Overview
Introduction
Blaenavon, Wales, is located just on the edge of Brecon Beacons National Park and 28 mi/45 km northeast of Cardiff. Blaenavon is an industrial town and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also the terminus of the Pontypool-to-Blaenavon Railway, which is traveled by steam locomotives.
You can also visit the remains of an early industrial ironworks—one of the best-preserved 18th-century ironworks in Europe—and the Big Pit Mining Museum on the outskirts of town, which offers underground tours guided by former miners. The tours descend nearly 300 ft/90 m to the old coal seams below. The town also has many bookshops to explore.