Greenmeadow Cottages

Explorer Tom Aberbargoed Grasslands sits on a hillside at the edge of the Rhymney Valley, where damp fields and purple moor-grass have become important enough to carry national protection. I had expected 'grassland' to mean one shade of green; the marsh fritillary butterfly has a more interesting opinion. This reserve covers about forty-two hectares east of Bargoed. Natural Resources Wales describes marshy grassland, rush pasture and wet flushes with devil's-bit scabious, meadow thistle and orchids among the plants. The scabious matters especially to the marsh fritillary, whose caterpillars depend on it. Caerphilly Council took on site management in 2005, clearing invading scrub and using grazing cattle to help keep the habitat open. The reserve is part of a protected landscape whose value lies in that intricate mix, not in a manicured lawn. Use the established tracks and look across the slope for changes from tall grass to wetter patches. Butterfly sightings depend on season and weather, and the plants deserve as much attention as any winged star. I can imagine the cattle receiving strict instructions to leave the scabious alone and replying that they never signed the contract; that is my nonsense. Their grazing is a genuine part of keeping the site fit for its rare insects. The reserve can be entered from Aberbargoed, near Heol Tir-y-Llan and the playing fields. Visitor guidance describes it as open through the year, with rough tracks and no formal reserve car park; check local signs and current access before travelling. Keep to the routes, give grazing animals room and avoid trampling the wet vegetation. Come for the butterfly if you like, but leave with a better understanding of why its grassland matters.

Explorer Tom Parc Penallta near Ystrad Mynach has a horse big enough to make your picnic look like a crumb: Sultan the Pit Pony is carved into a former coal tip. Climb toward his grass-covered outline and the South Wales Valleys spread around you; if he starts asking for oats, I shall be first over the gate. Sultan is an earth sculpture about 200 metres long and 15 metres high, named after a show pit pony associated with nearby Penallta Colliery. This park turns industrial spoil into paths, meadows, ponds and places to look out. The High Point Observatory gives broad views, while its six wings point toward local communities and carry images about heritage, wildlife and recreation. Follow the marked walks and you move between open plateau and sheltered lower ground, with the old mining landscape never far from the story. The tourism page jokes that Sultan may gallop about at night. I have investigated thoroughly by squinting at a hoof-shaped pond; the evidence is, regrettably, still pond-shaped. What you can really find are a willow tunnel, dragonflies by the water and seasonal wildflowers. Try looking at the huge horse from different heights: a sculpture you can walk into is a more entertaining puzzle than a statue on a plinth. Parc Penallta is a public country park with several waymarked trails starting at the main car park. Choose a route for your energy and the weather; paths across a former tip can be sloping, exposed or muddy. Leave plants and pond life alone, and use the signed paths when moving around Sultan. Finish at a viewpoint if you can, where the little human figures below make the pony's ridiculous scale plain.