Merthyr Common & Pen March: Merthyr Tydfill & Caerphilly High Points

Pontsticill Reservoir and view to the Brecon Beacons

Merthyr Common

Significance: High Point for the Welsh Principal Area of Merthyr Tydfil
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Cefn yr Ystrad. NHN = Pen March
Elevation: 531m
Coordinates: 51° 47' 25'' N, 3° 20' 6'' W
Links: Wikipedia (Merthyr Tydfil), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Pen March

Significance: High Point for the Welsh Principal Area of Caerphilly
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Cefn yr Ystrad. NHN = Cefn yr Ystrad
Elevation: 535m
Coordinates: 51° 47' 27'' N, 3° 19' 56'' W
Links: Wikipedia (Caerphilly), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

For both peaks:

Date climbed: August 19th 2023
Route Start & Finish: Red Cow Inn, Main Road, Pontsticill, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 2UN
Route Distance: 6.6 km (4.1 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 284m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Taff Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 8
Pubs / Cafes on route: Red Cow Inn at start and finish
Map: Brecon Beacons National Park / Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog Map | Western Area | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL12
Links: Pontisticill, Pontsticill Reservoir, Brecon Beacons National Park

This walk covers the high points of both the Welsh Principal Areas of Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly.

To start the walk I parked outside the Red Cow Inn at Pontsticill and followed the road down the hill to cross over Taff Fechan (river) to meet the Taff Trail. Cross the road opposite the water treatment plant to join a footpath that leads up the hill in a north-easterly direction. The path crosses under the Brecon Mountain Railway to meet a path junction at the 350m contour line. Take a right and keep to the path now heading south-east. At the 440m contour line, approximately 1.4km into the walk, leave the path and cross open land towards the high points. This is where I found it essential to follow my GPX track as it’s easy to get lost up there.

The route to the high point roughly follows the border of Merthyr Tydfil and Powys until you reach a dry pond that marks the Merthyr / Powys / Caerphilly county tri-point. The Merthyr Common high point is to the west of the pond and Pen March to the east. There’s nothing to mark either and neither feels like an achieved summit as the ground in Powys to the north of the border is higher.

My original plan for this walk was to include the Trig Point at the summit of Cefn Yr Ystrad. It was now late in a full day of high-point bagging, getting cold and the route to the Trig Pillar was boggy. I decided to leave Cefn Yr Ystrad for another day, return to Pontsticill and rest for more high-points the next day.