About

The Keeper’s Pond, also known as Pen-ffordd-goch Pond or the Forge Pond, is situated near Pwll Du on the hill between Blaenavon and Abergavenny. The pond was built in the early 19th century to provide water for Garnddyrys Forge, which started production in about 1817. The forge was dismantled during the 1860s and whilst the pond no longer fulfilled an industrial purpose, it rapidly became a local beauty spot. It also acquired the name Keeper’s Pond because the gamekeeper of the grouse moors lived in a cottage nearby.

Today, the Keeper’s Pond car park is the ideal starting point for a walk on the Blorenge Mountain, a picnic beside the water or even a dip for  supervised wild swimming classes. It's a great place to enjoy both the natural and man-made beauty of the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World Heritage Site.

Join Carly Rogers for some supervised Mental Health Swims  at Keeper's Pond.

Walking

Keeper's Pond is very popular for walks across the Blorenge from the car park, exploring the moorland and the quarries of the Blaenavon World Heritage Site.

Try the Blorenge High Level Walk

Dark Skies

Keeper's Pond is a noted location for dark skies viewing, including of the aurora. Please note it can get very busy up here during noted night-time events (meteor showers, aurora sightings etc).

See more information on viewing the Aurora Borealis in Monmouthshire

Find out more about Dark Skies sites in Monmouthshire

Blaenavon World Heritage Site

Keeper's Pond is part of the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape World Heritage Site, an important area in the history of the industrial revolution.

Find more great things to do in the Blaenavon World Heritage Site