Stand atop any summit of the hills surrounding Merthyr-Tydfil (South Wales) and you can't help but feel it is a town on more brinks than one cares to think about.
In the valley ahead, a network of roads that twist, turn and take steep dives towards the River Taff. Behind, power lines stretch into the horizon, over coal and ore seams that once had the hillsides and the town below teeming with activity. On this day, scattered handfuls of sheep and cattle move only enough to keep munching. Continue reading.