Category: Fauna & Flora

This reserve is set in one of the most beautiful parts of the Cambrian Mountains. It is home to all sorts of birdlife including Red Kites, Pied Flycatchers, Redstarts, Common Sandpipers, Dippers and Grey Wagtails.

Dinas nestles along steep sided valleys clothed in woodland and bisected by fast flowing rivers. In May the woodlands are covered in a carpet of Bluebells. It is close to Llyn Brianne so worth combining a visit to both in the same day.

The Dinas trail is open from dawn till dusk, and the trail takes about 2 hours to complete. There is a boardwalk at the start of the trail from the carpark, however the majority of the trail is rugged, steep in places and next to a fast flowing river and to fully complete requires some scrambling.

Find out more: RSPB Gwenffrwd- Dinas

The stunning Teifi Marshes near Cilgerran is one of the best wetland sites in Wales. It is home to some of the most wonderful flora and fauna in the UK with a diversity of habitats to explore.

In winter the area attracts large numbers of wildfowl, notably Teal, Wigeon and Mallard. Exciting visitors include Water Rail, Snipe, Curlew and Lapwing. Peregrines hunt over the marshes and Herons breed nearby.
Other birds who breed here include Reed, Sedge & and Cetti’s Warblers as well as Whitethroats and Shelduck.
Otters are present in the marshes, Water Shrews are numerous and Sika and Red Deer are now resident. There are several Nature Trails and bird hides around the reserve.

Entry to the Reserve & Visitors Centre is free but there is a £4 charge for parking. There are toilets, a shop and exhibitions as well as a cafe with great views. Do check opening times before visiting.
Find out more: Welsh Wildlife Centre

Just 30 minutes away from the cottages, the reserve consists of two lakes lying in glacial hollows separated by a narrow neck of land. Great Crested Grebes and Mute Swans regularly breed there and Tufted Duck and Pochard visit. Goldeneye and Goosanders are also winter visitors. The upper, southern lake is almost 16 acres and in summer the flowers and floating leaves of the Yellow and White Water Lily are a striking feature. It’s a real haven for wildlife and nature.

There are 3 walking trails through the woodland with beautiful views over Talley village and the historic Abbey.

Find out more: Talley Woodland & Talley Lakes

Bwlch Nant yr Arian has been a red kite feeding station since the 1990s, and over 100 of these distinctive birds of prey come in to feed every day.

The feeding takes place by the lake at 2pm in winter (GMT) and at 3pm in summer (BST). Follow the accessible Barcud Trail to the viewing area and large bird hide or watch through your binoculars from the outside seating area at the café.

There are also several miles of way marked walking trails to follow with spectacular views and a gift shop and cafe at the visitor centre. It is about an hours drive from our cottages.

More information: Visit Bwlch Nant yr Arian

Cors Caron National Nature Reserve is a vast area of wetland filling the broad valley of the River Teifi near Tregaron. The three raised peat bogs are surrounded by reedbeds, fen, wet grassland, woodland, waterways and ponds, and these varied habitats support a wealth of wildlife.

Red kite, hen harrier, curlew and skylark can fill the skies above the reserve, whilst the bog itself bustles with dragonflies, lizards and otters.

The fully accessible boardwalk goes over the south-east bog and to the large bog hide where you can enjoy a peaceful view of the landscape and wildlife. There is also a longer trail you can do that follows an old railway track along the edge of the reserve.

Cors Caron is about 30 minutes from Coedmor Cottages. Find out more: Visit Cors Caron

The reserve covers an area of 800 hectares containing some really important sites for wildlife. Ynys-hir treats you to a variety of habitats: Welsh Oak woodland, estuary saltmarsh, lowland wet grasslands, freshwater pools, reedbeds and peat bog.
The sheer variety here means there’s a whole host of wildlife to spot too. Pied Flycatchers, warblers, Small Red dragonflies, Brimstone butterflies, Otters, Common Lizards, Slow Worms, and Grass Snakes all call this patch home. 
With the mountains of southern Snowdonia to the north and the Cambrian mountains to the south, once you enter the Ynys-hir reserve, you’ll be surrounded by beauty.
Find our more: Visit Ynys Hir
It is around an hour and 10 minutes away form our cottages, but you can combine your trip with a visit to the nearby Dyfi Wildlife Centre & Osprey Project

Cors Dyfi is home to the Dyfi Wildlife Centre and the Dyfi Osprey Project and is teeming with wildlife. The ospreys are typically around from April to September. Spring and summer are also the best times to see common lizards, grasshopper, reed & sedge warblers, yellow flag iris and four-spotted chaser dragonflies.

During the winter you may glimpse the elusive bittern in the reed beds. Year round there are regularly otter and red kites on the reserve.
There is a 360 observatory tower and an Osprey room where you can see the live feeds from the Osprey nest and footage from the Beaver Cameras. The on site cafe has a wildlife watching window and there is also a gift shop. Boardwalks from the observatory allow you to get closer to nature.
Find out more: Cors Dyfi & Dyfi Osprey Project