Dinas Rock ( Welsh: Craig y Ddinas, "Fortress Rock") is a high promontory of

Carboniferous Limestone Carboniferous Limestone is a collective term for the succession of limestones occurring widely throughout Great Britain and Ireland that were deposited during the Dinantian epoch (geology), Epoch of the Carboniferous period (geology), Period. T ...

which rises between the

Afon Mellte Afon Mellte or the River Mellte is a river in south Wales. It is formed by the confluence of the Afon Llia and the Afon Dringarth. It then flows south through the village of Ystradfellte to Pontneddfechan where it joins with the Nedd Fechan ...

and its left-bank tributary, the

Afon Sychryd The Afon Sychryd is a river in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Although it is a relatively short river, with a total length of , it is notable for the gorge and two waterfalls through which it flows. Course The river has two upper arms, the first arise ...

on the border between the county of

Powys Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. Geog ...

and the county borough of

Neath Port Talbot Neath Port Talbot ( cy, Castell-nedd Port Talbot) is a county borough in the south-west of Wales. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot, Briton Ferry and Pontardawe. The county borough borders Bridgend County Borough and Rhondda Cynon Taf ...

in south

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It can be found near the village of Pontneddfechan near Glyn Neath at the head of the

Vale of Neath The Vale of Neath (or Neath Valley, Welsh: ''Cwm Nedd''), one of the South Wales Valleys, encompasses the upper reaches of the River Neath in southwest Wales. In addition to the River Neath, it is traversed by the Neath Canal and the A465 dual ...

. It derives its name from the presence of

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

earthworks on its summit, ''dinas'' in Welsh signifying a defensive site or "city".

Protected landscape and habitats

Dinas Rock lies within the

Brecon Beacons National Park The Brecon Beacons National Park ( cy, Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog) is one of three national parks in Wales, and is centred on the Brecon Beacons range of hills in southern Wales. It includes the Black Mountain ( cy, Y Mynydd Du) i ...

and the

Fforest Fawr Geopark Fforest Fawr Geopark is a Geopark in the Brecon Beacons National Park, south Wales. It is the first designated Geopark in Wales having gained membership of both the European Geoparks Network and the UNESCO-assisted Global Network of National ...

. It is owned by

Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales ( cy, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Coun ...

, who manage it for its wildlife interest and recreation. The mineral rights (and thus relicts of former mining and quarrying) are owned by Natural Amenities Ltd, a body concerned with the preservation of mines. The deep gorges which define its northern and southern edges are designated as a part of the Coedydd Nedd a Mellte (Neath & Mellte Woodlands)

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

(SAC) on account of their thick oak and ash woodlands, which shelter important

bryophyte The Bryophyta s.l. are a proposed taxonomic division containing three groups of non-vascular land plants (embryophytes): the liverworts, hornworts and mosses. Bryophyta s.s. consists of the mosses only. They are characteristically limited in s ...

communities, in particular certain species of moss. The woodlands are also designated as a part of the Dyffrynoedd Nedd a Mellte a Moel Penderyn (Neath & Mellte Valleys and Moel Penderyn) Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Industrial archaeology

The landform has been re-shaped by the extraction of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

and by the nearby mining of

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is ...

rock and its transport down-valley by various means. The former limestone quarry is now a car park; its walls are used by climbers and abseilers. The Dinas Rock Silica Mines just to the east of Dinas Rock itself used to provide large quantities of very pure crushed sandstone destined for the manufacture of refractory bricks for furnace linings and the like. A system of tramways, aerial cableways and inclines on the southern flanks of Dinas Rock conveyed the material from the mines to the valley below.

Recreation

Its dramatic appearance has long made Dinas Rock a destination for casual visitors, but its steep rocky flanks also attract

rock climbers Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...

and gorge-walkers. The tramways now provide routes for walkers to enjoy the site, in particular the Sychryd easy-access trail, which runs for ¼ mile from the main car park to the Sgydau Sychryd cascade between Dinas Rock and the spectacular rock known as Bwa Maen, on the southern side of the Afon Sychryd.

Climbing

The steep and overhanging southern faces of Dinas Rock are moderately popular with sports climbers, whilst easier routes are enjoyed by organised groups in the former quarry at the western end of the rock. It is considered by some as the best inland

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

in South Wales for rock climbing. The cliff features 75 sports routes through a variety of grades on clean rock with a variety of styles and features.

Gorge walking

The beds and rocky sides of the two rivers provide one of the most popular venues in Wales for gorge-walkers.

(NRW) works with organised adventure sports providers and landowners to manage this activity, so as to minimise the damage which it can cause to the SAC, which NRW is charged with protecting under European environmental protection law.

Caving

There are a few short caves in and around Dinas Rock, including Ogof Pont Sychryd, Ogof Bwa Maen and Will's Hole. The last named is also known as Arthur's Cave or Dinas Rock Cave and extends to just under in length. It is associated with

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...

, as it is one of the many locations reputed to be the place where

Arthur's Arthur's was a London gentlemen's club, now dissolved, which was established in 1811 and was disbanded in 1940. Between 1827 and 1940 it was based at 69 St James's Street. It is now best remembered for having built the London clubhouse currentl ...

knights lie waiting for a call to defend Britain.

Motorcycle Sport

The International Six Days Trial was first held in 1913 in Carlisle. The event originally a reliability test became the premiere off road event sometimes known as the Olympics or Davis Cup of Motorcycling and was reported on across the world and in News Reels and National Daily Papers. It took place in Wales i
193319371938
an
1949
starting from

Llandrindod Wells Llandrindod Wells (, ; cy, Llandrindod, /ɬanˈdɾindɔd/ "Trinity Parish"), sometimes known colloquially as Llandod, is a town and community in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Radnorshire, Wales. It serves as the seat of Powy ...

. Each day the riders faced about 400 km of riding. In these years the course passes and featured Dinas Rock as a technical challenging feature. It was sufficiently noted for the specialist press photographers to catch the riders passing through and images of Dinas Rock are found in the motorcycle magazine reports of the time.

References

External links

Speedtracktales: the History of the ISDT
{{coord, 51.7606, -3.5747, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Cliffs of Powys Cliffs of Rhondda Cynon Taf Fforest Fawr Vale of Neath Climbing areas of Wales