RSPB Gwenffrwd-Dinas Nature Reserve

About

The RSPB Gwenffrwd-Dinas reserve is set in the heart of the Cambrian Mountains. It is a large reserve with more than 600 hectares of sweeping upland, lowland farmland and verdant Atlantic Oak Woodland.

The reserve sits within the Cwm Doethie–Mynydd Mallaen Site of Special Scientific Interest, The Cwm Doethie–Mynydd Mallaen Special Area of Conservation and the Elenydd-Mallaen Special Protection Area.

A visit to the woodlands of Dinas in May is an opportunity to see the carpets of bluebells, a stunning violet haze beneath the trees. Carpets of lichens cover the trunks and branches of all the trees. Look out for Witches Beard or Usnea florida, with its tangled tresses and ‘eyes’.

Dinas nestles along steep sided valleys clothed in woodland and bisected by fast flowing rivers. The reserve contains important habitats of oak woodland, wet alder woodland and scrubland subject to high levels of rainfall and with fast flowing rivers.

These conditions are perfect for many of our iconic woodland birds, but also provide the perfect habitat for important lichens and bryophtyes. Above the woodland there are large expanses of upland grassland and moor, and between the valleys, traditional farming practices of making hay provide meadows with wildflowers.

You should have no problem spotting a red kite, and in the summer there'll also be pied flycatchers, redstarts, common sandpipers, dippers and grey wagtails. As the trail is set in a steep sided valley, some parts are rugged and steep, and can be slippery when wet.

THE DINAS TRAIL
The Dinas trail is open from dawn till dusk, and the trail around the Dinas takes about 2 hours to complete. There is a boardwalk at the start of the trail from the carpark, however the majority of the trail is rugged, steep in places and next to a fast flowing river and to fully complete requires some scrambling.

The 2.5 mile (4 km) circular trail which starts with 400 m boardwalk with steps and gaps to allow sheep to pass through. Away from the boardwalk much of the trail is flat and the trail surface is compacted earth.

The section adjacent to the River Tywi is uneven, rocky and slippery when wet. It is recommended that this section is best attempted by those used to hill walking and with sturdy footwear.There is a short steep trail from the main footpath up through the Dinas to Twm Sion Cati's cave, the Welsh Folklore figure often often referred to as the Welsh Robin Hood, where he was reputed to have hid to avoid capture from the authorities.