Cwm Clydach Reserve
Pat Messant (Group Leader) presenting Martin Humphreys with a cheque for £1500 in 1998.
Cwm Clydach Reserve is situated between Clydach and Craig-Cefn-Parc.
Map reference 268500 East, 202600 North
To get to Cwm Clydach Reserve, leave the M4 at junction 45. Head north on the A4067 until you reach a roundabout. Take the first turn off the roundabout to Clydach. You will pass INCO Ltd on your left. At a mini roundabout, go straight across, and almost immediately take a right turn off the main road. In effect this almost straight on. Keep on this road for 1 1/2 miles. You will come to pub called NEW INN on your right. The road then crosses a small river bridge, and the Cwm Clydach Reserve entrance is immediately on the right after the bridge.
The area has been coal mined for at least 300 years. The reserve has a tramway running the whole length, providing an easy footpath for visitors. Indeed the first 1300 metres of nature trail is accessible to wheelchairs.
The reserve was established in 1986, after the RSPB found a large number of unusual breeding birds here, more than anywhere else in South Wales.
If you would like more information, or wish to arrange a group visit, please write to;
Look and Listen for;
Spring Time
Buzzards Dippers Grey Wagtails Nuthatches Great Spotted Woodpecker Chiffchaffs Willow Warblers Blackcaps Whitethroats
Summer Time
Pied Flycatchers Wood Warblers many butterflies dragonflies
Autumn
Flocks of Tits and Finches Redwings Fieldfares various butterflies
Winter
Siskins Redpoll Woodcocks Ravens Dippers
Just to name but a few. Not only is the reserve good for woodland birds, but is also worth a visit for the plants and insects. The stream running through the middle of the reserve provides a habitat for all sorts of wildlife.