Moving to Wales

I am thinking of moving to Wales – freeing up some equity from the house and to be closer to the mountain bike areas.

I have seen a house I like the look of in Ystrad (Pentre) and the aerial views look good for the riding – is that too far North/into the valleys for comfort ? 🙂

I’m retiring, or semi-retiring, so no specific need to get to Cardiff, although it has been pointed out that there are trains from there to Cardiff.

I’ve seen the previous threads on Cardiff recommendations – I would rather have good riding from the door than live in Roath and drive out of Cardiff.

I have a friend who lives on Caerphilly mountain and went to Cardiff Uni, so know the Cardiff area a little.

Somewhere on the north side of Cardiff or up in Caerphilly was the original goal but noticed this house after researching the areas over towards Neath which would give better access to the Gower – and one house that was right nextdoor to Afan.

However someone I know who works in Neath warned against it…

I moved to Snowdonia last year. Best thing I ever did.

*Completely* rural. Next nearest house is 500m away. Can’t see it. I’m 35 minutes walk to the nearest town down the mountain via forestry track. I’ve got the Marin, Penmachno and all the other stuff ridable from my doorstep and the sea is 30 minutes drive away.

Although there are nice bits, I don’t particularly like south wales tho. If you’re thinking of retiring is proximity to a town or city that important? Frankly, if I was retiring retiring I might be looking at Scotland 😉

Anecdotally, I have never been ‘asked out’ for a fight in my life (and I grew up in a Yorkshire market town) other than in Wales. On one of the occasions it was only the fact I was with a group of locals (in the valleys but I forget the name of the town) that saved me from a proper beating just for having the temerity to be in ‘their’ pub.

It’s very easy to live in Cardiff and ride to the riding because there’s loads of it right outside the city. I do this all the time, I haven’t driven to ride in many years. In fact there is more every week, as trails are appearing everywhere.

I would personally choose very carefully if I were going to live in the Valleys. There are places with social problems, although there are nicer places too. But a significant issue for me personally is that a lot of Valleys housing is strips with no decent town centre, and many areas are getting choked up with bypasses and schemes to manage the ever-increasing traffic. If you live in somewhere like Roath or Canton the immediate environment is pleasant so I find it an enjoyable place to be when you aren’t riding.

But as I said there are beautiful pockets of rural housing, even if they aren’t matched with pleasant towns.

Anecdotally, I have never been ‘asked out’ for a fight in my life (and I grew up in a Yorkshire market town) other than in Wales.

Wales isn’t just one single place. There are rough places and nice places, just like anywhere else. The rough places struggle with post-industrial deprivation, as elsewhere, and the nice pleasant countryside is much like it is in the rest of the UK. Don’t stereotype the whole of Wales as being inhabited by thugs please.

Nice part of Wales with good access to lots of other areas. There are still some very run down towns and villages around though, not familiar with that one. We’re on the edge of an mtb area further north and it’s great. Fantastic walking and riding right from the door. Easy access to a bigger urban area which is handy for the shops (supermarkets and Screwfix). The locals have been very welcoming but it’s already quite a cosmopolitan area with people from all over. There are some places that are still bit “local shops for local people”. I can see somewhere like that holding its value and going up with the good links to Cardiff so not much to lose even if it doesn’t work out.

I’m staying at small hotel further up the valley in Treherbert tonight and will maybe visit some of the pubs in Ystrad tonight to sample how the locals accept me 😂

The girlfriend had favoured North Wales but I have close friends in Caerphilly.

House is lovely, just hoping that the area is ok. There is a small skatepark in the nearby park which gives me hope for some reason.

Datalogically ( there’s two of us now, so surely I’m allowed to say that) …
The only place I’ve ever been followed out for a fight in my life (and I grew up in a Glasgow) was in Wales. Only the fact that I managed to tag on to a large group of visitors prevented us from getting jumped.

On another occasion my Scottish accent was clearly a bit stronger so instead of reviling me the protagonist just focused on the other English people I was with.

I’m sure it’s got better since those days, but …..

Do your research…

https://www.instagram.com/bedwyr_williams/?hl=en

Don’t stereotype the whole of Wales as being inhabited by thugs please.

I wasn’t – I said
Anecdotally

adverb – according to or by means of personal accounts rather than facts or research.

i lived in Pembrokeshire for 13 years and my work involved travel across South Wales. I never felt comfortable in the valleys, even for the day.

if South Wales is your preferred area – how about considering a little further west around Carmarthen/Llandeilo? Close enough to Caerphilly but doesn’t have the ‘valleys’ feel. Also has great riding from the door!

What @Teenrat says.

Or listen to your other half – go to north wales. 🙂

I wasn’t – I said
Anecdotally

What I meant was that you said ‘Wales’ rather than ‘The Valleys’ or even bothering to remember what town it was.

I spent quite a few years living in Merthyr and my parents retired there – nightlife was a bit rough and you need to go to Cardiff if you want to browse shops but otherwise I can’t say it was that bad. Despite Merthyr’s rep it’s a fair bit more developed than some of the neighbouring valleys towns. I’m not too familiar with Ystrad, other than riding through it a few times (there’s a lot of good road riding in the area not just MTBing).

My dad never had any issues in the local pubs & rugby club he would often visit, including his insistence in wearing his England rugby shirt when Wales vs England games were shown at the club :p I can’t remember my parents having problems with crime/safety either (I think someone tried to break into their garage once but ended up actually leaving a chainsaw there rather than taking anything, no idea why). They fitted in easily in the community but my mum was from there and had various relatives dotted around so I’m sure that helped, I never got the sense anyone was anti-‘outsider’ though.

What I meant was that you said ‘Wales’ rather than ‘The Valleys’ or even bothering to remember what town it was.

One occasion was in north Wales (Criccieth), the other experience was in Aberdare now that you have pressed for it – I guess I never thought the actual town name was of such importance. Does that help?

My girlfriend thinks there’s no need for me to go visit the area ! I’ll show her this thread…

I’ll leave the watch and wallet in the hotel, or maybe locked in the car, before visiting any pubs tonight 🤣

I guess I never thought the actual town name was of such importance. Does that help?

Of course! If I said I was thinking of moving to England, and another Welsh person said ‘well, anecdotally, the only time I ever got beaten up was in Newcastle so.. yknow..’ people would be falling over themselves to point out how ridiculous that was and accuse me of anti-English sentiment.

Do you have to take everything in life so seriously Molgrips?

Of course! If I said I was thinking of moving to England, and another Welsh person said ‘well, anecdotally, the only time I ever got beaten up was in Newcastle so.. yknow..’ people would be falling over themselves to point out how ridiculous that was and accuse me of anti-English sentiment.

Based on the (deserved IMO) utter contempt for the majority of the English electorate on every political thread, you’d probably get hearty agreement.

Johndoh… maybe you’ve just got one of those faces😉 grew up in the valleys, uni in Stoke (only place a gang of lads tried to bundle me into a transit to give me a kicking) and have lived in North Wales past 25 years, I’d say the valleys folk are a little more open and friendly TBH got plenty of good mates up here too tho… if you have an open mind and are friendly, maybe even learn a few words of Welsh you’ll be fine! I’d go South purely because of Cardiff… riding mountains and coast are similar North and South

Do you have to take everything in life so seriously Molgrips?

Just the important stuff, like casual xenophobia for example.

My family is from the Rhondda, it’s pretty rough. Its unsurprising since there are no jobs so those with career aspirations leave and those that dont dont. But no reason you cant live there happily – you can certainly buy cheap housing. All depends what your prioritise are in life -if you hang around enough in rough pubs you will eventually get your head kicked in – that statement is true for any region of the UK.

Probably the reason most of the Welsh in the Valleys are anti English – they’re trying to prove their “Welshness” to cover up their descending from English immigrants to the mines in the late 1800s/early 1900s.

casual xenophobia

Good god – really?

Good god – really?

Yes! I can’t believe you can’t see the problem with the post you made.

OP: I’m thinking of moving to Wales
JD: Well, you know, the only time I was ever nearly beaten up it was in Wales…

I mean.. what the hell was that supposed to mean other than ‘Wales is pretty rough, watch out’? Presumably all of Wales, since you weren’t specific, and of course you mean Welsh people are rough since the actual landscape doesn’t do anything to you.

Probably the reason most of the Welsh in the Valleys are anti English – they’re trying to prove their “Welshness” to cover up their descending from English immigrants to the mines in the late 1800s/early 1900s.

Yeah not all of them. Many came from other parts of Wales and some were already living there. But if you want to talk history, read about how valuable South Wales coal was, and how much money was made – and then look at how poor the area is now. Where’d all that money go? When were the every day people of the Valleys ever rich? If you want a bit more insight into Welsh/English friction (besides this thread) look up Cofiwch Dryweryn.

I can’t believe you can’t see the problem with the post you made.

I don’t dislike Wales or Welsh people (I was out drinking with Welsh friends on that night in Aberdare). I was merely making a statement of fact based on my experience (even going as far as saying ‘anecdotally’ and reminding you of that statement in a later post). If you want to believe I am a xenophobe then crack on.

I was merely making a statement of fact based on my experience

So why’d you post it? You surely can’t be so tone deaf that you didn’t know how it would be received? And by the way, ‘anecdotally’ just means it’s a story you’ve told, doesn’t say anything about your intent.

If you want to believe I am a xenophobe then crack on.

If you want us to believe that you’re not, you’re going to have to pay a lot more attention to what you post!

OP, both south and north are good. South if you want to maintain easy connection with larger conurbations/cities, North (and Mid-) for the more epic scapes. I’m English and I’ve lived in Cardiff (spending time cycling the Valleys, with no drama), but I’m now in the north. On balance I prefer the north, but my clubbing/partying days are behind me so happy with quieter weekends. If I were you and I’d be looking to get a road trip in (2x days North/Mid/South?).

I’ll be a bit more direct and less polite than others are kindly being.

I’m Welsh, I’ve lived in South Wales most of my life.

‘The Valleys’ can be like living on a different planet sometimes. Like so many other former industrial areas, there are some seriously deprived places.

I don’t know Ystrad at all really, other than to drive through it, but I know Penrhys, which is just up the road. It’s better now than it was in the past, but, and this is part-truth, part-urban legend I’m sure. In the dim and distant past (80s and 90s) when the Council and Police were trying to cool down the notorious Gurnos estate, they moved the worst residents to Penrhys, a Housing Estate located on top of a bleak hill, overlooking Ystrad to the East and Ferndale to the North (I know Ferndale pretty well) it was a disaster, within weeks they’d burned down the Police station and Community Centre and local Youths threw stones at the Emergency Services driving them out making it an effectively lawless, dystopian hellscape. They had to demolish 2/3rds to civilise the place. Even today it’s worth considering that the average lifespan for a Man in either the Gurnos or Penrhys is 58.8 years, 10 years less than most Developing Countries, and 22 year less than the national average.

It’s an cruel, and possibly unfair thing to say, but If you’re thinking about South Wales, anything north of Caerphilly or south of Brecon should be considered with caution, take the time to go to the local pub on a Friday night, visit the local shops and the Post Office.

Valley Cops was a short series made by the BBC a few years ago, it’s on Youtube, consider this a sort of ‘worst case’.

If you want us to believe that you’re not, you’re going to have to pay a lot more attention to what you post!

It’s not ‘us’, it’s you. Think what you like.

It’s not ‘us’, it’s you.

+1

It’s not ‘us’, it’s you. Think what you like.

What an arsehole thing to say. Your mistake has been pointed out, either accept it or ignore it, don’t retaliate.

overheard one of my favourite pub conversations in a pub in Pontypridd a couple of years back. Most of the pub were crammed into the TV room, watching England v France in the rugby, so they could cheer every time England made a mistake.

In the back room were two blokes ignoring the rugby, steadily munching their way through a catering-sized pack of custard creams. They had the strongest valley accents you’re ever likely to hear.

Bloke 1: You know what I REALLY hate, right?
Bloke 2: What?
Bloke 1: CAAARDIFF ****.
Block 2: <nods knowingly>

Your mistake has been pointed out, either accept it or ignore it, don’t retaliate.

Not agreeing with you is not retaliating.

What an arsehole thing to say.

Is retaliating.

read about how valuable South Wales coal was

My Dad was from the Rhondda- I’ve seen what has happened to the area from the penny pinching that caused Aberfan to the pit closures, my Nan witnessed the soldiers Churchill sent to quell the Tonypandy riots.

My comment was partially tongue in cheek, but my Dad didn’t find out until a few years before he died that rather than having 1 English grandparent, he actually had 2 and 5 English great-grandparents from mines/quarries in Somerset & Cornwall. I doubt that’s not unusual (no pun intended) and a lot of staunch “Welsh” folks, whilst they may not be full-on Meibion Glyndwr supporters, will be loath to admit to any English heritage.

What most English folks don’t appreciate, is that Welsh economy, culture and language has been restricted by the English rulers.

The girlfriend had favoured North Wales but I have close friends in Caerphilly.

Something to consider, particularly in areas of north Wales, is the social impact.
There’s been a lot of protests recently, similar to ones in Cornwall, with local people complaining about being priced out of their communities as house prices rise.

It’s caused by the move to remote working and a surge in properties being bought up for second homes/retirement – people doing similar to what you’re doing.

In Welsh-speaking areas there’s the added impact on the language and culture.

Go for it, you only live once.
Universe is billions and billions of years old, and we lucky few live for such a tiny amount of time. So spend that time happy rather than in regret.

@molgrips:

If you want a bit more insight into Welsh/English friction (besides this thread) look up Cofiwch Dryweryn

That’s plastered all over the place now and in the back of every single black vauxhall-corsa-a-like by every tiny minded welsh ned nationalist now so they don’t have to engage in a real intellectual discussion on why they’re poor (and uneducated) and gives them a stick to moan about the english (especially holidaymakers).

Of course, they don’t actually remember the flooding of that village to provide water to hundreds of thousands (as has happened in quite a few places) but it’s definitely being used as an ugly front for the resurgence of the worst bits of Welsh nationalism that’s come about since the finanical crash of 2008.

I was born in Wales, I’ve spent most of my younger years here, I holidayd here all the time (and about a third of weekends in the past 20 years camped here) and have now moved to a welsh hill farming community for hopefully the next 40 years of my life, or until I die, whichever is sooner.

But Welsh nationalism is definietly a thing, bitterness, anger – and it’s on the rise. But at least they’re not burning holiday homes down like they used to in the 70;s and 80s

But at least they’re not burning holiday homes down like they used to in the 70;s and 80s

Bit rich coming from a British nationalist.
A national identity borne out of a belief in the racial superiority of the Anglo Saxon.
British empire. Iraq. Slavery. Indian famine. Irish famine. Brexit.

it’s definitely being used as an ugly front for the resurgence of the worst bits of Welsh nationalism that’s come about since the finanical crash of 2008

It is yes, and this isn’t an attempt to promote Welsh Nationalism; but the original story is pretty interesting if you think about the perspective of the inhabitants of of Capel Celyn. The fact it was a solely Welsh speaking community and the fact that 35 out of 36 Welsh MPs opposed it raise some interesting points IMO.

 Even today it’s worth considering that the average lifespan for a Man in either the Gurnos or Penrhys is 58.8 years, 10 years less than most Developing Countries, and 22 year less than the national average.

It’s an cruel, and possibly unfair thing to say, but If you’re thinking about South Wales, anything north of Caerphilly or south of Brecon should be considered with caution, take the time to go to the local pub on a Friday night, visit the local shops and the Post Office

Thing is though unless you actually move onto one of those notorious estates they have very little bearing on you. My parent’s lived a stone’s throw from the Gurnos but it just didn’t have any impact on them (or me whilst I was living there), it wasn’t full of marauding hooligans who’d go out and trash anywhere within a couple of miles after dark. I’m not saying as an English person I’d want to actually retire to live on the Gurnos (especially not back in the 90s) I’m sure the vast majority of people who live there would be perfectly good neighbours and whilst it certainly did/does have it’s problems they don’t really extend outside it’s boundaries.

Maybe my parents got lucky and I agree you should do some research about the specific area you’re thinking of moving to but any areas to be avoided at all costs are few and far between and their ‘reach’ is very small (and no different to anywhere else really, in Bristol I live close to a couple of notoriously run down areas but I’ve not had any issues as a result)