I went to WALES’ ‘WORST ESTATE’ as seen on TV (It’s Even Worse Now!)

Get an extra 4 months on a 2-year plan with NordVPN via this link: nordvpn.com/ukexplored #sponsored
In this video, I traveled to Merthyr Tydfil in Wales to explore the issues of crime and poverty, and to see if it truly lives up to its reputation as Britain's ugliest town.
My journey took me to the notorious Gurnos estate, which gained national attention 10 years ago when it was featured on Channel 4's TV show "Skint."
I hope you enjoyed the video, if you have any suggestions for other cities I should explore in a similar fashion please leave a comment below, thanks!
#merthyr #skint #wales
----------------------------------------------
🎥Wanna film awesome drone shots like you saw in this video? This is the drone we use and recommend - amzn.to/3Om6fMR
🎙This is the microphone I use to record the voiceovers - amzn.to/3s5BpjT *
----------------------------------------------
Chapters
00:00 - Intro to the Worst Estate in Wales
00:54 - History
01:43 - Gurnos Estate
03:48 - Britain's Ugliest Town?
06:03 - Crime and Poverty
07:56 - Town Centre
10:21 - House Prices
All footage filmed by the UK Explored team and cannot be reused without permission.
*Links may be affiliate links, this means there is absolutely no added cost to you, but UK Explored might receive a commission for recommending the products to you - we appreciate the support a lot!

[@ukexplored]

Thanks to NordVPN for sponsoring this outing - Get an extra 4 months on a 2-year plan with NordVPN via this link: nordvpn.com/ukexplored Where shall we go next? Have an awesome day ya'll!

[@Budgiearmy]

Yay your getting sponsors 😊 proud of u!

[@mjh5437]

Bridgend is near Mertyr and very grim too.

[@user-nl2ky2pb7y]

Your just showing the Gurnos not Merthyr by the way

[@peterjames6331]

He does it on all his vids. CLICK BAIT.

[@garethdavies2538]

I grew-up in Merthyr and left in 1965 when it was still a hard but thriving town. What happened to Merthyr is easily explained by the following. These were the major employers at that time. Hoovers, Teddington Aircraft Controls, Imperial Chemical Industries, Thorns Electric, Guest Keen Foundry, Triang Toys, Kayser Bondor, Remploy, and possibly others I've forgotten. They have all gone, and nothing of note has replaced them, at least nothing that requires large numbers of workers.

[@jermainelong1843]

I spent a week here in 2022. I found it ok personally but you could see the vacant units on the high street which is always a bad sign BUT the people were very friendly. Everyone seems friendly outside of London though.

[@mjh5437]

That`s because most people in London now aren`t even real Londoners,they`re just the dregs of the rest of the country and the rest of the world who wash up here.

[@TylerandElisha]

there is definitely historical buildings there with interest in case you couldn't find them

[@iamphoenix3564]

Always interesting to see areas like this outside of big cities as they don’t ever get talked about

[@ukexplored]

Yeah, and when people do talk about these areas, like the news clippings I put on screen, they never actually go and visit the areas. For me, this is a fun day out haha so I don't mind.

[@Lee-bv6iv]

Most estates in big cities have had refurbs/been knocked down, etc. This estate looks like it hasn't changed since it was built. Just left to deteriorate.

[@lemsip207]

Yet the town centre doesn't look too bad. There is a retail park there with Trago Mills and Cyfathfa Castlle which are both worth a visit. You can walk to Cyfarthfa Castle along the River Taff for part of the way. I wouldn't want to live there though and I wouldn't even visit the Gurnos Estate.

[@ukexplored]

Good points, thanks for watching.

[@jimh4072]

The problem with a lot of the modern housing estates is the terrible layout, especially the council houses. There is no privacy as the back of the houses seem to be completely open on to car parks and places for young louts to hang out.

[@theabandonedhunter3604]

Will look forward to this one with a beer tonight! Used to cover here for work…. Smithy

[@ukexplored]

Nice one, Smithy!

[@mjh5437]

""Average house price £118,000"" that wouldn`t even buy a lock-up garage where I live lol

[@velvetinedrapes4359]

and armed robbery at a Lidl is an incredibly pathetic stain on an area. It's slightly above stealing from a charity shop

[@GaragE36uk]

The man had a can of diesel and threatened to light people on fire, would take him 10 mins for get the fire going using diesel. There was no danger there 😂

[@theabandonedhunter3604]

Mate, I thoroughly enjoyed that video that as always! Merthyr has a bad reputation but I personally always found the people very friendly, or they were to me anyway when I covered the area for work. Keep up the good work mate!! ….Smithy

[@ukexplored]

I didn't get a chance to talk to many locals, I always like to do that a little bit. Had a few complaints about the filming, like I said, but it's hard to take offense when someone has a strong Welsh accent. 🐲

[@deanwilliamswelshroadwarri2706]

Merthyr Tydfil is my home town I grew up there interesting video 🥊💥🙏

[@museonfilm8919]

Provided the indigenous Welsh don't let their country fall foul to overcrowding (like southern England) In the future, these places will seem like Heaven, believe me. What's not to like? A house in the valley's, away from the cesspit that is London.

[@ukexplored]

Yeah, exactly my thoughts when I was showing those scenic shots and talking about the valleys and countryside. Just need a few acres around your house!

[@ianto8823]

The economy is the problem. Unfortunately I don't see London or anywhere else getting this bad. Most of that place is full of people who were abandoned a long time ago by this country. We seem to care about every other part of the world now.

[@Anomyn03s]

New park village in Wolverhampton is full of anti social behaviour and someone ranked it the 8th most dangerous council estate in England . It’s full of alleyways and cut offs and it’s very dangerous at night

[@ukexplored]

Interesting, I covered Wolverhampton's highest crime areas (on paper) in a video, and New Park Village wasn't on there. Looking at the area now on Google Street View, however, it certainly looks like it has some problems! Thanks for the tip, I might check it out next time I'm over Wolves way.

[@Anomyn03s]

@@ukexplored you will feel heavy danger and paranoia over there over the slightest thing but you should be ok in daytime . I saw ur video on wolves I live there it was a good video

[@ukexplored]

Thanks mate, I'm starting to get threatened and approached a little more often these days as I walk around, but at the end of the day I'm not doing anything wrong and I try not to film people so I always think I'll come out alive 😉🙏

[@Anomyn03s]

@@ukexplored of course lol just some places you didn’t cover in wolvo are filled to the rim of gangs for real so it’s good that u went where u went cause there still dodgy areas what give good content

[@GAST0121]

@@ukexploredit’s probably classed as Wallsall as it’s a wv postcode but bilston, Moseley village and Bradley are very very rough also just not any crimes that get reported, I think there’s worse areas in some city’s it’s just the stats aren’t reported so it doesn’t seem it. Love the videos anyway, so so many dumps in the West Midlands, should just go around the whole 300 miles😂😂

[@daemoneveleigh7563]

That seems to be every town in the UK 🇬🇧 lately 😟Isn't it crazy that we are in 2024 in the UK 🇬🇧 and we still need food banks to help the unfortunate people out..Its absolutely mind boggling 😕😕😕

[@MarkR06]

Enjoyed this 😊 I live in Cardiff so nice to see what the Valley areas are like. You have such a calming voice too 😝

[@lemsip207]

I live in Cardiff but have visited the Valleys a lot of times. There are lots of museums and off-road cycle paths there. Merthyr Tydfil is on the Taff's Trail and Trevithick Trail.

[@HansBaz]

I didn't know the UK was in such a dilapidated state. It's starting to look like a third world country. Those videos of yours shock me. Although this place isn't too bad.

[@ukexplored]

It's certainly getting worse in many areas, that much is a fact, sadly.

[@HansBaz]

@@ukexplored I think it is very good of you to show the abuses in your country to the outside world. Is this also due to Brexit?

[@simoncrutch5520]

Drive not very far from here and it quickly becomes one of the most beautiful areas in the UK.

[@ianto8823]

I'm from Merthyr. This is not Brexit. It looked that way back in the 90s. It's way deeper than Brexit.

[@mjh5437]

@@HansBaz Nothing to do with Brexit,I was there in the 1980s and it was already a slum.....Are you just a bittter & twisted Remoaner?

[@carolmanson7083]

Love Merthyr till my family live in the Guros estate I stayed there my Auntie house back on to a Castle and a beautiful big park with beautiful trees and ponds and the shopping centre is awesome there’s always something to do there especially in school holidays I’ve just come back to New Zealand from being there it’s a shame it’s been give a bad wrap and l do wish that they looked after there homes but due to a lot of unemployment and lack of jobs the people there only get by and yes the country side of Merthyr till is breath taking l believe Merthyr till needs a what it needs is industry like all the other countries in the world China and India have had the Monopoly this what’s caused the the world to start falling

[@bantamNeil12]

I had work on the Gurnos many years ago on behalf of Western Power and I've never been to a more poverty stricken area in Wales...Flats either burned out or boarded up, litter and furniture strewn everywhere, abandoned vehicles dotted around and just a very depressing area of Merthyr Tydfil... Whilst doing my work over a number of days, my works van was vandalised severely so it just summed up the area imo although there were some nice people I came across but they were amongst the minority... This area needs some serious work doing to it but that won't happen so god help what the Gurnos will look like in another 10yrs!!!...🙈🙈🙈

[@bardofely]

I got through my Britain's Got Talent audition in Merthyr Tydfil in 2016. I had a further audition in Birmingham and ended up on the TV show in 2017.

[@luton_gmanrock]

I used to visit South Wales quite a bit, holyhead mostly, Porthcawl etc. I always thought it was poverty stricken back in the 90s and nothing has changed.

[@likeitis9605]

Thank you for a great video. A glimpse of a dystopian world

[@ukexplored]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@thathurt]

At least it's not diverse. 🐉

[@ukexplored]

It's a different breed deep in the Welsh valleys. 🐉

[@Camberwell86]

Worked in Merthyr for a week about 10 or 11 years ago. Stopped in the Travelodge. After a quick trip to Tesco via the skate park, it took me less than an hour to get a number for weed, a number for sniff, and score off both lmao 😅 (I was in my 20s don't judge me I don't do that anymore 😛)

[@BarryBethal-yv2oz]

You can tell how rough a place is when they don’t even send asylum seekers there

[@mjh5437]

Exactly the sort of place they should be sent instead of the four-star hotels costing us all £6 million every day of the week!!

[@jonathanwhite4750]

It does look rough because it's deprived government rather spend keeping up keep of cities, but merthyr and its people are very proud people, its historic town with a great legacy producing sporting legends, people fighting to make ends meat, reason why crime is high , and that's the government fault, shutting big factories moving them abroad , I go merthyr a lot and in the pubs great people who see make best what they got ,

[@swanseawales1979]

Do you really think the community of Gurnos would welcome asylum seekers. There would be riots like you couldn't imagine.

[@byrospyro4432]

How is Telford rated the third ugliest town in the UK? Whoever made that list has obviously never visited here.

[@mjh5437]

I`ve been,its a tip!

[@lemsip207]

Telford is one of the better New Towns. Corby is one of the worst.

[@TheRealQuackz]

I visited the Brecon Beacons a few years ago and once or twice we travelled through merthyr tydfil and you could just tell how bad this place really was

[@chriswilliams1348]

I live in Merthyr and it ain't a dangerous place. Your looking at the Gurnos estate. Its a big estate. Your going to have some that don't take care of their council provided house. Others are immaculate. Merthyr does have a lot of council housing. There are other estates just as big as the Gurnos and drugs are available here as well as anywhere else. You might get into a fist fight if you started looking down your nose at people here. You can't compare the place to any of the cities for gangs and crime. Like most poor areas the people of Merthyr are friendly and like to party. You still got some areas which are actually quite nice. The Taff Trail runs through Merthyr and the Brecon Beacons is practically my back garden. If you go to Ponsticill(Still Merthyr) it's reservoirs and country pubs. You can live here and not be effected by the poverty that seems to exist throughout the UK. Its not the only place you might see a Spice head outside of the centers, Tesco. Out of the "Valleys" Merthyr is probably the biggest town so has quite a lot of facilities. Cinema and bowling complex, bike parc and plans for an indoor Ski Center. As long as you keep your attitude at home you'd be unlucky to have anything other than good time in Merthyr. Some spots you might think F-me but I guess they are everywhere?

[@DillTheDog]

No refugees, !!!!! must be really bad then 😂

[@user-yg9qs8bn9g]

LOL

[@davidcoleman5246]

Pull the plug on big industries which were at the heart of these areas, and this is what you're left with. This is a problem wherever you look, not just Britain.

[@GaragE36uk]

If anyone thinks merthyr is rough, then you have never been to a rough area. As for the flats in town, never heard of any trouble there at all. You also must have tried to find the worst place in merthyr to Park 😂

[@paulcampbell85]

I am looking forward to seeing the town up and coming as the money comes in

[@KayleighMorgan-nv4kv]

Wow. You literally went to town and one estate. You missed so much! You can’t judge a town on one council estate. You didn’t visit cyfarthfa castle and the park, there are also many beautiful houses, the taf trail is beautiful. Bike park wales is a huge attraction where people come from all over the country try to visit. You missed Rhyd y car with lovely restaurants, the cinema and bowling alley. Thomas town park is lovely also. Trago mills, the retail park. Not a true representation of the town at all.

[@Azrael1st]

Imagine how bad people’s mental health must be in this place 😢

[@RGD.official]

All these clips come from one area of Merthyr the rest of Merthyr is a normal place to live, my cousin lives there and his house and neighbourhood were nice and the only bad place was the gurnos and some other place.

[@lemsip207]

Especially living on those ugly estates but the town centre is worth a visit. It is far better than Rhymney. Aberdare has architecture similar to Brecon but is more run down with cheap shops.

[@BEAR6091]

About 5 minutes from gurnos is cyfartha park, should have gone there , or about a mile further there's ponsarn and pontsticill both stunning areas. Just showing one estate and a typical town centre is just lazy

[@bs15ting]

Reminds me a bit of Hartcliffe in Bristol

[@edmusto9622]

Its kinda sad. The whole reason that place is the way it is is because industry in he area was shut down, and no replacements were implemented and people remained unemployed for years and this is the result.

[@troydeeney9]

Shame you didnt go to rowner estate in Gosport before they knocked the main congrete jungle down!

[@stuartobrien78]

Norlane victoria Australia is horrible old housing near big industry

[@tims9434]

Doesn't seem much different to Swindon

[@ukexplored]

Similar, isn't it - Swindon has a more 'street' vibe, in my opinion, with some areas having more grafitti, and it's more diverse than Merthyr.

[@ianto8823]

At least Swindon is close to things. This thing is on top of a mountain. Always felt bad but it's surprising how tough the people are and some have gone on to do great things in life. I wonder how much of those homes are just sitting there empty making the place look bad.

[@mjh5437]

Saying its like Swindon is no recommendation at all lol

[@phil7885]

sorry there aren't any historic buildings?

[@ianprotheroe4061]

You went to one area bute town makes the gurnos look like Venice

[@HavingaSHOCKER]

Lost your phone number mate be good to catch up , get in touch!

[@Biscuit-Club]

It doesn't look that bad. The house prices are quite reasonable as well. 🐑

[@zaneryan7625]

Nothing wrong with gurnos and Merthyr making it out that’s it’s really bad it really isn’t mate 😂 where ever u live can be as ruff as you say Merthyr is

[@llanieliowe794]

Please visit Cumbernauld in Scotland. I promise you it'll be the worst of anywhere you've already been. It's literally horrible.

[@RedDrogonTV]

as someone why lives in Merthyr this is one part of it its the worst part rest of it is better and cleaner parts i lived in anyway but yeah was always sad see this part of it but its better else where in the area

[@03adrian88]

Housings estates are prisons for poor people!

[@joannesaltfleet2071]

You get all kinds on housing estates and its what you make of it that matters!

[@Wangdalf]

Check out Neath in Wales, even worse for sure

[@phil7885]

you only see the news or these videos. People in Merthyr are friendly and welcome. Everyone in uk is having issues regardless and here is always a minority off people that bring a bad reparation. try speaking with people and research before slagging off

[@joannesaltfleet2071]

It's like any place a few people spoil it for everyone else!

[@tommykarate9397]

Lovele place to live

[@dinkdankdoo3035]

Merthyr turdville

[@huwinheaven]

years ago people had pride.

[@tazzdalton2048]

Perhaps you should have spent time looking around more and interacted with people , ive seen and lived in worse places , all I hear is someone being very judgemental , Merthyr has its downfalls like any other place but you will not find a better community spirit anywhere in the UK

[@Izarzio]

Skelmersdale is the same

[@joelhall5124]

Why is every place always "the worst"?

[@ukexplored]

Quite subjective, isn't it, and often it's the 'worst' compared to 'X' or due to 'Y'. Unlike some people who just use it as clickbait, I always quote the media headlines and stats as to why, but yeah, I know what you're getting at. Gurnos is the worst though aha

[@scarletsguy]

Always shows the poorest parts of a town. What's the point of even talking to this guy. He's so negative

[@jpandyaraja]

dont hear from you that often these days

[@ukexplored]

I know, I’ve been slower to release stuff lately, but I have a good one in production right now and hope to get out more! Good to hear from you.

[@ministryoflies1344]

As a Cardiff lad, I feel safer going to Merthyr because there are less immigrants.

[@user-wl8dd3mc6n]

Ok. Merthyr's got its probs like any town or city. Take a look at a lot of englands towns. We dont so far shoot each other with gang warfare. Merthyr people r sound. Dont knock us ok. Go film england.mate !!!! No

[@MarkEvans-i2b]

Best part of Merthyr is the roads leading out🛣️🚙🚗🛻🚐

[@MarkEvans-i2b]

Best part of Merthyr is the roads leading out🛣️🚙🚗🛻🚐