No-one ever passes through Gwaelod-y-Garth. Unless you live there, you need to make a special…read morejourney. The Gwaelod Inn is worth that special journey.
The village of Gwaelod-y-Garth lies midway between Cardiff and Pontypridd, a hamlet of fewer than 500 souls in the middle of nowhere, but within a 15-minute drive of half a milion people. Even many Cardiffians don't know of its existence. The village lies on the eastern slopes of the Garth Mountain, a 1,000-ft giant that guards the entrance to the Rhondda Valleys and that was made famous by the 1995 film The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain starring Hugh Grant. The Garth cradles the Inn lovingly in its bosom. (One of the pics will give you an idea of how the village lies.)
The village began life in Elizabethan times as a source of iron ore, and was given a new lease of life in the 19thC when ore became wedded to coal. Many of the dwellings in Gwaelod are old miners' cottages. Such is the layout and context of this hillside village, that new houses are, thankfully, difficult to build.
Owing to its monoply of village pub business, the Inn has always been a locals' meeting place. But until the present owners took it over, it languished sadly under a period of poor management. Now happily order has been restored. Barbara Evans and her partner Richie have carefully refurbished the Inn and converted the upstairs into a fine restaurant. Yet the flavour of a locals' local has not been lost. A good-sized room is dedicated to pub games with darts and pool prominent, and these games give way to live entertainment on a regular basis, with Soul, Blues and Jazz acts often appearing. The pub has fully embraced village life once more, holding events for children such as a Halloween Party, regular Charity Nights, and more usual events such as Quizzes.
Apart from the Bar, there is an L-shaped Lounge which is really two rooms. The walls have been exposed back to the original stonework, and they are adorned with interesting old prints of the village, and antique bric-a-brac representative of old Welsh life. Log fires roar as soon as it gets cold, which is often. Drinkers can enjoy Hancocks HB, Otley Ale (brewed in Ponty!) and at least two other guest ales. There is a good choice of wine by the glass.
Bar meals can be enjoyed downstairs, prepared by the same hand that graces the upstairs restaurant. The menus will always include local specialities: at the moment for example you will find Welsh Laverbread with Bacon, Roast Garth Mountain Lamb, and Vegetarian Glamorgan Sausages. Sunday Lunches are very popular and feature a choice of 7 dishes to start and 10 mains. The Home Boiled Ham with Parsley Sauce is a delight.
What more to be said? Ten out of Ten.
