HARLECH 2 - Nature
The woodland Coed Aberartro pictured above is a rare and fine example of natural indigenous woodland of the British Isles.
It is one of 10 woodland trust sites in the Rhinog area between the Dwyryd and Mawddach estuaries and the Vale of Ffestiniog area
The Rhinog Mountains are themselves a National Nature Reserve (NNR).
Cwm Bychan at the foot of
Rhinog Fawr was described by Samuel Lewis in 1849 as "a spot remarkable for the wildness and sublimity of its scenery, and for the stately magnificence of the rocks and precipices by which it is encircled." Even today
wild mountain goats may be seen climbing along the ledges of the Rhinogs.
There are two further National Nature Reserves in the immediate vicinity -
Morfa Harlech and Morfa Dyffryn, the pair forming a prized example of an accreting sand dune system and home to some nationally scarce plant and invertebrate species. Some 12 miles to the south at Cader Idris is yet another NNR.
This really is a high quality chill out zone, not just for humans.
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For more information about Harlech and the surrounding area - click on the picture or on
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