Cefn-coed Viaduct Info
Amenities
Accessibility
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Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Children
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Good for kids
Best KPortal Reviews
It was really amazing to visit such an old structure and to enhance the knowledge about history. Additionally it gives a better view of the whole Merthyr Town which was amazing.
Fantastic scenic walkway and stunning viaduct.Spoilt by the sheer amount of dog poo all along the walkway and bridge by careless dog owners.
You won't be disappointed by the beauty of this place...
Small free car park on high street.
Cefn viaduct is the third largest in Wales and is a Grade II* listed building. It was designed by Alexander Sutherland in conjunction with Henry Conybeare and partly built by Thomas Savin and John Ward. In early 1866, the project faced disaster when Savin and Ward suffered serious financial and legal difficulties. It was eventually completed with the assistance of Alexander Sutherland. He produced an alternative route into Merthyr, curving the viaduct, so that the railway line avoided property owned by ironmaster Robert Thompson Crawshay. It cost £25,000 to build (equivalent to £2.6 million in 2019).
It consists of 15 arches, each one 39 feet 6 inches wide, and is 770 ft. long with a maximum height of 115 ft. It was planned to be constructed entirely of limestone like the nearby Pontsarn Viaduct but a trade union strike by stonemasons in February 1866 caused the company to buy 800,000 bricks and use bricklayers to complete the 15 arches. It was completed on 29 October 1866, three years after the main line which linked it with Brecon. The last trains travelled over the viaduct in the mid 1960s and it subsequently fell into disrepair. It was refurbished by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council with assistance from a grant from the National Lottery. It has now become part of the Taff Trail, route 8 of the National Cycleway.
It's a historical and visually impressive viaduct which has now been abandoned, but still is a tourist attraction. The massive archs and the architecture of the viaduct is very imposing. It was built more than a century ago at a cost of 25,000 pounds.
It's very easily accessible if you want to walk on the viaduct. However, for the best photographs, I would recommend going to a road bridge parallel to the viaduct (easily accessible from Cefn-coed village).
This is a lovely bridge to walk across with super views. We went to see it because it features as one of the locations in the BBC drama "The Pact" which I loved.
Stayed near the viaduct. Lovely walk through the woods and over the top
Absolutely fantastic, it's breathtaking and you can walk over and under the viaduct. You can see for miles and it's so tall and well constructed.
Quick Facts About Cefn-coed Viaduct
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