at 11:50 ish? That's stunning.

[@pwhitewick]

Close to Pontygof. Heads of the Valley Road goes under it. So pleased we caught it on camera, there are a few other stunning pieces of new architecture in the area too.

[@matthewharding89]

It's called Jack Williams Gateway Bridge, named after Sgt Maj John Henry 'Jack' Williams, a local hero and recipient of the Victoria Cross during the First World War. The bridge is a wonderful piece of engineering over the new Heads of the Valleys Road. Look it up and the history of Jack Williams.

[@gussmedways]

Would you like me to lend you a shilling for the iron-lung after your hike? Great video. Lovely scenery. How nice it must have been to see a steam train thundering through the valleys. Damn the short sightedness of the BR management pre-Beeching. Like you said. Don't get rid, scale back!

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Russ..... It got worse (see next couple of weeks videos). Yup a crying shame, what a picturesque line this would have been and probably a killing to be made in tourism right now!

[@gussmedways]

@@pwhitewick Just an extra thanks for recommending Side by Side maps. How brilliant. Going to be spending a few hours on it. Sofa, wine and laptop calling!

[@pwhitewick]

@@gussmedways go careful..... Its more than addictive!

[@stephendavies6949]

Another example of the Race to Merthyr during the industrial revolution, when coal & iron were kings

[@donsharpe5786]

In English try Gethlee Vethlen which is the closest you are going to get to Gelli Fellen

[@pwhitewick]

That works! Cheers Don

[@pauldenniss5230]

It’s pronounced Tre-Dee-gar….excellent vid as always

[@saltleywsc]

Another great video love the mispronounciation .......and coffee was quaffed normal service has resumed!

[@pwhitewick]

I am pleased the shocking pronouncement of place names is being enjoyed. There was us thinking we were going to offend a nation!.... Coffee was very well needed!!

[@Peppermint0M]

Do you have any plans to visit the Pontypool lines? It is unfortunate that the old station is now under a Tesco, but there are still railway remnants to see.

[@CliveBishop]

Thanks again for an interesting tour of redundant lines, perhaps some to be reopened one day to reduce road congestion. Are you perchance related to 6989 Wightwick Hall (pronounced Wittick)?

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Clive.... Next week's video will be based around that exact subject... Wightwick and Whitewick. 👍👍

[@lescalverley8335]

Any plans for the LSWR lines west of Exeter? Great videos guys.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Les. We have only had a chance to do South Devon at the moment, I believe the Teign Line and Kingswear?

[@nickthorne1442]

🚂👍👍👍

[@mistywolf312]

Ohh the pronunciations are wonderfully atrocious, keep trying, it's making me laugh so much (my mums side of the family are Welsh), I love the scenery in the valleys, it takes your breath away, especially the climb to see it! Wales on a cloudy or rainy day is so gloomy then the the sun comes out and your... Damn, this is why people live here. Don't worry about the drive bys, sometimes it's just got to be done.

[@pwhitewick]

Lol thanks Misty. We need recommendations on "how to pronounce stuff in Welsh" books. We will obviously be back and would hate to insult the beautiful accent and language. Stunning area as always!

[@stevejones5492]

A train ride from Abergavenny to Merthyr: kzbin.info/www/bejne/omSXoZyAoJuhmc0si=7ssik4vmUTP35zHi

[@stephenminett111]

It’s gill worn

[@pwhitewick]

You've only found two pronunciation errors?!?

[@paulhowells6172]

I’m from wales and I can’t pronounce half of the place names that are near to me , so don’t worry 😉 your doing fine . Also great video too .

[@pwhitewick]

Haha, thanks Paul.

[@Roblilley999]

Same here, my wife's family were from Abergavenny

[@Roblilley999]

Clydach is pronounce Clidack

[@pwhitewick]

@@Roblilley999 I think I said it like that in one of the twelve attempts didn't I?

[@Roblilley999]

Think so, yeah

[@pwhitewick]

@@Roblilley999 lol.... Patreon Purchase... "How to pronounce welsh place names".

[@kengself]

00:01:14 OMG!! How big is your phone??? ;)

[@STUMPYELF1]

It’s Tre De gar not Tred e gar.

[@kenjones3253]

i know you want to tick off all these places - but a short comment as well would help - even if it was simply nothing remains of this station

[@pwhitewick]

Tricky when we are driving on a dual carriageway, so we try and pop a little text in there to help. 👍

[@kenjones3253]

@@pwhitewick but sometimes you just stand there and point - you could still say something like like line came in from the left and still point, by the time i'm trying to workout what you are pointing at the frame has moved on - it's not aimed at a criticism at you

[@pwhitewick]

@@kenjones3253 yup, I understand your point and appreciate the feedback. 👍

[@johngodwin6709]

O

[@don1estelle]

Single F is v velen Two Ff = f

[@suzyqualcast6269]

Lln - cln. Eg: Llandudno, pronounced Clandidno, not C/Llandudno. Dont ask me why, just IS. Okeh.