Draethen is a village in the county borough of Caerphilly, South Wales, and the community of

Rudry Rudry ( cy, Rhydri) is a small village and community located to the east of Caerphilly in Wales. As a community Rudry contains not only the village of Rudry, but also the villages of Draethen, Garth and Waterloo. The population of the community ...

. The village is located some east of Caerphilly, and northeast of

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. Located on the southern reaches of the

Rhymney River The Rhymney River ( cy, Afon Rhymni) is a river in the Rhymney Valley, South Wales, flowing through Cardiff into the Severn Estuary. The river formed the boundary between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire until in 1887, ...

within the historic boundaries of Glamorgan, Draethen is bordered by

Bedwas Bedwas is a town situated two miles north-east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly county borough, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. Bedwas neighbours Trethomas, Graig-y-Rhacca and Machen, and forms a council ...

to the west, Rhiwderin to the east, Michaelston-y-Fedw to the south east and Lower Machen to the north. Draethen Woods contain a number of former

lead mining Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, l ...

sites and surface workings dating back to at least

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

times. The mines once exploited a vein of

lead ore Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, l ...

that exists in the exposed

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 ...

of the Southern Outcrop in this region. All the sites are presently fenced off, but there are no known access restrictions, making it a popular location for experienced cavers. The Rhymny Valley Ridgeway Walk, the Rhymney River Circular Walk and the Llwyn Hir Forestry Walk all meet up at Draethen.

References

External links

UKCaving.com - Draethen Lead MinesDraethen, Waterloo and Rudry Community Council
{{authority control Villages in Caerphilly County Borough