Cyfarthfa Castle

Wow! what a beautiful place in an i-​sore of an industrial town. Once hailed the largest town in Wales, Merthyr Tydfil is now the home to the Gurnos estate, the highest number of benefit claimers and the good old Merthyr Martyrs. But, its also home to Carfartha Castle, previous home to the Crawshay’s, the owners of the Merthyr Ironworks.
Set in luscious green grass the castle stands proud on the mountainside visible from quite a few angles in Merthyr.
The park itself is something to behold with the cute little lake and acres of grass to loll about in.
A nice park for the kiddie winkles and in the summer there’s a small, yet freezing cold little paddling pool. Hey, it cant have it all can it?
The castle itself plays host to a museum which is free to enter and plays home to a small tea room where the grub is top notch!
You can get married here too, and even if you don’t many couples opt to have their wedding pictures here, so the best time to visit, if your an old romantic like yours truly, is a Saturday during the summer months.
Well worth a little hour out, whether to feed the ducks, have a little wander, learn some valuable, rugged, Welsh history or have a wee wedding perv!

Situated on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil Cyfartha Castle is well worth a visit. The castle was the home of the Crawshay family, the owners of the Merthyr Ironworks, which played a pivotal role in the history of the industrial revolution.
Part of the building which is set in large parkland is the local comprehensive school but there is also a fascinating museum/​art gallery, in part of the Crawshay’s former home.
There are a number of re-​creations illustrating the rich and varied history of Merthyr as well as several galleries housing paintings, precious artefacts, and natural history and collections.
The museum which is free entry, has a well stocked shop with books, and a variety of souvenirs and a small tea room. Be warned though, on the day I visited, the tea room was closed at 3pm despite the website stating 4pm so visiting later in the day may be worth having your cup of tea before exploring the museum.
The grounds of the castle are well worth exploring and in summer months often host concerts, one held by Donny Osmond some years ago being particularly remembered (though not by myself, I hasten to add).