Cwmfelinfach – Mining History and Circular Walk

Cwmfelinfach can be explored through several specific themes: the history of Nine Mile Point colliery, a literary connection centred on Capel y Babell, and a short circular walk through valley and farmland. If you are planning a stay, these different themes can help you decide what interests you. Dates and places bring the industrial history to life; on the circular walk, the changing landscape and surfaces provide orientation.

Industrial history and community life

Opened in 1913, Nine Mile Point Workmen's Hall has since been demolished. It included a library with a reading room, a billiard room, a gymnasium and swimming baths. The public hall could accommodate 900 people. A cinema also operated there shortly after it opened. This sequence of rooms and uses paints a varied picture of the hall at the time: it included spaces for community activities as well as a hall for public events and film screenings.

Hotel construction and the colliery era

A hotel in the centre of Cwmfelinfach was built around 1903 to serve Nine Mile Point colliery. Its construction therefore dates from a time when the colliery was still operating; it closed on 25 July 1964. The Workmen's Hall was added in 1913. These dates place the hotel’s construction, the hall’s opening and the end of colliery operations in chronological order. The sites also represent different aspects of industrial history: the hotel served the colliery, while the information about the hall concerns its rooms and its later use as a cinema.

Capel y Babell and Islwyn

Another historical thread leads to Capel y Babell. The chapel is associated with the Welsh poet Islwyn; Islwyn was the bardic name of William Thomas. He is buried in the chapel cemetery. The connection is therefore both literary and biographical: the name points to the poet, while his grave marks his connection to Capel y Babell. For understanding the area's history, this link complements the colliery chronology with a literary figure and a specific place of remembrance.

A circular walk through valley and fields

The short circular walk first passes through a small wooded valley with a stream and then continues across pastureland. Along the way, the route passes orchards and fields. The landscape thus changes over the course of the walk, from a wooded valley to more open terrain. If the surroundings are your main consideration when planning, this sequence and the described landscape features are useful points of reference. The circular walk offers a different focus from the historical sites: here, the route and landscape take centre stage.

Route and surface

The route surface changes in sequence from a paved path to a gravel path and then an unsurfaced path. The circular walk therefore does not have a uniform surface throughout. The described route begins after turning off the B4251 onto Twyn Gwyn Road and then continues as a circular route. Check the route conditions before setting out, as they may change.

The themes can help you plan your stay: the dates relating to the hotel, hall and colliery help place the industrial history in context; Capel y Babell represents the literary connection, while the circular walk takes you through woodland, past a stream and across pastureland, orchards and fields. Depending on whether you are more interested in history or a walk, you can take this focus into account when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Rhymney, Caerphilly, Oakdale, Blackwood, Crosskeys, Bedwas

Go to the main travel overview: Caerphilly.