Did you know that Wales had a thermal spa? Even more incredibly, that it’s in Taff’s Well?

I recently finished my fifth column on the River Taff for the gorgeous Caught By The River. All my other pieces have been very much situated in Cardiff, but for this one we zoom north a few miles to Taff’s Well. The actual well – the warm thermal spa, which the village gets its name from.

Don’t get too excited though. This is what it looks like:

The concrete bath house was constructed in the 1890s, and since then it’s been abandoned and saved repeatedly. Recently some investment has gone into preserving and reopening the well for the public to enjoy. There’s a tall blue fence all around it, but you can still get close enough to wonder and enjoy.

As usual, I did a bunch of research and found some wonderful stuff that didn’t make it into the final article, so if you’re interested in reading up on Taff’s Well – Wales’ only thermal spa – go read my piece for Caught by the River, and then head over to these:

• “Our past” (Rhondda Cynon Taff Library Service)
• Taff’s Well (Wikipedia)
• Support for campaign to reopen Taffs Well hot spring (BBC)
• Taff’s Well Thermal Spring (Flickr album by Gareth Farr)
• Taff’s Well (texthistory)
• From the archives: Nostalgia pictures of Taffs Well and Tongwynlais (Wales Online)
• Waters from the deep: Taff’s Well thermal spring (by Gareth Farr – pdf)

Why freaking out, as per the title? Well, I went there alone, and the place freaked me the fleek out.

The Healing Waters of Taff’s Well

Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age. Anyway, if you plan to visit, take a friend!

Peas

Helia
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