Craig yr Hesg

Craig yr Hesg’s magnificent ancient woodland, rocky outcrops, and coal spoil overlook Pontypridd, and is the ideal place to listen to a chorus of wood warblers, willow warblers and chiffchaff.

Wood Warbler | © Tate Lloyd

Habitat

Overlooking Pontypridd, Craig yr Hesg is a magnificent ancient woodland with a rich mosaic of habitats. Here you’ll find dry oak woodland, wet alder carr, coal spoil and rocky outcrops. The diverse habitats at Craig yr Hesg support a wonderful mixture of flora and fauna.

When to Visit

Spring is the best time to hear the dawn chorus and see the wildflowers on display before the shade of the canopy returns. Watch bee flies feed on pollen, and listen for the trilling song of wood warbler, a classic songbird of Welsh oak woods. In the summer, speckled wood butterflies bask in the sunshine and heather flowers on the coal tip. The autumnal wood is the best time for fungi, and in the winter woodcock feed on invertebrates, probing the soil with their long bills.

Biodiversity

Enjoy a wonderful woodland wildflower display of wood sorrel, dog violet, bluebells and yellow archangel. In the wetter wood look for the brilliant yellow and green leaves of opposite-leaved golden saxifrage and the speckled bark of alder buckthorn, the food plant of brimstone butterflies. Keep an eye on the canopy as the wood is home to buzzards, ravens and all three of our leaf warblers: chiffchaff, wood and willow warblers.