RUDRY & the RHYMNEY VALLEY

RUDUM HALF is a 16-mile figure-of-eight course following the Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Walk and Cambrian Way from Rudry, home to Dr William Price, the physician and political activist best known for his support of Welsh nationalism, Chartism, vegetarianism and involvement with the Neo-Druidic religion.

From Rudry Common, the route soon picks up the Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Walk with views over Caerphilly, perhaps our favourite stretch of the traditional RIDUM. The landscape still shows signs of the Industrial Revolution which brought a massive boom in coal mining and iron ore production to the area.

The route switches to the the Cambrian Way and onto the ridgeline that leads to Cefn Orr (259m). After the checkpoint a small loop takes us up Mynydd Machen (362m) and back via Mynydd y Bwlch to the finish line.

The undulating course manages to accrue 3,350 feet of elevation over mixed terrain including woodland path, trail, grass, and the odd smattering of tarmac, so appropriate footwear is required.

PointS of interest

• William Price refused to wear socks, believing them to be unhygienic.
• In the 19th Century, lead ore was extracted from the limestone hills surrounding Rudry, with miners being brought into the area from North Wales
• Built in 1268, Caerphilly Castle is the largest castle in Wales and only second to Windsor in the whole of Britain.
• Caerphilly is featured in the Sex Pistols documentary The Filth and the Fury. Caerphilly was one of the few councils that would allow the group to perform.
• Part of the route is on the Cambrian Way, a challenging 298-mile trail running coast-to-coast from Conway Castle to Cardiff Castle. Don’t worry, we don’t have to do the whole route! But if that’s something you fancy, check out the Calon Lan 300, a single-stage ultramarathon organised by our chums at Stable Adventures.