in November 1968 and the site was cleared after becoming uneconomical to run. The Cwmcarn Forest Drive now runs over the shafts of the colliery and a relics of colliery buildings can still be seen on the slope above the old shaft. The present day lake that is stocked by the Cwmcarn Angling Association was originally down stream of the colliery's washery. Manufacturing A telecoms factory located between the Ebbw River and the A467 road was part of the British Post Office and British Telecom before being sold to STC plc, Northern Telecom (Nortel), and more recently Solectron. The factory closed during Spring 2007. Cwmcarn Forest Drive To the east of the village of Cwmcarn is the popular Cwmcarn Forest Drive, a popular 7 mile drive through hills and forests on the flanks of the mountain of Twmbarlwm which is operated by Natural Resources Wales. The area is popular as a tourist site and a location for mountain biking, and has seen significant recent development as the world-class Y Mynydd Mojo DH Track mountain biking trail is attracting an increased volume of visitors. A new £2 million visitor centre has been opened. In the summer of 2018 the area suffered a spate of extensive fires which were deliberately set and "killed many of the newly-planted saplings on the hillsides." The area was also a victim of the spread of phytophthora ramorum, which had required the felling of "vast swathes" of larch trees in the area to prevent the disease spreading further. Natural Resources Wales project manager for Cwmcarn, Geminie Drinkwater, stated in September 2019 that alongside local activist Robert Southall and Friends of Cwmcarn Forest Drive, they are now "planting countless native trees, to repopulate Cwmcarn's ancient woodland" and are "looking to improve the forestry and restore it as a tourist hotspot" in conjunction with the local activist group. References External links Mountain Biking in Cwmcarn - MBWales Cwmcarn United RFC New Life Christian Church Villages in Caerphilly County Borough