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Rhigos () is a village and community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The village is located on the saddle of higher ground between the Vale of Neath and the Cynon Valley. It was part of Neath Rural District, in the county of Glamorgan, until 1974. The village then came under the jurisdiction of Cynon Valley Borough, which subsequently became Rhondda Cynon Taf in 1996. It lies just off the Aberdare road that was the main link between Aberdare and Glynneath, before the A465 road was extended in the 1960s. The hamlets of Cefn Rhigos and Cwm-Hwnt lie to the west of the main village.
The population of the community in the 2011 census was 894. The postal the town is Aberdare, although it is some from Aberdare town centre, and from Glynneath. It was noted as a township in the parish of Ystradyfodwg in several historical references and people moved to this rural area to work in local industries. Today the village is a quiet place to live with views of the Brecon Beacons National Park to the north and is within walking distance of Waterfall Country.
A rule-of-thumb for writing Welsh place names is that they should be spelled according to the standard language and not the local dialect form (though there are many instances of names showing local traits). An initial 'c' in a final syllable in the Gwent - Gwenhwyseg dialect is often a devoiced form of 'g', and such is the case here. An initial 'r' is generally a deaspirated 'rh' in the dialect, but this is not the case here. Since in South Wales 'u' and 'i' no longer represent different vowel sounds (though in North Wales these spellings DO show different vowels) in spelling 'i' might be used instead of the historically correct spelling with 'u'.
In this way 'Rhigos' has come about, though in fact it is, from its earlier spellings, quite evidently from 'grugos' (small clumps of Calluna - 'grug' is heather and '-os' is a diminutive suffix found in place names after words denoting vegetation, and in the modern language it is seen in 'plantos' = little children). The 'correct' form of the name is 'Y Rugos', a name found in other parts of Wales (also as Y Grugos).
Rhigos lies at the apex of the Cynon Valley and the Vale of Neath. Craig y Llyn, the mountain summit above it, is the highest peak in the traditional county of Glamorgan. A glacial cirque excavated into the Pennant Measures scarp of Craig y Llyn holds the glacial lake of Llyn Fawr. The glaciers sculpted and over-deepened the valleys into characteristic U-shaped profiles. All the deposits of the Welsh ice were locally derived.
Certain parts of the local landscape surrounding Rhigos have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest including the wooded gorges of Waterfall Country, Cwm Cadlan and nearby Blaencynon SAC. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee which advises the government and devolved administrations on UK-wide and international nature conservation, states that the damp grassland and heath of the Blaencynon site has been noted as an area that supports the marsh fritillary butterfly. This butterfly is threatened not only in the UK, but across Europe. which makes this area of importance in an international conservation effort.
The Rhigos Mountain since Mid-August 2022 has been closed until further notice, due to a significant mountain fire, which caused the metal wiring that secures the boulders down, to melt away, posing a significant threat to the A4061 Rhigos Road, which plays a big part in connecting communities such as Treherbert & Hirwaun. Specialist access rope contractors are currently on site investigating the mountainside, and a date for reopening the road has not, and will not be announced for some time as of yet.
The first raising of the red flag took place on nearby Hirwaun Common which subsequently led to the Merthyr Uprising in 1831.
British Rhondda Colliery, later called "The Pandy" and finally Rhigos Colliery was opened during the 1920s. This was a drift mine, and it closed in 1965.Thomas, Michael: "The Death of an Industry", page 93. Colben system PTE. Ltd, 2004 Coal was extracted from land near Rhigos in 1864 from a drift mine called Tower Graig. This mine is noted to have been discontinued, but there are records that 420 men were employed by The Marquess of Bute to extract coal from Tower Colliery around the 1890s. The Tower Colliery and was famously the subject of a worker's buy-out closed in 2008 and its closure saw the last of the deep mines in Wales come to an end. However, Tyrone O'Sullivan who was part of the worker buy out, spoke about the possibility of the land being regenerated in the future. Indeed, in 2019 RCT Council announced that planning had been unanimously granted for Zipline Cymru to construct of a new line at the Tower site which will be the focus for the development of tourism in the area.
At the end of the war, the site was abandoned, and the factory was only demolished in the late 1960s. A range of other businesses then took over the Industrial Estate and further details about these can be found in the W.W Price Collection at Aberdare Library.
The Vale of Neath Gliding Club operates from a grass airfield for gliding close to the village.http://valeofneathglidingclub.bravehost.com/index.html Vale of Neath Gliding Club where tuition can be given under the guidance of British Gliding Association qualified instructors. The Rhigos mountain is also a popular spot for paragliders due to the excellent thermal conditions and views. Cyclists are also often found in and around Rhigos. The route up the mountain forms part of competitions and meets for clubs from all over the UK, such as the Junior Tour of Wales and is considered to be a scenic but particularly challenging climb. It has been quoted as being one of the most beautiful and challenging ascents in the whole of Wales.
After the railway was closed under the Beeching Axe, the council took the opportunity to provide a better road link between Hirwaun and Glynneath, and so bypassed the old Aberdare road by building an extension to A465 road which used most of the trackbed of the abandoned railway. The road has now been identified by the government as being in need of improvement due to restricted traffic flow and poor visibility. The current plans in place are stated by the government to be completed by 2024.
'The Parrish Road' was another access to the village which was closed when Celtic Energy opened a controversial opencast mine between Rhigos and Cwmgwrach in 1997. The promise was made to reinstate the road after the mine closed, and talks have been held between residents, Celtic Energy and Neath Port Talbot County Council during 2020.
There is a Voluntary Society in Rhigos who organise a carnival for the village in the summer. They also take local children to see the pantomime in Aberdare Coliseum at Christmas and ensure that 'Santa' visits each street handing out goodies for little ones. The village Community Centre is located on Heol Esgyn. It received funding for renovations in 2013. The Rhigos Community Council meets there each month, and it is also used by senior citizens groups, youth clubs and for council surgeries.
Rhigos is represented in RCT council by Cllr Graham Thomas and in The Senedd by Vikki Howells.
The New Inn is situated on Smiths Avenue. The Plough pub at Cwm-Hwnt is no longer in use.
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