The Slow Train Coming group went to Rhymney on Thursday, March 2nd to Rhymney.
The weather was the big surprise of the day. I thought we would be chilled to the bone but the sun was out and shone on us all day. Some 25 brave souls made our way up to Rhymney on the train, some getting on at Cardiff Queen Street and others joining at stations along the way.
We looked at the town’s industrial history and brewery history before making our way up to the town and starting on a series of stops looking at the poet Idris Davies.
A warm welcome was given to us by Rhymney Library staff together with a complimentary hot drink.
Quite a few people seemed to enjoy the break at the local chip shop before we made our way up the High Street, finding the mosaic outside the Community Centre then the birthplace of Thomas Jones.
The architecture of St David’s church was kindly explained to us by Kevin (ex-Cardiff u3a). Then it was down to the Baptist church, scene of Baptist Fair in 1841 and along to Ty Carno tuck shop.
Next stop was the cemetery to look for the grave of Idris Davies where we were greeted with an excellent display from some red kites and buzzards with the sunlight picking out their colours wonderfully.
Quite a few still had enough energy left in the tank to make it up to the Twisted Chimney sculpture at the top of the valley and Butetown model village.
Our timing for the end of the trip was poor and people made a rushed decision as to whether to sprint back to the station for one train or a more leisurely stroll for the next. Some of the sprinters made it whilst others of us just missed out.
Transport for Wales staff appeared out of nowhere offering us another free hot drink our spirits lifted, only to be dashed ten minutes later when it became obvious that the water for the drinks wasn’t going to be hot enough till after our train departed. As the train pulled out of Rhymney station we could see the coffee beans being poured into the machine and steam beginning to rise. We’ve still got the free drinks token though!
Thanks again to the work of Peter Finch for a suggested walking route taken from his book Walking the Valleys.