Cwmdu or Llanfihangel Cwmdu is a small

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

of Cwmdu and District, situated in the heart of the Black Mountains in

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Its name is derived from the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

"Cwm Du", which means 'Black Valley'. It is located on the A479

Talgarth Talgarth is a market town, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in southern Powys, Mid Wales, about north of Crickhowell, north-east of Brecon and south-east of Builth Wells. Notable buildings in the town include the 14th-century ...

to Tretower road. Nearby towns include

Crickhowell Crickhowell (; , non-standard spelling ') is a town and community (Wales), community in southeastern Powys, Wales, near Abergavenny, and is in the historic counties of Wales, historic county of Brecknockshire. Location The town lies on th ...

and

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

. The population of the

, Llanfihangel Cwmdu with Bwlch and Cathedine, which includes Cwmdu and nearby villages

Bwlch is a village and an electoral ward in the community of Cwmdu and District, Powys, south Wales. The settlement is strung out along the A40 road which crosses a low col above the Usk Valley at this point on its route between Brecon and Crickhowe ...

, and

Tretower Tretower () is a hamlet in the community of Cwmdu and District, in the southern part of the county of Powys in Wales. It lies on the A479 road within the Brecon Beacons National Park (Bannau Brycheiniog) at the foot of the Black Mountains jus ...

Cathedine Cathedine () is a small hamlet that lies between the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains, in Powys, Wales. It is an approximately 2 miles from Llangorse and 2 miles from Bwlch, in the community of Llangors. It has a Norman castle and ...

is actually in the neighbouring community of

Llangors Llangors (also known as Llangorse) is a small village, community and electoral ward in southern Powys, in the historic county of Brecknockshire, within the Brecon Beacons National Park. Description Llangors lies a few miles east of Brecon, betwe ...

. as of the

2011 UK Census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...

was 1026. It is in the historic county of

Brecknockshire Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was created in 1 ...

Amenities

Cwmdu has several public facilities, including a park, a village

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

, the Farmers Arms and a cafe, the Mynydd-Ddu Tea Room. Its former primary school, which opened in 1873 and was visited by

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

in 2006, closed in 2012 and the building now contains an art gallery. Cwmdu attracts many tourists every year, who mainly consist of hikers

hillwalking Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Furthermore, access to much uncultiva ...

through on the

Beacons Way The Beacons Way (Welsh: Ffordd y Bannau) is a waymarked long distance footpath in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. It is a linear route which runs for east to west through the National Park, and passes many of the most important landmar ...

. Cwmdu is an attractive hiking destination as it is situated in the heart of the Black Mountains, and is only about 12 miles away from Pen-Y-Fan; the highest mountain range in South Wales and within the region's

National Park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

. The Church of the Archangel Michael is a grade II* listed building, largely rebuilt in 1830. In September 2012 Cwmdu was the site for the bi-annual AstroCamp. This saw a large gathering of astronomers and was televised by the BBC The Sky at Night programme the following October.

References

External links

Satellite map at MaplandiaThe prehistory and history of the locality
* {{authority control Villages in Powys Black Mountains, Wales