Ystradfellte
Encyclopedia
Ystradfellte is a small village
in Powys
, Wales
, in the Fforest Fawr
area of the Brecon Beacons
National Park
.
Because of the geography
and topography
of the area the village of Ystradfellte is not visible from the nearest main road, the A4059
Hirwaun
to A470
stretch.
Ystradfellte comes under Aberdare
for postal reasons.
, Wales
, on the Afon Mellte. The village is a popular centre for tourists, many of whom come for the hillwalking
or visit the waterfall
s and cave
s of the river. Ystradfellte is also home to a pub, The New Inn, and Croydon Caving Club.
s and karst
scenery, making caving
a popular activity. Some of the more famous caves near the village include:
, where the footpath passes behind the waterfall.
surrendered at the conclusion of his revolt of 1316. Llywelyn, who gave himself up on the condition that his men be spared, was put to death in 1318 at Cardiff.
Radio One show during this period.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, in the Fforest Fawr
Fforest Fawr
Fforest Fawr is the name given to an extensive upland area in the county of Powys, Wales. Formerly known as the 'Great Forest of Brecknock' in English, it was a royal hunting area for several centuries but is now used primarily for sheep grazing, forestry, water catchment and recreation...
area of the Brecon Beacons
Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons is a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of popular peaks south of Brecon, including South Wales' highest mountain, Pen y Fan, and which together form the central section of the Brecon Beacons National Park...
National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
.
Because of the geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
and topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
of the area the village of Ystradfellte is not visible from the nearest main road, the A4059
A4059 road
The A4059 road is a single-carriageway north-south road that runs between the A470 at Brecon Beacons National Park and the A470 at Abercynon.Southbound, the A4059 begins by turning right off the A470 to the south of Storey Arms, just after passing the Beacons Reservoir...
Hirwaun
Hirwaun
Hirwaun is the name of a village at the northwest end of the Cynon Valley in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The village of Hirwaun is from the town of Aberdare, and comes under Aberdare for postal reasons...
to A470
A470 road
The A470 is a major long-distance connective spine road in Wales, running from Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. It covers approximately 186 miles , over a zig-zagging route through the entirety of the country's mountainous central region, including the Brecon Beacons and...
stretch.
Ystradfellte comes under Aberdare
Aberdare
Aberdare is an industrial town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare and Cynon. The population at the census was 31,705...
for postal reasons.
Geography
Ystradfellte lies in PowysPowys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, on the Afon Mellte. The village is a popular centre for tourists, many of whom come for the hillwalking
Hillwalking
In the British Isles, the terms hillwalking or fellwalking are commonly used to describe the recreational outdoor activity of walking on hills and mountains, often with the intention of visiting their summits...
or visit the waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s and cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s of the river. Ystradfellte is also home to a pub, The New Inn, and Croydon Caving Club.
Caves
The area around Ystradfellte is renowned for its caveCave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s and karst
Karst topography
Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...
scenery, making caving
Caving
Caving—also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems...
a popular activity. Some of the more famous caves near the village include:
- Porth yr OgofPorth yr OgofPorth yr Ogof is a cave located near the village of Ystradfellte, near the southern boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. In 1998 the cave's passageways had been measured as over 2.25 km in length. Among the cave's fifteen entrances is the largest cave entrance in Wales...
- the biggest cave entrance in WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, through which the river Mellte flows - Little Neath River Cave
- Ogof Ffynnon DduOgof Ffynnon DduOgof Ffynnon Ddu is a cave located under a hillside in the area surrounding Penwyllt in the Upper Swansea Valley in South Wales...
- the third-longest cave in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Waterfalls
A popular attraction near the village is the Waterfalls Walk, a generally easy walk along the Afon Mellte. The route passes two main falls on the river, Sgwd Clun-gwyn and Sgwd Isaf Clun-gwyn, and finishes at Sgwd yr Eira on the Afon HepsteAfon Hepste
The Afon Hepste is a river in Powys, Wales and wholly within the Brecon Beacons National Park.Its headwaters, the Afon y Waun, Nant y Cwrier and Nant Hepste Fechan, rise on the Old Red Sandstone dip-slopes of Fforest Fawr and combine to form the Afon Hepste near the farmstead of Hepste Fechan...
, where the footpath passes behind the waterfall.
History
Ystradfellte is chiefly known in Welsh history for being the spot where the Welsh nobleman and rebel leader Llywelyn BrenLlywelyn Bren
Llywelyn Bren , or Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ap Rhys or Llywelyn of the Woods , was a nobleman who led a revolt in Wales during the reign of King Edward II of England in 1316. The revolt would be the last serious challenge to English rule in Wales until the attempts of Owain Lawgoch to invade Wales with...
surrendered at the conclusion of his revolt of 1316. Llywelyn, who gave himself up on the condition that his men be spared, was put to death in 1318 at Cardiff.
Famous residents
The musical act Melthair and the LoveRats based themselves in Ystradfellte during the spring of 2007, recording the album 'National Record of Desire' in Dan y Bryn cottage. The band also appeared on Bethan Elfyn's Bethan ElfynBethan Elfyn
Bethan Elfyn is a Welsh radio and television presenter.Bethan was born in Bangor, Gwynedd, was brought up in Newtown, Powys, and now lives in Cardiff. She is a fluent Welsh speaker and has appeared as a panellist on Welsh language channel S4C's music talent show Waw Ffactor...
Radio One show during this period.