Countryside
The countryside is very different from many Welsh coal mining villages, and is much prettier now that the coal tips to the south of the village have been removed, and those at Treforgan are now hidden under silver birch (although this site is now a haven for motor cross and quad bikes, much to the consternation of the people living nearby). Both sides of the village used to be covered by farmed conifer forests, but these have recently been removed by the Forestry Commission in order for native trees to grow. As this will be a slow process the hills now look quite bleak in places.
The river Dulais flows through the village and was often referred to as the Black River due to pollution by coal dust from the local mining industry. With the demise of the mines, the river runs clear again. A slaughter house used to stand on the banks of the river, at the end of Maes Mawr, and the blood used to stain the river red. Apparently, the red wavy lines at the top of the Crynant badge, the emblem of the rugby team, represent the blood stained river.
Read more about this topic: Crynant