Merthyr Tydfil (Welsh: Merthyr Tudful) is a town and County Borough in South Wales in the historic county of Glamorgan on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Merthyr Tydfil is often abbreviated to "Merthyr".
Merthyr was a major centre of coal mining and steel manufacturing and the location of the invention of the steam locomotive. In the 19th century, its population exceeded that of Swansea and of Cardiff. In the latter half of the 20th century, it suffered from serious industrial decline. In the 2010s, it started to undergo regeneration as a dormitory town for Cardiff and Swansea, and exploiting its potential for tourism based on its history and location near the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Merthyr Tydfil can be reached by A470 located 22 miles north of the M4 Junction 32 which is just north of Cardiff. The A470 connects with the "Heads of the Valley road" which connects Swansea with the M5. The road is good quality dual carriageway between Merthyr and Cardiff.
Merthyr Tydfil station 📍 has a twice hourly service to Cardiff Central station and a route to Cardiff Queen Street station.
Merthyr Tydfil makes an excellent base camp for those wishing to see the Brecon Beacons with easier access to transport links and services.
There is a retail park in Merthyr with a wide variety of shops and food outlets. The town centre is mainly pedestrianised and there are some sandwich shops and small cafes with restaurants opening in the evenings.
The town has a variety or restaurants and takeaways mainly around the town centre or in one of the retail or leisure parks. It mainly offers the usual chains but there are a number of good restaurants offering Indian food, for example, in the evenings.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division