Craig y Llyn

Foel Chwern is a Round cairn on the edge of the high plateau east of the Neath valley, and near the summit of Craig y Llyn. The headwaters of the River Rhondda are to the south-west. It is a burial monument dating to the Bronze Age, and is sited on the edge of a steep scarp slope, with a wide field of view to the north. The long distance footpath Coed Morgannwg Way runs close by the cairn. Conifer plantations of the Rheola Forest surround the site.

Llyn Fawr ('large lake' in Welsh) is a reservoir that occupies one of a series glacial cirques that form the northern escarpment of the South Wales Coalfield uplands, overlooking the heads of the Vale of Neath and the Cynon Valley, South Wales. It is known as the site of an important hoard of weapons and tools from the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age. It lies on the northern flanks of Craig-y-Llyn, a mountain that is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The western cirque contains Llyn Fach ('small lake'). While in government terms, it falls in the unitary authority of Rhondda Cynon Taf, in geographic terms it is actually in the Vale of Neath and its excess waters (all its water before conversion) flow into Nant Gwrelych, which flows into the River Neath at Pont Walby near Glynneath. Less than 1 km to the southeast and south lie the headwaters of the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach rivers, while 1.5 km to the southwest lie the headwaters of River Corrwg.

Pen y Cymoedd ("Head of the Valleys") is a wind farm located between Neath and Aberdare in south Wales. It opened in 2017.

Cwm-Hwnt is a tiny hamlet to the west of Rhigos and south of Cefn Rhigos in the Cynon Valley, one of the South Wales Valleys. It is the farthest named settlement from the town of Aberdare that for postal reasons comes under that town. The name of Cwm-Hwnt comes from the English meaning "Valley Beyond" There was previously a through road to the geographically neighbouring villages of Cwmgwraech and Blaengwraech in The Vale of Neath which was referred to as "the Parish Road". However this road was closed in the late '90s due to the Sellar Opencast mine being dug, and the only routes to these villages are now via Cefn Rhigos and the main roads through Glyn Neath

Rhigos () is a small village on the saddle of higher ground between the Vale of Neath and the Cynon Valley. It was part of the old Neath Rural district Council under Glamorgan until 1974. The village then came under the jurisdiction of The Cynon Valley Borough which subsequently became Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales in 1996. It lies just off the old 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 noted as 894. For postal purposes it comes under the town of Aberdare, although it is some 7 miles (11 km) from Aberdare town centre, and 2 miles (3.2 km) 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.

Tower Colliery (Welsh: Glofa'r Tŵr) was the oldest continuously working deep-coal mine in the United Kingdom, and possibly the world, until its closure in 2008. It was the last mine of its kind to remain in the South Wales Valleys. It was located near the villages of Hirwaun and Rhigos, north of the town of Aberdare in the Cynon Valley of South Wales.

The River Mellte (Welsh: Afon Mellte; Welsh pronunciation: [ˈmɛɬtɛ]) is a river in south Wales. It is formed by the confluence of the Afon Llia and the Afon Dringarth. It then flows south through the village of Ystradfellte to Pontneddfechan where it joins with the Nedd Fechan to become the River Neath (Welsh: 'Afon Nedd'). The river derives its name from 'mellt' - the Welsh word for 'lightning' - after its tendency to rise and fall rapidly in response to heavy rainfall.

Waterfall Country (or sometimes Waterfalls Country) (Welsh: Bro'r Sgydau) is a name often given to the upper reaches of the Vale of Neath in South Wales. The tourist area around the head of the valley has an unusually large number of publicly accessible waterfalls. The area is not officially defined but generally includes the group of falls on the Nedd Fechan, Pyrddin, Hepste and Mellte rivers, all of which lie between the villages of Pontneddfechan and Ystradfellte in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Each of these falls lies within or on the boundary of the county of Powys. A few miles further west are Henrhyd Falls on the Nant Llech, a tributary of the Tawe and to the south-west are Melin Court Falls on the Melin Court Brook, a tributary of the River Neath. These, along with Aberdulais Falls on the Dulais, a further tributary of the Neath are also encompassed by the term 'Waterfall/s Country' by some writers. Collectively the falls are one of the more popular natural attractions in South Wales, which has caused problems of erosion in the vicinity of many of the falls. Most occupy locations designated as sites of special scientific interest and as special areas of conservation which aim to protect the biodiversity and geodiversity of these sites. The designations place a duty on the landowners and managers to protect the sites and so various erosion control measures have been put in place in an attempt to counter the worst problems.

Pontwalby Halt railway station served the area of Pont Walby, in the historical area of Glamorganshire, Wales, from 1911 to 1964 on the Vale of Neath Railway.

Cefn Rhigos (name meaning '(the) ridge (at) Rhigos') is a hamlet (place) to the west of the village of Rhigos, Wales. Despite being eight miles from the town centre, for postal purposes it comes under Aberdare. It is the most westerly named settlement of the Cynon Valley. The border with The Vale of Neath lies a few hundred yards to the west.

Dolarddyn Crossing railway station served the village of Castle Caereinion, in the historical county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, from 1929 to 1931 on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway.

British Rhondda Halt railway station served the area of Pont Walby, in the historical county of Glamorganshire, Wales, from 1906 to 1911 on the Vale of Neath Railway.