Garth Mountain, or Mynydd y Garth, is between the villages of Pentyrch and Gwaelod y Garth, on the outskirts of Cardiff. It’s well worth a visit: for good exercise, a panoramic view of the south Wales coastline and, if you want, a bit of solitude. There are usually few others around.
Let's be honest: as mountains go it's hardly a whopper. You wouldn't call it a mountain to, say, a Sherpa.
So some prefer to call it Garth Hill. Yet it's 1007 feet (307m) and so it scrapes in as a fully qualified mountain by the usual UK definition (more than 1,000ft). And there's no doubt that, at the very least, it's a ‘Marilyn’ – one of 158 in Wales that have a relative height of  at least 150m (492 feet). Well, Scotland has the Munro, so why not?
As 'Garth' means 'hill' it's usually referred to simply as 'The Garth.'
Garth Mountain is the inspiration for ‘Ffynnon Garw’, the hill featured in the book, and later film, 'The Man Who Went up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain,’ with that very English Hugh Grant chThe film was directed by locally born Chris Monger.
When walking along the paths, some of them deeply rutted, you’re following in the footsteps of Bronze Age people of as long as 4,000 years ago. There were probably people here long before that. I found a shard of flint here once, sticking out of the side of a path: an arrowhead or cutting tool brought here during those BC times, maybe.
The ancients left behind on Garth Mountain only mysteries and large tumuli: impressive burial mounds for their top people.  There are five on the mountain, but only two are easily visible.
More recently there was bustling industry at the base of the Garth Mountain: mainly coal mining, with small workings tapping into various seams. In December 1875 16 men and boys died in an explosion in Llan Colliery. Remarkably, and tragically, one of the dead was an eleven year old who wandered into mine and had been 'playing hide and seek'. There's a commemorative plaque about the disaster in Gwaelod y Garth Village.
There was a scattering of workers' cottages on the hillside (and a pub), but little evidence remains today - just a few fragments of wall here and there - one showing the remains of a spiral staircase in a tiny dwelling.
Over the last half century the land girdling the Garth Mountain has reverted to a natural woodland, and much is designated a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. Trees and shrubs have taken over, and from late spring much of the walks are under a green canopy.
It’s worth a hike up the mountain at any time - but especially for the views on a clear day.
Trudge up to the the largest burial mound and the trigonometric pillar (it was installed decades ago as part of Ordnance Survey mapping) and there’s a panorama of Cardiff, the whole of the south east Wales coastline from the Severn bridges to beyond Port Talbot, the valleys to the north – and as far as Pen y Fan, in the Brecon Beacons.
All routes have steep sections, some a bit more challenging than others. Most can be muddy after rainfall and some can be dusty and slippery in dry weather. Either way, it's best to have the right footwear.
The routes described here all begin at Taffs Well – for easy access by public transport (train and bus) and for car parking. Gwaelod y Garth would be a more convenient starting point, were it not for the often difficult parking there.
Take a look at the four Garth Mountain walking routes here. And if you have further information to share, or something to put me right on, please give feedback.