Cae Ffwrnais

Cae Ffwrnais

Steelworks Road, Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent. NP23 6AA

The best of both worlds

Cae Ffwrnais is in an ideal spot for those who enjoy town living but who also want the opportunity to get away from it all within mere minutes. And the choices don’t stop there. The West Country, Cardiff and the Forest of Dean are just short distances away by car, whilst the newly planned railway is set to make access to the rest of the UK just as simple.

Getting around

A haven of tranquillity and self-sufficiency, Ebbw Vale is a town that actually inspires staying put. The Brecon Mountain Railway, enabling you to travel through the glorious peaks of South Wales, might entice you away of course. Or you might choose to take the short drives to nearby Merthyr Tydfil and Abergavenny. If you do need to go a little further afield, the M50 motorway is easily accessible, putting the whole of the UK within your reach. And in the very near future, when the railway once again passes through the town, that reach will gain a substantial boost.

The local area

Few areas in South Wales have undergone as many significant changes as Ebbw Vale. Before 1346, the only things to have existed here were sheep, mountain ponies and the farmers that tended to them. Even at the end of the 18th Century, the valley’s population was only about 140. And it wasn’t until then that a great many coal mines sprang up around the town.

What really changed the shape of the landscape, though, wasn’t coal mining but the furnace and iron works, which opened in 1778. By 1815, the valley’s population had grown to 1,200 thanks to the work provided by the iron works (eventually to become the steel works), and was sent on an irreversible course of continued growth. The existing town owes its layout, its heritage and its familial ties to those early industrial days.

Now, that growth is entering a new phase as the town re-shapes itself once more. The steelworks and the mines are gone from all but memory, and new families, new lifestyles and new professions are bringing Ebbw Vale firmly into the 21st Century. You’ll find schools, doctors, dentists, shops and leisure facilities at every turn. And the top flight Ebbw Vale rugby team has brought a true sense of shared passion to the town.

ITV Local

For details of local weather, travel and news visit the ITV Local website for this region.