Taff's Well

Taff's Well
Taff's Well
Location within Rhondda Cynon Taf
Population3,672 (2011)
OS grid referenceST121834
Community
  • Taff’s Well & Nantgarw
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCARDIFF
Postcode districtCF15
Dialling code029
PoliceSouth Wales
FireSouth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament

Taff's Well (Welsh: Ffynnon Taf) is a semi-rural village, community and electoral ward located at the south-eastern tip of Rhondda Cynon Taf, 6 miles (9.7 km) north-west of the city centre of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. Known locally as the 'Gates to the Valleys' by some and considered part of the Valleys by others, it is separated from Gwaelod-y-Garth by the River Taff. Taff's Well is distinguished because it contains the only thermal spring in Wales. The tepid water is thought to rise along a fault-line from the Carboniferous Limestone, in somewhat similar manner to the warm springs at Bristol and Bath. The Welsh myth of the Taff's Well Turtle originates here. Various religious groups regard it as a spiritual site.

Garth Hill overlooks the village and was the inspiration for the fictional "Ffynnon Garw", featured in the book and film The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain.