About the reserve

Our precious peatlands 
Whilst, at first glance, this reserve may present itself as a green-brown jumble without much going on, it only takes a little bit of time exploring to discover that peat bogs are amongst the country’s most diverse habitats. Peatlands provide benefits for people too: the UK’s peatlands store around 4,500 million tonnes of atmospheric carbon (that’s 100 times more than all UK vegetation, including trees) and 70% of our drinking water comes from peatland river catchments. Sadly, this habitat is threatened – once common across the UK, few peat bogs remain today, having been drained for farmland and forestry.

Blaenyweirglodd hosts six varieties of sphagnum moss along with a huge variety of specialised plants such as bog asphodel, round-leaved sundew, bogbean and common cotton-grass. This wealth of plant diversity is accompanied by huge varieties of invertebrates, with over 230 species recorded at the site. These in turn attract birds such as redstart, redpoll and linnet. 

Directions
The reserve is situated 2 miles South West of Llansannan. Approaching from here, leave the B5382 for the B5384 toward Gwytherin. Take the second Left, pass over one cattle grid and look for a small layby on the right (SH 911 634: if you reach the next cattle grid, you’ve gone too far). Park here, cross the road and walk up over the field on the left, head through the kissing gate and follow the old hedge bank on your Left to reach the reserve.