The Way of Our Lady of the Valleys

The Way of Our Lady of the Valleys is a Pilgrim Way from the Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral of St David in Cardiff to the Shrines to Our Lady at Penrhys and Abercynon via Llandaff Anglican Cathedral.

The Shrine to Our Lady at Penrhys was important in medieval times and a popular pilgrimage site. It was destroyed at the Reformation but reinstated in 1953. In contrast the Shrine at Abercynon was built by unemployed Irish and Italian coal miners in 1926 in thanks for the survival of a boy who had fallen in the river below.

Between Llandaff Cathedral and Penrhys the Way follows the well-established and waymarked Penrhys Pilgrimage Way (more details click here). The Hearts in Search of God Project is grateful for the encouragement and collaboration of the Penrhys Pilgrimage Way team.

From Penrhys the Way descends to the Rhondda Valley and crosses the hills through the St Gwynno Forest. The Way ends at the Shrine to Our Lady in Abercynon, known as the 'Welsh Lourdes', and the adjacent open-air Stations of the Cross at the Church of St Thomas, near the confluence of the Taff and Cynon river valleys. 

This 30 mile long Pilgrim Way can be walked in short sections and traverses a landscape of great beauty and historical interest.



Background to the inner and outer journeys and full walking instructions can be found on the Archdiocese of Cardiff page of this website.