Skip to content
The Great Britain Guide

Historic bridges · South Wales

Garndiffaith Viaduct

Also known as: Garndiffaith Railway Viaduct

Free admission

Garndiffaith Viaduct is a historic bridge in the United Kingdom.

Garndiffaith Viaduct, historic bridges in South Wales

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
15 min–30 min
Nearest railway station
Blaenavon High Level · 4.1 km
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Garndiffaith Viaduct is a named historic bridge in the United Kingdom. Also known as: Garndiffaith Railway Viaduct. Coordinates: 51.7326°, -3.0687°.

Photo gallery

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: River Wye SSSI

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Garndiffaith Viaduct is a largely stone-built railway viaduct that formerly carried the former Brynmawr and Blaenavon Railway over the valley of the Avon Ffrwd at the lower end of the village of Garndiffaith, Torfaen in South Wales. It is Grade II listed. The viaduct was engineered by John Gardiner between 1876 and 1877 to extend the LNWR line that principally carried coal from Brynmawr and Blaenavon to meet the Great Western Railway at Abersychan and Talywain. In 1912 the lines were opened to passenger services operated by the GWR as well as mineral trains, making it easier for miners and other workers to travel up and down the valley. This service ceased in 1941 due to the exigencies of the Second World War, but the viaduct remained in use until 1980 when the last mineral train left Blaenavons' Big Pit mine. The track was shortly dismantled by British Rail thereafter.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

Description

Today the viaduct has survived well into preservation and is in relatively good condition, now forming part of the National Cycle Network Route 46. However, reopening the viaduct to railway traffic has become one of the long-term ambitions of the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway as the viaduct is wide enough to accommodate route-sharing, in which the preserved P&BR could expand over it alongside the cycle-route.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.7326, -3.0687
District
Torfaen
Parish
Abersychan
Postcode
NP4 7NN
Parliamentary constituency
Torfaen
Nearest railway station
Blaenavon High Level4.1 km

Sources

Other places nearby

Loading nearby places…

Nearby

More bridges in this region

Frequently asked questions

Where is Garndiffaith Viaduct?
Garndiffaith Viaduct is in South Wales, United Kingdom (postcode NP4 7NN), in the parish of Abersychan.
Is Garndiffaith Viaduct a protected site?
Yes — Garndiffaith Viaduct is part of the River Wye SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Is Garndiffaith Viaduct free to visit?
Yes, Garndiffaith Viaduct is free to enter.
How do I get to Garndiffaith Viaduct?
The nearest railway station is Blaenavon High Level, about 4.1 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode NP4 7NN.