This 3-part multi in Clydach is associated with Ludwig Mond, the German Jewish chemist and entrepreneur, and his influence on the area. It’s a couple of miles walk but you could drive between the stages, although the final is not accessible by car. Terrain is mostly paved or tarmaced and accessible by wheelchair.
First visit the bronze statue at the co-ordinates above: N51 41.766 W003 53.319.
This is over the road from the nickel refinery Mond built over 100 years ago, recognisable by its tall stack. Production here is still based on a reaction called the Mond Process. This is the only place in Europe that does this, though there are others in Russia and Canada. The raw nickel in granular form which contains impurities is heated and treated with hydrogen till it turns into a gas, nickel carbonyl, in a transformation that is practically unique. Before it cools again and solidifies, the impurities can be removed so the nickel is very pure. The refinery here makes nickel in the form of pellets and powders on a large scale. The biggest use of the pellets is in stainless steel and there are other higher-value uses.
The refinery has had a number of name changes, originally the Mond Nickel Company, later the International Nickel Company (INCO), through Vale Inco and more recently, Vale Europe; however it is always known locally as The Mond.
At the statue, there are two rows of numbers on the plaque.
A = the 2nd number (on row 1) plus the 3rd number (on row 2)
B = the 1st plus 2nd numbers (row 2)
C = the 4th number (on row 1) plus the 3rd number (row 2)
D = the 3rd number minus the 4th number (on row 1)
E = the last number (row 2) divided by 3
F = the 4th number (row 1) multiplied by 2
G = D plus the penultimate number on row 2
H = the sum of the 2nd number on row 1 and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd numbers on row 2
Now go to Stage 2 at N51 4A.BCD W003 5E.FGH
Stage 2
Ludwig Mond built many houses in Clydach for his workers. Most of these houses are still standing though they are all privately owned now. This is the reason many of the roads in this area are named after scientists or chemists as a reference to Mond’s legacy, for example Edison Crescent and Faraday Road. The Stage 2 co-ords will take you to a street named after Mond’s assistant. It was this man who actually discovered the Mond Process, almost by accident as he was working on something else. You have been brought here to remember this fact since he did the discovering but Mond (his boss, the money man!) got all the glory.
Go to the end of the road named after the assistant and find the numbers of the pair of semi-detached bungalows facing you at the end. Unusually, these numbers are not sequential. This will give you a 4-digit number WXYZ.
Final location
The final is along a cycle path that runs along the old railway, there is no vehicular access to it. Find somewhere to park in Clydach and walk to one of the canal path trailheads.
You will turn south and pass over the bridge designed by Angarad Pierce-Jones to celebrate the industrial past. While on the bridge, you may see a small waterfall going into the river; this is from the Effluent Plant which is the last (westernmost) building in the factory just over the barrier. The Mond process generates so much heat that large quantities of water are required for cooling. River or canal water is taken in for this and after cleaning in the Effluent Plant the water is returned cleaner than before.
The final cache is near an old part of the railway that was used originally to transport goods in and out of the Mond.
The final is at N51 41.YFA W003 53.(2xW)(F + X)Y