Swansea Valley

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The Swansea Valley (Welsh: Cwm Tawe) encompasses the upper reaches of the River Tawe area in South Wales, upstream from Swansea. Today, the area is divided between the City and County of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot county borough, and Powys.

Notable towns and villages in the area include Clydach, Pontardawe, Ystradgynlais, Ystalyfera and Abercraf. In its September 2005 document Towards a Valleys Strategy, Neath Port Talbot Council notes "a marked divide between the more remote communities at Ystalyfera and along the Twrch and Amman Valleys and the reasonably prosperous southern communities of Pontardawe, Alltwen, Rhos, and Trebanos." [1] The area is served by the A4067 Swansea-Brecon road, but has had no rail connection since passenger services on the former Midland Railway line between Swansea and Brecon ceased in the 1930s.

The valley is the site of Dan yr Ogof, claimed to be the largest show cave complex in Europe.^{[citation needed]} This was formerly a region of heavy industry including coal mining and iron-making; the Swansea Canal was built along the valley in the late 18th century to serve the nascent local industries. In 1878 Opera singer Adelina Patti made her home at Craig-y-Nos castle.