summer

Take advantage of the long summer days to get out and explore the landscape that makes the Blaenavon World Heritage Site unique. Pick up provisions for a picnic from the shops in the town (for instance cheese matured down the Big Pit from the Blaenafon Cheddar Company and some freshly made bread). Then follow the Iron Mountain Trail, and stopping at the Punchbowl, a lake set in a glacial “cwm” on the side of the Blorenge Mountain. From here there are spectacular views over Abergavenny and the Sugarloaf Mountain, as well as a chance of seeing Buzzards and Red Kites riding the thermals or hearing the Green Woodpeckers.

If you want to be a bit more active then make sure that you mark the World Heritage Weekend – the last weekend of June - in your diary. Saturday is a fun-filled day of activities in Blaenavon Heritage Town, the highlight of which is a spectacular Heritage Parade with costumes, steel drums and art sculptures paraded through the streets. Sunday brings the Country Fayre, set around the scenic Garn Lakes. Activities include kayaking, archery, a climbing wall and fishing. There’s also a craft marquee and plenty of places to sit at the lakeside to enjoy a hog roast or ice cream, whilst watching the countryside demonstrations. Whilst all this is happening you can take a trip on the Heritage Railway along the bottom of the Coity Mountain, overlooking the Garn Lakes.