Pontypridd Social Striders and Pontypridd Social Strollers walking groups

06/06/2026

After a weeks break last week, the walking groups are back. 👏😃👍

This coming week both groups will be meeting at Barry Sidings Country Park.

Pontypridd Social Striders - Monday 8th meeting 6pm at the car park gates. We will be meeting up again with our partner group Social Striders Walking Group and walking past the cafe, past the Bertie, over to the old Porth Fire Station area and up to Llwyncelyn Farm. The last section requires a bit of an uphill, but the views are worth it, mat even get a glimpse of a sun set ☀️
On the way back the hardest part will be passing The Bertie, Bar, Restaurant & Hotel, Trehafod without calling in for a social refresher 😉

Pontypridd Social Strollers - Tuesday 9th meeting 10.30am also at the car park gates, we will be walking a different route, taking a left before the cafe, going up into the forestry and walking down the valley towards Dan Y Lan and back up the flat path with lovely views of the river, back up to Barry Sidings Cafe for a delicious social coffee or lunch.

Good weather is forecast at the moment for both walks, fingers crossed that is the case, but check the forecast closer to the dates and wear appropriate clothing.

Have a great weekend, see u all soon 👍😃🚶🏽🚶‍♂️‍➡️

04/06/2026

Great news that the Rhondda Fach Active Travel Route is now open from Stanleytown to Maerdy..

Please fill in the public consultation survey and give your views.

Alongside Welsh Government, we’re in the process of updating Rhondda Cynon Taf’s Active Travel Network Map!

We’re encouraging residents to take part in our consultation, up until August 20, on the County Borough’s existing walking and cycling routes – along with new routes being developed for the future.

Take part here: https://orlo.uk/fedar

01/06/2026

Tonight’s walk is cancelled for our sister group tonight because of the bad weather

👉☔ CANCELLED TONIGHT'S WALK !!!!
It has been decided that the planned route won't be very pleasant following today's rainfall and it's too late to re-organise, so we will cancel. Next week's walk details will be posted later in the week and look forward to see you there 👍

Details for the Rhigos Mountain walk on Monday 1st June are:

Meeting 6pm at the Hendre'r Mynydd Car Park.
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Walk is a loop leaving the car park on a slightly rough single-track and then following fire roads to loop around Maerdy dam and back to the car park.

29/05/2026

Update for next weeks walks:-

Next week Martyn is on holibobs so there is no official walks, but our sister groups up Treherbert are always there if you fancy joining them for a valley adventure. 😃

Monday evening 6pm - Social Striders Walking Group are meeting on top of the Rhigos mountain at Hendre Mynydd car park to walk over to the beautiful mountain Reservoir Maerdy Dam.
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The Social Strollers and Snails walk on a Wednesday 10.30am.
Wed 5th meeting at Treherbert railway station to walk around Cwmsaerbren Basin.

You are more than welcome to join both groups, they are very friendly and welcoming.

26/05/2026

A fantastic walk today with the Pontypridd Social Strollers. Starting and finishing at Zucco - Pontypridd
We headed off through Ynysangharad Park, down the river path and onto the Taff Trail by the entrance to the cemetery.
Probably the best route for a day like today with lots of shade from the big trees.
We arrived at Meadow Street Community Garden and had a cool off under their tree canopy. A huge thanks to Holly for giving us a guided tour of their community garden project. Everyone was blown away with all the good work Holly and the team of 30 volunteers do. None of us realised what’s going on here right on our doorstep in Pontypridd.
Anyone interested in volunteering or running craft classes etc here, you are more than welcome 😃👍
Lots of chatting and socialising as normal, I’ve left the music off the reel this week so u can hear how chatty our group is 😂 also to hear the relaxation of birds singing, rivers flowing etc

No official walk next week as Martyn at PurpleShoots is on annual leave, but our regulars are welcome to meet up yourselves for a short social walk and cuppa 👍😃☕️

25/05/2026

Hope you had a lovely Bank Holiday and didn’t get too sunburnt, it was a scorcher 🔥😂☀️

Tmoz Pontypridd Social Strollers walk is starting 10.30am at Zucco - Pontypridd and walking through the park, down the Taff Trail and over to Meadow Street Community Garden for about 11.30am. We are being given a tour of the fantastic community allotment and wellbeing space, there is so much going on there, bring some spare change as there will be some plant still left for sale. 🫛🪴🌱🪻
After our visit we will be hot tailing it back to Zucco to sample some of their delicious lunchtime delights ☕️🍰🍕

Bring plenty of water and sun tan lotion 😃👍☀️

20/05/2026

A lovely adventure around Llanwonno with the Ponty Social Strollers yesterday. Well done everyone who turned up, lots of newbies again 👏👏👏
Lots of walking and talking and new friendships made, as always
It was well worth turning up as the weather wasn’t as bad as forecast, it was actually really nice in the end, as were the road workers who let us pass through on foot, thanks guys 😃👍
We walked the forestry loop with lovely views over Ynysybwl and then headed over to Caban Guto area for a wander and to show the people who hadn’t been there before.so they can call back on a day it’s open.
Lunch was calling so off we marched back to The Brynffynon , giving the local tadpoles and newts a wave on our way past 🦎😂
The welcome and food was first class as always, thanks to the staff for a lovely end to our walk. 👏👍🔥

Next Tuesday we are starting and finishing at Zucco - Pontypridd cafe 10.30am to walk the Taff Trail down to Meadow Street Community Garden to see the great work they area doing at their community allotment project.
Have a great bank holiday weekend 👍😃
Purple Shoots
Chwaraeon RHCT / Sport RCT
Interlink RCT
Keep Wales Tidy - Cadwch Gymru'n Daclus
Rhondda Wellbeing Coordinators
Friends of Graigwen Woods
Strollers and Snails
Social Striders Walking Group

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19/05/2026

Well done the 10 walkers who turned up last night in the drizzly weather, 7 who were newbies, our numbers are growing 🤙😃
Thanks to Dave the ex chairman of Friends of Graigwen Woods for giving us a talk before we set off.
He explained about ongoing fundraiser to purchase more woodland for the community to enjoy and keep the resident nature community safe in this beautiful local temperate rainforest.

We set off from the old cattle grid, following the PROW path through the woodlands, passed the old quarries which are now climbing pitches and over to the top of the industrial quarry above Glyncoch. Back across the fields on top to the start.

The fantastic views were not the only enjoyable aspect of the walk, making new friends, learning people’s stories of the area was great, there’s nothing like local knowledge and experiences when you are out exploring.
One of our regulars Mark told us how he would walk this route as a child to get to school from Ynysybwl to Ponty, if he missed the school bus 😂
Also thanks to local guru Ken Moon of Tir Pontypridd for joining us and telling us about the great work they do for the community around land ownership👏😃

Next week there is no walk as it’s bank holiday.
Then Martyn is the on holidays for the first 2wks of June.
June 1st - Because we havnt started the walk leader volunteering process yet, there wont be an official walk, but you are welcome to meet up as friends.
June 8th - there will be a joined up walk with Social Striders Walking Group and their volunteers will lead the walk. Meeting 6pm at the old Porth Fire Station.
Purple Shoots
Interlink RCT
Keep Wales Tidy - Cadwch Gymru'n Daclus
Rhondda Wellbeing Coordinators
Rhondda Cynon Taf Local Nature Partnership
Barry Sidings Cafe
Cynon Valley Organic Adventures
Chwaraeon RHCT / Sport RCT

17/05/2026

CHANGE OF PLAN - for Tuesday’s Strollers walk.

I’ve been up Llanwonno today to recce Tuesdays walk, lucky I did as the road will be closed on the short stretch from just after the Brynffynon Pub to the Forestry Picnic Area car park, where we was going to park.
It’s closed from 8am Monday to 3pm Tuesday. 🙈

I’ve arranged with the owner of The Brynffynon that we can park 10.30am in their car park instead and they’ll expect us back about 12.30ish for a cuppa or lunch. 😃

Hopefully we can still do the same walk as planned 🤞 if not I have another option up my sleeve, any news I’ll let u know on here. 👍