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Image by David Adams

Discover amazing NATURE
in the Cambrian Mountains

The Cambrian Mountains are synonymous with tranquillity and their extensive nature reserves are filled  with wildlife.

Warblers, tits, pied flycatchers and buzzards are all found in the woodlands, and red squirrels can be seen at key locations.

The Cambrian Mountains are brimming with nature from birds to mammals, flora to fauna, woodland to riverbank. Visit as many of the nature reserves as you can and you'll be amazed at what is on offer.

Watch out for the many red kites soaring above, and the occasional buzzard or even the osprey. Also a golden eagle visits the region during the spring/summer months.

Keep your eyes peeled for red squirrels, pine martens and otters as well as interesting insects.

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Gilfach Nature Reserve

Dipper, cuckoo, pied flycatcher, butterfly, waxcap
fungi, lichen, leaping salmon.

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Cors Caron Nature Reserve

Otter, common lizard, cuckoo, barn owl, hen harrier, dragonfly, rosy marsh moth.

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Glaslyn Nature Reserve,

Very large nature reserve with heather, emperor moth, golden plover, meadow pipit.

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Hafod Estate

Moss, lichen, mushroom, cuckoo, mistle thrush, yellow wagtail, spotted flycatcher, red kite, buzzard, hobby, peregrine falcon, goshawk, water vole, pine marten, otter.

Discover Nature Spots

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Nature Map

Search for emperor dragonflies at Talley Lakes in Carmarthenshire, or watch for red kites soaring above Gwenffrwd-Dinas in Rhandirmwyn, where you can stroll through enchanting woodlands of alder and oak, and marvel at sprawling carpets of blue bells.

You might even catch a glimpse of the rare golden eagle if you visit the Tregaron area during the spring or summer months. Cors Caron National Nature Reserve is surrounded by a unique range of habitats – reed beds, woodland and streams all make the reserve an idyllic home for otters, lizards, barn owls and marsh moths.

Head over to Gilfach Nature Reserve near Rhayader towards late autumn and you may catch sight of the salmon leaping majestically up the waterfall of Afon Marteg, a real spectacle.

Travel south to the Elan Valley, and its 70 square miles of moorland, bog, woodland and riverbanks, where you might see a golden plover or a curlew.

Pine martens are now thriving at the Hafod Estate following the reintroduction of these charismatic creatures to the Cambrian Mountains between 2015 and 2017.

Reporting any sightings of red squirrels would help the Mid Wales Red Squirrel Partnership, which aims to expand and protect the population.

A visit to Bwlch Nant yr Arian, near Ponterwyd, is a must, as the sight of feeding the red kites will live long in the memory. There’s a hide there too, so remember your camera!

Made up of two adjoining woodlands, Coed y Bont near Pontrhydfendigaid, is one of a growing number of Community Woodlands in Wales. Stroll through ancient conifer trees or picnic in amongst the aspen and oak. If you stay until sunset, you’ll be able to marvel at the night sky. 

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