Merthyr Tydfil was, for a time, the iron capital of the world. Four great ironworks stood here, it was the largest town in Wales, and what came out of it built railways across half the planet. It is a working valleys town today, at the foot of Bannau Brycheiniog, the national park the maps used to call the Brecon Beacons.
7 places to stay · showing 1–7
Merthyr Tydfil, Brecon Beacons
A 4-star guest house on the bank of Llwyn-on reservoir in the Brecon Beacons, with stunning views, near Pen y Fan and BikePark Wales.
Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales
A detached self-catering lodge for four at Dolygaer near Pontsticill, with a private outdoor hot tub, open-plan living, valley views and the Brecon Beacons on the…
Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales
A spacious former-chapel holiday home near Merthyr Tydfil and Bike Park Wales, sleeping 14. Bike store, dog-friendly and great for families.
Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales
A characterful boutique inn on Merthyr Tydfil's historic High Street, with individually styled en-suite rooms, a café-bar lounge serving home-cooked food, and a pretty sheltered walled…
Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales
A friendly, independently run 17-room hotel at Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, with comfortable en-suite bedrooms, free parking and WiFi, and a well-known carvery and grill restaurant and…
Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales
A relaxed spa hotel at Cwm Taf on the edge of the Brecon Beacons near Merthyr Tydfil, with 33 en-suite rooms and suites, an 18-metre indoor…
Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales
Merthyr Tydfil's largest town-centre hotel, with 45 en-suite double, twin and family rooms, 24-hour reception, a restaurant and bar, and a large function suite. WiFi throughout.
More places to stay nearby in South Wales
South Wales
A 4-star apartment overlooking Caswell Bay on the Gower, sleeping 2, with bay views from the living area and a private balcony — a perfect couples’…
Afan Forest Park, Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
A 5-star luxury holiday home — a converted former Methodist church at Cwmavon on the edge of Afan Forest Park, sleeping 12. Dog-friendly.
Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
A 5-star luxury self-catering apartment in a peaceful part of Cardiff, sleeping 6, with guaranteed parking.
Cardiff, Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
A ten-room guest house on Coldstream Terrace, 300 metres from Cardiff Castle. Some rooms are en suite, some share a bathroom.
Bridgend, South Wales
A charming, historic hotel in Bryncethin near Bridgend, blending traditional character with modern comfort.
Cardiff, Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
A grand Victorian landmark hotel opposite Cardiff Castle, welcoming guests for over 100 years — full of history and character.
Cardiff, Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
A country manor of 1850 in its own grounds on Thornhill Road, four miles north of central Cardiff, with 25 rooms and a glass-domed restaurant.
Barry, South Wales
A stylish boutique hotel in Barry, blending historic charm with modern luxury — a characterful base near Barry Island.
Go to Cyfarthfa first. William Crawshay II put up a castellated mansion here in 1825 so that he could look down on his own furnaces. It is the town museum now, standing in a public park. An adult ticket is three pounds fifty.
Then get on the hill. The mountains begin where the streets end, and Pen y Fan, the highest in southern Britain, is twenty minutes up the A470. BikePark Wales sits on the mountain above the town, and Cardiff is half an hour or so south by car.
The four ironworks were Dowlais, Cyfarthfa, Penydarren and Plymouth, and between them they pulled in more people than any town in Wales could house. There were 7,700 here in 1801 and 46,000 by 1851.
The town paid for it. In 1831 the ironworkers rose over wage cuts and soldiers fired into the crowd outside the Castle Inn. A private called Donald Black was stabbed in the leg, and a young miner of twenty-three, Dic Penderyn, was hanged in Cardiff that August for the wound. Black could not identify him, and in 1874 another man confessed on his deathbed.
Cyfarthfa Castle went to the council in 1908 and opened as a museum and a school two years later. The Crawshays had run out of reasons to stay, and no Crawshay lived in it again.
You can walk into the grounds for nothing at any time of year. From April to September the museum opens every day, ten until a quarter to five. Through the winter it shuts on Mondays.
The Brecon Mountain Railway climbs from Pant up the Taf Fechan valley alongside the reservoirs, and the Taff Trail runs right through the middle of the town. Pontsticill and Talybont both have easy circuits to walk.
BikePark Wales takes around a hundred thousand riders a year on the mountain at Pentrebach, and it runs an uplift van so you do not have to pedal up. Book the uplift ahead at weekends, because it sells out.
Merthyr Tydfil is the way into the southern Bannau Brycheiniog from the valleys. Cyfarthfa Castle and its museum sit on the edge of the town, and the A470 runs straight up to the Pen y Fan car parks. What is listed here is hotels, inns, lodges and guest houses, and most have a bar and a restaurant. Brecon is the alternative base for the hills.
See all: South Wales accommodation
Browse South Wales by type: B&Bs & Guest Houses · Hotels & Inns · Cottages & Self-Catering
Nearby areas: Cardiff & the Vale of Glamorgan · Brecon Beacons · Swansea & Gower · Wye Valley
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