Merthyr Tydfil's luxurious and stylish hotel, Located at the top of Merthyr high street with easy parking nearby the building has been a significant part of Merthyr since the Victorian era. A short, scenic drive to the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park. Relax in the Tiger lounge and enjoy excellent coffee, speciality teas, alcoholic beverages and great food, most of which is sourced locally.
A building has stood on the site since the late 18th century when it began life as a Coaching Inn called the Tiger Inn, with a coach house and stables at the rear when at this time coach and horses were used to transport Iron and Steel to the ports.
Merthyr Tydfil boasts a fine industrial Heritage as it was once the capital of the iron and steel industry and with the advent of rail became the largest town in Wales. At that time Merthyr was a wealthy town and many fine buildings were erected, and so around 1860 the Tiger Inn was rebuilt and became The Imperial Hotel as which it remained until 2021 where a sensitive refurbishment has taken place retaining its Victorian charm and this family owned and run hotel offers a warm welcome.
A visit to the Brecon Beacons National Park and the beautiful scenic drive from Merthyr to the Park is an absolute must. Where you can begin tackling Pen y Fan, South Wales’ highest mountain. Explore the forests around the amazing reservoirs and Waterfalls.
More locally there is Cyfarthfa Castle, once the home of one of Merthyr’s infamous Iron Masters the Crawshays.
If you’re an adrenaline junkie there’s always Bike Park Wales for biking and quad experience, perfect for stag do’s & team building days.
Bike Park Wales is much closer in concept to that of a ski hill than your average trail centre. Built in the Gethin woods, Mountain Bike Wales offers mountain bike trails for all abilities from family to pro lines. The park offers a mini bus service which transports you and your bike up to the top in between rides, providing your legs with a little rest before your next run down.
Joseph Parry, a famous son of Merthyr Tydfil. Born on the 21st May 1841, he composed over 400 Hymn tunes, three hundred songs, and 300 anthems, chorales and other orchestral pieces. His operas Blodwen and Arianwen gained widespread popular acclaim. His birthplace, Chapel Row, Cyfarthfa, Merthyr Tydfil is beautifully preserved today, and is a treat for visitors who would like to see the home of an ironworker. Joseph was sent to work in the Cyfarthfa Mills when only 9 years of age. in the 1850’s the family emigrated to the United States and settled in Danville in Pennsylvania, and his story is immortalised in the novel by Jack Jones, “Off to Philadelphia in the morning”, which was also televised.
Formerly the Welsh International Climbing Centre, it is built on the site of the former Trelewis drift mine which closed in 1989. The Taff Bargoed Development Trust then redeveloped the site into a climbing centre in 1997 turning it into an international climbing centre. The climbing walls are up to 18 metres high with over 180 climbing routes in the main climbing centre plus an additional bouldering area. The centre also has a world class man-made caving system with a waterfall inside it.
