How Green Was My Valley?

 

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What type of meat is that?’ was the second question asked in a high street traditional butchers shop, in the heart of the Rhondda Valley. Guessing that the dark cubed meat was a type of rissole, but at the same time fearing it was some sort of black pudding, the answer proves that common language does not always involve consistent meaning.  

‘Faggot’ came the reply, ‘Made of pork, delicious and a local delicacy. Fry it up or heat it in the microwave.’ Unsure, but committed to eating like locals, two pieces are purchased, later research however brings some doubts. It seems this local dish is made of minced offcuts, pigs’ hearts, liver and fatty belly meat.

 

Wendy’s maternal grandmother migrated from this part of South Wales sometime around the turn of the 20^th Century. It is, or more correctly was, the heart of Welsh coalmining for over a century, until the mines began to shut in the 1960s. Coal mining is long gone now but these narrow valleys lined with well-built terrace houses remain a fascinating place to trace ancestors and to begin to gain an insight into the industrial life of the Welsh working class in the 19^th century. Our Airbnb in Cwmparc is a  ‘two up, two down’ (two rooms downstairs and two upstairs) very similar to the one from which Wendy’s grandmother left in the neighbouring town of Dowlais, to migrate to Australia.

 

Coal mining was a hard life and accidents were common. One of the most tragic was in 1966 in Aberfan, when a giant pile of mine waste was dislodged by heavy rain and slid down the mountain into the valley, overwhelming and destroying many houses and a local school. Twenty-eight adults and one hundred and sixteen children were killed. It is hard to believe that such a peaceful scene was the site of such a tragedy. A memorial garden and a local kids’ playground now mark the spot where the school once stood. It is visited by many, especially since the story was featured in the miniseries The Crown.

 

A morning walk along a track across farmland is studded with past and recent history, rusting railway carriages and methane vents from old mines. During COVID lockdowns the locals decorated a walking track with painted stones – Peppa Pig, peoples’ names, colours and designs all embedded in the boggy track in the hope that one day things might return to normal.  Cwmparc’s Pathway of Hope depicts a community that knows of hard times and manages to find a way through.

 

The first question asked this morning as part of the shopkeepers welcome to the district was,  ‘Why would anyone want to come all the way from Australia to visit Cwmpark?’ (Cwm meaning valley and parc meaning park). Understanding the past, tracing family ancestry, remembering how the world coped during COVID, experiencing something new and watching the mournful mist rise above the mountains are surely enough reasons to visit the valleys of South Wales. Plus the faggots were actually delicious!