This extensive reserve is located midway
between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth on the seaward side of the
A487. It includes part of the Dyfi Estuary, Ynyslas dunes and Cors
Fochno (Borth bog) – one of the largest and finest examples of a
raised peat bog in Britain.
This landscape was sculpted during the last Ice Age, when
ice-sheets from the glaciers on Pumlumon advanced westwards until
they met the southward moving Irish sea ice. By 5500 BC, forest
covered the estuary floodplain. As the sea level rose further the
forest was replaced by reedswamp and the great raised peat bog of
Cors Fochno.
The area includes the Dyfi SSSI, Lleyn Peninsula and the Sarnau
SAC, Cors Fochno SAC as well as Cors Fochno and Dyfi RAMSAR.
The most westerly part of the bog is now eroded away by the
rising sea but, at low tide, the stumps of long dead trees can
still be seen on the beach near Borth. The estuary has gradually
become shallower and large areas of tidal sand and mud has
gradually given way to saltmarsh.
Photo by Mike
Bailey,©CCW
Ynyslas
The dunes and beach here are open access. There are 3 paths on
this part of the reserve:
- A 500m long boardwalk crosses the dunes 100m north of the
visitor centre to give access to the beach.
- A shell path goes south west of the visitor centre where it
joins a boardwalk crossing the dunes to also give access to the
beach – this is around 1000m.
- The footpath from the caravan park meets the shell path were it
joins the boardwalk.
There are four site interpretation panels along the main
circular walk around the dunes, and a leaflet describing the walk.
CCW staff and local volunteers organise public guided walks and
events through the summer months.
Photo by Mike
Bailey,©CCW
Talks and assistance for educational
and specialist groups are available on request – please contact the
reserve for more information.
Cors Fochno
- A circular route of approximately 1.5km provides public access
to Cors Fochno. It runs south along a track from the B4353 1km west
of Llancynfelyn at SN636926. Parking is very limited and no dogs
are allowed on the route. Visitors are strongly advised to heed the
safety information on the sign at the second gate.
- A public footpath from the road 1km north of Borth village
leads across the golf course and out to the river Leri. This is a
good route for birdwatchers, and provides views over the bog on
both sides of the river.
Photo by Mike
Bailey,©CCW
Wildlife
Estuary
Photo by Mike
Bailey,©CCW
The Dyfi estuary includes a range of
habitats, with river channels and creeks, large areas of mudflats
and sandbanks and by far the largest area of saltmarsh in
Ceredigion. The saltmarsh vegetation can be seen at Ynyslas, where
sea pink makes a fine show in May.
In the winter large numbers of waders and wildfowl use the
estuary to overwinter, including important numbers of wigeon. The
estuary also supports the only regular wintering population of
Greenland white-fronted geese in Wales and England. You can see
these from the adjacent RSPB reserve at Ynyshir along with other
wildfowl and wintering waders such as lapwing and golden
plover.
Photo by Mike
Bailey,©CCW
Sand dunes
The Ynyslas sand dunes are the largest in Ceredigion and
demonstrate all the stages of dune formation and growth, from sandy
shore through vegetated shingle, fore dunes, mobile dunes and fixed
dunes to scrub.
The dune slacks are well known for their rich orchid population,
which include various marsh orchids and marsh helleborine.
Pyramidal and bee orchids grow in the drier areas. The dunes also
contain important mosses and liverworts – some, such as petalwort,
are very rare.
There is also a rich variety of fungi, some of which are only
known in Britain at this site. Likewise there are a number of rare
insects and spiders, including one nocturnal hunting spider Agroeca
dentigera which is unknown elsewhere in Britain.
Skylark, linnet, stonechat and shelduck breed in the dunes
whilst ringed plovers nest on pebbly parts of the beach.
Cors Fochno
Photo by Mike
Alexander,©CCW
The area is home to some sixteen species of sphagnum bog mosses
including three which are nationally scarce. All three British
sundew species are present along with bog rosemary and a good range
of other wetland specialists. The bog invertebrate fauna is
exceptional and includes rarities such as the rosy marsh moth, the
large heath butterfly, bog bush cricket, small red damselfly, and
the jumping spider Heliophanus dampfi.
Photo by Mike
Bailey,©CCW
Breeding birds of the bog habitats include:
- Teal
- Redshank
- Common snipe
- Water rail
- Cuckoo
- Skylark
- Stonechat
- Grasshopper warbler
- Sedge warbler
- Reed warbler
- Reed bunting.
Other residents include mammals such as otter and harvest mouse
and reptiles such as adder, grass snake, common lizard and
slow-worm. And, in winter, hen harrier, peregrine falcon and merlin
hunt over the open bog.
RELATED ARTICLES...
SEE ALSO...
Countryside Access Map
for a
more detailed map of the area showing access information
including:
Promoted routes, national trails, and CROW access land.
Protected Sites Map
for a more
detailed map of the area, also showing special sites
including:
national parks, reserves and Areas of outstanding natural beauty
(AONB).
OTHER WEBSITES...
Traveline Cymru
Traveline Cymru, your one-stop shop, in Wales, for bus, coach and
rail journey planning and timetable information.