Dare Valley Country Park facts for kids
Dare Valley Country Park (which is Parc Gwledig Cwm Dâr in Welsh) is a fun public park in Wales. It's located near the small village of Cwmdare and the town of Aberdare. You can find it in the Cynon Valley, which is part of Rhondda Cynon Taff in South Wales.
The park is huge, covering about 500 acres (or 2 square kilometers)! It has lots of woodlands, open grassy areas, and even moorland mountainside. The local council, Rhondda Cynon Taf, takes care of the park. It's a great place to explore nature and learn about the area's history.
A Look Back: Coal Mining History
This area, especially around Cwmdare, was once very busy with coal mining. For over a hundred years, people dug for coal here. There were four large coal mines, called collieries, operating at different times.
Some of these mines, like Cwmdare, Merthyr Dare, and Bwllfa Dare, started in the 1850s. Another one, Nantmelyn Colliery, began in 1860. Miners worked hard to get coal from the Maerdy mountain. Over time, the coal ran out, and the mines closed one by one. The last one stopped coal extraction in 1957.
There were also two different railway lines that helped move the coal. These lines were built by rival companies. One line, the Dare and Aman Branch, reached Bwllfa Colliery in 1857. It crossed two big bridges called viaducts, which were designed by the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The second railway line opened in 1866 and followed the River Dare.
How the Park Began
Dare Valley Country Park officially opened in December 1973. Before it became a park, this land was covered in coal tips and other things left behind from over a century of mining.
It took two years to clean up and transform the area. Workers cleared away the old coal tips and even changed the path of the River Dare. This amazing effort turned a former industrial site into the beautiful park we see today.
You can still see reminders of the mining past in the park. There are old coal trams and parts of the pit winding gear. This winding gear is now a special monument in the northern part of the park. In 1985, a Visitor Centre was built, where you can learn even more about the park and its history.
What You Can Do at the Park
Dare Valley Country Park has many cool features for visitors. There are two man-made lakes, one higher up and one lower down. Water flows from the upper lake to the lower one, creating a pretty waterfall called a cascade on the River Dare.
The park is open every day of the year, so you can visit whenever you like. Plus, parking your car is free! It's a great place for walks, picnics, and enjoying the outdoors.
