Y Berwyn

The Berwyn National Nature Reserve [NNR] boasts vast areas of moor-covered upland, totalling nearly 8,000 hectares – within the 24,000 hectares of the magnificent Berwyn Mountain range.

The reserve lies within the Berwyn Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Protection Area (SPA) – as well as the Berwyn and South Clwyd Mountains Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

Grid Ref: SH942239 Area: 7919.76 hectares

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Visiting

The NNR is made up of seven separate locations on the mountain.

The largest block is the Severn Trent Water (STW)/Royal Society for the Protection for Birds (RSPB) NNR above lake Vyrnwy – which has an expanse of some 4200 hectares.

This is followed by Palé NNR, which is managed by CCW and covers 3800 hectares across the main Berwyn Ridge.

Additionally CCW manage the remaining parts of the NNR, namely:

Buarth Yr E (37 hectares)
Hafod Hir (35 hectares)
Drum ddu (20 hectares)
Pen y Gelli (137 hectares)
Nant Y Dugoed (166 hectares)

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While the Berwyn is important for its habitats and wildlife, it also has a very rich archaeological heritage with ancient remains, ring cairns, platform houses and sheep folds scattered across the landscape.

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The moorland is all open access. Please note that the ground can be difficult to walk on, with steep areas covered in thick heather and wet bog. Visitors are asked to be aware of ground-nesting birds in spring and summer, and to keep dogs on a lead.

How to get there

There are a number of access points and routes to and across the reserve which include, in the northern section:

CCW Main Berwyn NNR – Palé

Pistil Rhaeadr:
Pistil Rhaeadr is located 7 kilometres (5 miles) northwest of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, on the B4580, at the end of a minor road. There are parking and café facilities at Pistyll Rhaeadr (though these are not managed by CCW).

Llandrillo:
Llandrillo is located on the B4401 between Bala and Cynwyd. Parking is available and a popular walk up “Heol Y Berwyn” (Berwyn St) begins here.

Milltir Gerrig:
Can be accessed via the B4391 some 19 km (12 miles) east of Bala, at the highest point in the road. Parking is available. Follow the track to the boardwalk and you’ll be led out onto the mountain ridge.

Hendwr:
Traveling east, turn left at the telephone kiosk opposite Hendwr caravan site on the B4401, a mile north of Llandrillo. Drive up the hill and travel for about 800 metres (1/2 mile) where it is possible to park.

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STW/RSPB Berwyn NNR –Lake Vyrnwy

From Llanfyllin, take the B4393 to Llanwddyn. Continue along the B4393 to Llanwddyn by taking a right turn. At the dam, turn left, then left again at the end of the dam.

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Public Transport
Unfortunately, there is no public transport directly to the reserve.

For information on buses to the villages mentioned above contact Traveline Cymru on 0871 2002233 or visit www.traveline-cymru.org.uk

Facilities

There are no facilities on site on the CCW NNR. Toilets can be found nearby in Llandrillo, Llangynog and Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant.

On the STW/RSPB reserve on lake Vyrnwy, toilet and refreshment facilities can be found near the Dam.

Who looks after it?

The CCW reserve is managed by CCW.

You can contact us via the CCW enquiries help line on 0845 1306229 or by email at enquires@ccw.gov.uk. You can also write to us at the address under ‘Contact the team’.

The RSPB Cymru manages the STW/RSPB Reserve. They can be reached by telephone on 029 2035 3000.

Wildlife

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The Berwyn SSSI is the largest area of heather moorland in Wales and stretches from near Llangollen in the north to Mallwyd in the south.

The area is treasured for its upland heather-moor habitats, which include upland breeding birds and birds of prey - as well as many rare and scarce plants.

The SSSI has eleven special features of interest which include:

Blanket Bog
Found on the deep peat, blanket bogs can be found on the ridge tops and plateaux of the Berwyn. The bogs are characterised by plants that are dependent on soil conditions that retain water continuously.

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These include a variety of peat forming mosses, known as Sphagnum, while heathers and cotton grass can also be found - interspersed with such species as sundew, bog asphodel, and the famous cloudberry.

Two other rare Berwyn species - bog rosemary and tall bog sedge - are also found in these habitats.

The peat beneath the vegetative surface of the mountains has formed over several thousands of years and preserves within it a unique and detailed record of local and wider environmental change, in the form of plant and animal remains.

These deposits are of enormous value for research, and can tell us much about the evolution of Wales since the last ice age. They also provide insights into past climate behaviour.

It is very important to retain the peat, as it is a substantial reservoir of natural carbon. If this decays through drying out, the store of locked carbon would be released into the atmosphere, and could contribute significantly to global warming.

Dry Heath
The dry heath communities are usually seen on the slightly steeper slopes and drier ridges of the Berwyn. The vegetation is predominately a mixture of heather and bilberry.

Heath communities are created and maintained through careful management of grazing, burning and - in recent decades - mowing.

Upland Breeding Bird Populations
The moorland and grassland habitats of the mountains are home to populations of a wide range of upland birds. Indeed, Berwyn is one of Wales’ most important remaining upland species strongholds.

In other areas these birds have disappeared, as their moorland habitats have been lost to issues like past agricultural improvement, or planting of conifer forestry.

Notable among these are populations of:

Merlin
Hen harrier
Peregrine falcon
Red kite

These birds are of crucial national and international importance as they comprise a major proportion of the Welsh and UK populations of these species.

Other characteristic upland birds that breed on the Berwyn include:

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Red grouse
Black grouse
Golden plover
Dunlin
Snipe
Curlew
Short-eared owl
Whinchat
Stonechat
Wheatear
Ring ouzel
Raven

Many of these species are either resident on the range throughout the year, or migrate to nest and rear their young among the heather. Others breed away from the site, but are dependent on the moorlands for hunting and feeding.

Y Berwyn also includes a range of other important habitats that house a rich range of wildlife:

Cliffs, screes, and quarries – all host their own communities of breeding birds, such as ring ouzel, raven and peregrine falcon, as well as plants like the rare rock stonecrop.
Woodlands and woodland edges – these are important habitats for birds like the black grouse. One of the few populations of the rare Welsh Clearwing moth survives in a very restricted area of Meirionnydd and southern parts of the Berwyn Mountains – it spends its early life as a caterpillar inside large mature birch trees.
Large areas of unimproved grassland, lakes, streams, bracken and scrub.

This mixture of habitats, along with the blanket bog and heath, form a crucial part of the upland ecosystem.