Blaina

Blaina (Y Blaenau) is a small town (population 4,800) situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Brynmawr and Abertillery and many reminders of the industrial revolution can be seen at Blaina and nearby Nantyglo, once important centres of coal mining and the production of iron. Salem Chapel in Blaina is open to the public and is worth a visit to learn more about the Chartist movement and its connection with Nantyglo & Blaina; it is an information centre which houses a permanent exhibition of the Chartist movement.

Nantyglo Round Towers are located at Roundhouse Farm, Nantyglo; the two fortified towers were constructed in 1816 during the period of national unrest due to high wheat prices following the end of the Napoleonic wars as barracks for the militia and places of retreat. They are believed to be the last fortifications of their type built in Britain. One of the towers remains intact today whilst the other is ruinous; neither is open to the public though they can be viewed from nearby.

The nearest railway station to Blaina is Llanhilleth on the Ebbw Valley line from Cardiff Central.