Y Graig Nature Reserve

The view from Y Graig Nature Reserve across a patchwork of farm fields and distant hills. The sky is blue but clouded, with bright evening sun breaking through just above the horizon, casting long shadows and tinting the landscape with a golden glow.

Y Graig © NWWT

Y Graig nature reserve

Y Graig nature reserve

Bluebells

Bluebells - Katrina Martin 2020Vision

Green hairstreak

Green hairstreak © Paul Thrush

Hebridean sheep

Hebridean sheep © Martin Baxter

Y Graig

© NWWT

Green woodpecker

Margaret Holland

Y Graig Nature Reserve

A haven for wildflowers and butterflies with breath-taking views over the Vale of Clwyd and beyond!

Location

Tremeirchion
Denbighshire
LL16 4EN

OS Map Reference

SJ 083 721
OS Explorer Map 264
A static map of Y Graig Nature Reserve

Know before you go

Size
9 hectares
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Entry fee

No
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Parking information

Parking is available in a lay by at SJ 083 723, near Bueno's Huts, 5 minutes walk from the main entrance
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Grazing animals

Sheep, late summer to winter.
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Walking trails

A circular walk over steep uneven ground leads to picnic tables affording spectacular views

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Access

Suitable footwear is essential at this site as the path that leads to the summit is steep. Stay away from the quarry face and please don’t cross the fences.

Dogs

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When to visit

Opening times

Open at all times

Best time to visit

Summer for wild flowers, especially rock rose

About the reserve

Set on a limestone outcrop, this reserve encompasses a variety of habitats and provides a haven for wildlife within its very agricultural surroundings. Woodland covers the north of the site; the oak, beech and elm create a thick, shady canopy under which the colours of bluebells, wood sanicle and dog-violet shine in spring. The sounds of woodland birds surround you and speckled wood butterflies spiral amongst the canopy. As the slopes steepen, the woodland gives way to grassland and incredible views of the Vale of Clwyd open up. Dazzling displays of common rock-rose cover the grassland and mark the arrival of summer, infusing the landscape with vivid hues of yellow. As night falls, the grassland reveals its summer secret: the subtle green gleams of glowworms replace the day’s wildflower colours.

 

Seasonal sheep

The grassland is lightly grazed by Hebridean sheep from late summer into the winter to benefit many native plants by maintaining the low nutrient levels within the soil. Grazing, along with volunteers ‘bramble-bashing’, helps to keep the scrub and encroaching tree seedlings at bay. Intervention in the woodland is minimal: it is managed as high forest, with only the occasional tree felled to create a break in the canopy. This ensures sunlight reaches the ground flora and encourages new trees to develop and replenish the woodland.

Directions

Y Graig can be found about 0.5 miles to the south of Tremeirchion, just off the B5429. From the A55, head South at Rhuallt on the B5429, pass through Tremeirchion, and look for a stone house and a red-brick chapel on the Right. Directly opposite these buildings, turn onto the lane where you can park and access the reserve via a field gate or stile (SJ 083 721).

Contact us

Paul Furnborough
Contact number: 01248 351541