Pen March

About Pen March

Perched above Rhymney, Pen March is less a jagged peak and more an industrial-strength plateau. It offers a bracing mix of post-collierie history and sweeping valley views, provided the mist hasn't decided to swallow the wind turbines. It’s rugged, slightly damp, and unapologetically Welsh.

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Did You Know?

• •The ridge was once the backbone of the local coal industry, overlooking the massive collieries that fueled the British Empire. You can still spot the scars of old workings and tramways that crisscross the moorland today.
• •Fans of the cult sitcom High Hopes might recognize the surrounding landscape of Fochriw from the opening credits. It serves as a gritty, atmospheric backdrop for the fictional village of Cwm-deri and the misadventures of the Hoffman family.
• •At 535 meters, the summit provides a panoramic vantage point over the Rhymney Valley. On a rare clear day, you can truly appreciate the contrast between the high moorland and the tightly packed terrace houses below.
• •The area is home to what locals call the Great Wall of Fochriw, an impressive and lengthy dry-stone structure. It stands as a testament to the sheer stubbornness of 19th-century laborers working in these exposed, windswept conditions.
• •Navigating this plateau in a thick fog is a character-building exercise in walking in circles while being silently judged by local sheep. You will likely spend more time negotiating bottomless boggy patches than enjoying the scenery, eventually doubting if the summit is actually a real place.