Penrhys Pilgrimage
This long distance walk runs from Llandaff in Cardiff to the village of Penrhys in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The waymarked trail begins at the 12th century Llandaff Cathedral on the northern side of Cardiff. From here you head north west towards Llantrisant and Porth before finishing in Penrhys. The village was once an important Christian pilgrimage site, up until the 16th century.
It has an interesting religious history dating back to medieval times. Penrhys is significant for a medieval monastery, the shrine of "Our Lady" built at the holy spring of Ffynnon Fair.
Along the way you can enjoy splendid views of the countryside and mountains of the beautiful Rhondda Valley.
Penrhys Pilgrimage Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Penrhys Pilgrimage Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Penrhys Pilgrimage OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Penrhys Pilgrimage Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
Llandaff Cathedral spire seen from Old Bishop's Palace
Llantrisant gateway to the Rhondda Valley
Our Lady and Jesus statue, Penrhys. Legend tells that a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, seated and holding Our Lord, appeared in the branches of an oak tree near to the holy well, Ffynnon Fair. The statue was said to have been incredibly beautiful and a gift from heaven. Many people tried to remove the statue from the tree, but it resisted all attempts to the point where ‘Eight oxen could not have drawn the Image of Penrhys from its place…’ The statue would only allow itself to be retrieved once a chapel and shrine were built on the brow of Cefn Penrhys. For centuries, the faithful of Wales made pilgrimages to the shrine at Penrhys, receiving answers to their prayers through Our Lady’s intercession. Among the prayers answered at the Shrine were for healing of the Pilgrims. Both the Image of Our Lady and her well below the Shrine Chapel were the site of many miraculous cures attested to by poets and pilgrims alike.
Ffynnon Fair, Penrhys. The "Little Church," built on the site of the holy well of Ffynnon Fair at Penrhys, Wales, a major pilgrimage site before the Protestant Reformation.