Wildlife Trust Reserves Along the Wales Coast Path
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Registered charity no. 1045167 for Marine Protected Areas hereTick to sign Petition Fish and show your support Email address: Address: Name: Wales Baltic House, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff, CF10 5FH Trusts Wildlife to return and slip, this off tear and in Fill Marine Protected Areas in Wales Show your support for PETITION FISH 01656 724100 www.welshwildlife.org Wales of South and West Wildlife Trust www.gwentwildlife.org Gwent Wildlife Trust www.brecknockwildlifetrust.org.uk Brecknock Wildlife Trust www.rwtwales.org Radnorshire Wildlife Trust www.montwt.co.uk Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk Wildlife Trust North Wales www.wtwales.org Wales Wildlife Trusts information: more for Wales in information: Trusts more for Wildlife Wales local in your Contact Trust Wildlife local your Contact in Wales Wildlife Trusts IN WALES WILDLIFE TRUSTS Protecting – 01600 740600 for the Future – 02920 480070 – 01874 625708 – 01597 823298 – 01248 351541 – 01938 555654 Wildlife Wildlife for the Future Protecting WILDLIFE TRUSTS GUIDE TO THE WALES COAST PATH Wildlife Trust Reserves along the Wales Coast Path Officially launched in 2012, the Wales Coast Path is one of the great long distance walks on the planet. Whether you’re enjoying a section of the path or walking its entirety, we’re sure you will be struck by the richness of the wildlife that can be encountered along the way. This map provides a guide to Wildlife Trusts Reserves that can be found along the path to help you see the best of Welsh wildlife along the way. © Steven Burnett © MANWWT © Nigel Ajax Lewis © Sam Bryan / MANWWT At 870 miles long, the path passes through a range of diverse habitats, and provides a vantage point to spot Marine Protected Areas. Marine Protected Areas are areas of the sea that many interesting species, from rare birds and beautiful should be managed to allow wildlife to recover and thrive, and will be key to achieving Living Seas in Welsh waters. However, over 50% of features Wildlife Trusts Coastal Reserves butterflies to playful seals or passing porpoises. within Marine Protected Areas in Welsh waters are failing to reach their objectives. We need to improve the management of existing sites to © Bumblebee Conservation Trust Living Seas ensure they can fulfil their potential. In addition, the Welsh Government is North Wales Wildlife Trust Reserves planning to introduce a new type of site known as a Marine Conservation Living Seas is the Wildlife Trusts vision for the future of Welsh seas, where Zone. The process to choose these sites is underway at present, and you For more information on these reserves, please see www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/english/reserves marine wildlife thrives from the coastal shallows to the depths of the Irish Sea. can access more information by visiting www.wtwales.org The sea around Wales is rich due to warm waters from the south meeting cool The Wildlife Trusts Wales Petition Fish campaign is calling for the effective 1 Big Pool Wood Reed Warbler nutrient rich currents from the north. Dominated by common reed, this reserve is an important habitat for breeding © Cat Lucas/MANWWT © Cat Lucas/MANWWT management of Marine Protected Areas in Welsh waters. You can show reed warblers. Surrounding the pool is wet woodland predominantly of alder But our seas are in trouble, for centuries we have taken its riches for granted. your support for these sites by filling in the form on the back of this leaflet. and contains several locally rare plants including giant bellflower. From the 19 Skomer Island Puffin path, first walk into Presthaven Sands Holiday Park, and then towards the The common skate, once abundant, is now on the brink of extinction in the Irish Alternatively, you can look out for one of our fish at a Wildlife Trust reserve Bridlewood Riding Centre and Shop, Big Pool Wood is just behind the Skomer Island is the most important seabird site in southern Britain. or centre around the coastline, sign online at riding centre. Although not formally part of the coastal path it can be visited every Sea, and fragile marine habitats are being disturbed. Thankfully, it is not too late day (excluding Mondays) during the summer season. Home to manx to turn this situation around. Our seas and sea life have a remarkable capacity www.wildlifetrustswales.org/petitionfish or text ‘FISH’ with your name shearwater, puffin, guillemot, kittiwake, razorbill, fulmar and much more, 2 Rhiwledyn Fulmar to recover – but only if we give them the chance. If we act now, Living Seas and postcode to 60777* this is one of the Wildlife Trusts flagship nature reserves. With spectacular views, Rhiwledyn reserve forms part of the Little Orme SSSI. are within our grasp. Look out for limestone grassland and its associated flowers such as quaking 20 Skokholm Island Manx shearwater Please take care to minimise your impact on the environment when grass, dropwort and carline thistle. Birds such as fulmar can be seen regularly, walking the path. Keep dogs on a lead, always stick to the path and and the reserve is rich with butterflies in the right weather conditions. Skokholm, sister island to Skomer, lies further out to sea. Together the two islands make up the highest concentration of manx shearwaters Marine Protected Areas take your litter home with you. If you are lucky enough to spot any known in the world, with an estimated 45,000 pairs on Skokholm. 3 Gogarth Butterflies interesting wildlife along the way, contact your local Wildlife Trust to Visits by pre-arrangement only. Over 75% of the coastline of Wales is currently designated as a protected area. The path itself follows the boundary of the reserve, along Marine Drive on report what you’ve seen. the Great Orme. Although not suitable for walking through, look down over 21 Deborah’s Hole Ravens Along the coast, habitats such as cliffs, sand dunes and estuaries have been the reserve from the path. Gogarth is a reserve dominated by limestone designated, and significant areas of the sea have been designated as To find out more about the Wales Coast Path visitwww.walescoastpath.gov.uk grassland and best seen in late spring/ summer. Gogarth is particularly rich This nature reserve is named after a small inaccessible cave where Stone in silver studded blue butterflies in late spring. Age tools have been excavated. The topography of the site has created varying vegetation from limestone grassland to heath, supporting nesting fulmar and raven. 4 Aberogwen, Spinnies Kingfisher This popular reserve is primarily a lagoon set amid a small woodland, 22 Long Hole Cliff Stonechat providing shelter for many species of wader and wildfowl. It is adjacent to Afon Ogwen estuary and the extensive mudflats of the internationally Cliff top gorse and heather habitats create a haven for small birds, whilst important Traeth Lafan. Over 185 species of bird have been seen in and the slopes, cliffs and scree are home to limestone grassland. The star like around the reserve. flowering spring squill make a special display early in the year. 5 Nantporth Whitebeam 23 Overton Mere Wild plants Lying alongside the Menai Strait, Nantporth is an example of coastal ash This nature reserve is home to the rare silky wave moth which makes its woodland; which is rare outside of Scotland. The reserve includes the shingle home in the gorse scrub. It is also a great place to spot lime-loving plants shoreline, two old limestone quarries and areas of calcareous grassland. such as common rock-rose, milkwort, eyebright and thyme. 24 Overton Cliff Oystercatcher © Caroline Wier © Andy Davies © Andy Davies © Andy Davies © Amy Lewis 6 Mariandyrys Stonechat The path skirts around this nature reserve, making a slight detour well The site offers great views over the Bristol Channel, and is home to worth it. Mariandyrys is a limestone outcrop supporting herb-rich grassland, coastal birds such as oystercatcher and butterflies such as grayling. heathland and gorse scrub which in turn supports a wide range of wildlife, Much of Overton Cliff is currently covered by heather and gorse, including orchids, purple saw-wort and stonechat. together with hawthorn, blackthorn and juniper. Carmel Head 7 25 Port Eynon Point Gannet Amlwch 7 Cemlyn Terns Undoubtedly one of the best coastal reserves Cemlyn is a lagoon cut off A great place to see coastal summer flowers such as sea campion, spring squill, thrift and wild clary. This is also a great nature reserve for 2 from the sea by a curved shingle ridge. The ridge itself supports a range A n g l e s e y Llandudno 1 of specialist maritime plants whilst islands in the lagoon provide summer sea watching, and patient birders will be rewarded with views of divers in the winter, and in the late summer, manx shearwater, gannet and 8 6 nesting areas for a large colony of sandwich, common and Arctic terns Holyhead 3 Rhyl best seen in the summer. common scoter. Holy I. 26 Sedger’s Bank Rock pools 4 8 Porth Diana Rock-rose Flint A short detour from the coastal path at Ravenpoint Road takes you to this This nature reserve comprises rocky foreshore, beach, and relict sand 5 dune grassland adjacent to Port Eynon Point. Seals haul out here © Lin Cummins small reserve that overlooks the scenic Trearddur Bay, this reserve is home to the county flower of Anglesey, the dainty spotted rock-rose. amongst the limestone rocks covered with barnacles, whelks, mussels and beadlet anemones. Caernarfon Caernarfon 9 Morfa Bychan and Greenacres Sharp rush 27 Redley Cliff Yellowhammer Bay This reserve offers the chance to see rare maritime plants in a dynamic sand dune system.