Pant Da, Rheidol Valley, Ceredigion

Willow tit on a tree branch

WildNet - Harry Hogg

Pant Da, Rheidol Valley, Ceredigion

Upland Oak woodland and planted Beech.

Location

Rheidol Valley

OS Map Reference

Grid References: O.S. Explorer map 213 Aberystwyth & Cwm Rheidol. Main entrance: SN671788, Site centre: SN670788.
A static map of Pant Da, Rheidol Valley, Ceredigion

Know before you go

Size
4 hectares
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Entry fee

Free
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Parking information

Parking on the verge immediately adjacent to access gate. Inaccessible for wheelchairs.

Access

Public transport: The closest bus stop is in Capel Bangor, where the 525 service runs to and from Aberystwyth every 2-3 hours.

3 km south east of Capel Bangor, along the road from the A44 at Capel Bangor to the Cwm Rheidol dam. Reserve is on the left after the gravel pits (approx 2.5 km).

Dogs

On a lead

When to visit

Opening times

Open access reserve.

Best time to visit

Spring, summer and autumn

About the reserve

This woodland historically consisted of Oak coppice. The central area was clear felled in 1950, and replanted with Larch in 1954. A strip along the roadside was replaced in the late 1950s with Oak and Beech at the owner’s request. In 1983/84, after acquisition by the Trust, the majority of Larch were clear felled, and the site replanted with native tree species, predominantly Oak. Some original coppice stools still survive. Other tree species have self seeded into the reserve.

The result of this management history has been that the ground flora of the peripheral area is much richer and the many of the trees on the boundary support an interesting epiphytic flora. Since the replanting in the 1980s, an understorey, including Bracken and Bramble scrub has developed, meaning that the reserve has a much greater diversity of woodland birds than the neighbouring, grazed mature Oak woodlands.

Pied Flycatcher feeding young

Pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) adult male and female in woodland, Wales, UK - Mark Hamblin/2020VISION