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Part of the RCT Living Landscape Project

Glyncornel

The magnificent woodland and flower-rich meadows of Glyncornel have survived great changes, and you can still find evidence of this rich history today.

It’s evolved from a hillside farm wood to a one-time garden for the mine managers of the Cambrian Coal Combine, so look out for the small, levelled platforms with coppiced hazel that were once used for charcoal production. More recently Glyncornel has been the grounds of a maternity hospital and an environment centre.

Glyncornel
Buzzard-2
Buzzard | © Tate Lloyd

Habitat

The ancient woodland is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. There are beautiful meadows, a hidden pond, and a stream that feeds into the River Rhondda. Together, these create an important mosaic of habitats which support the great variety of species that call Glyncornel home.

Situated on a shady valley-side of the Rhondda Fawr, this ancient woodland is a prime location for a rare habitat – temperate or Celtic rainforest. Unpolluted air, endued in shade and fed by a steady supply of water from streams and the Welsh rain. This wonderful oak, alder, ash and hazel woodland is an endangered habitat, and home to a dizzying number of mosses, liverworts, lichens and ferns.

When to Visit

Glyncornel is a late bloomer, with the drifts of bluebells peaking when they have finished elsewhere. Come anytime it’s raining to immerse yourself in a fairy-tale landscape of lush moss carpets and mist covered canopies.

Biodiversity

Before you are wonderful, damp, acid hay meadows. Here you can find tormentil, bluebells, heath and common spotted orchids, southern marsh orchids, small copper and heath butterflies. By ‘cut and collecting’ the grass in late summer, we control the bracken and encourage wildflowers to grow. The meadows are divided by ancient tree lines that branch from the main woodland, connecting wildlife to all parts of the nature reserve.

Grab a hand lens and scan the ground, trees, rocks, and riverbanks, and you will find a wonderful diversity of the mosses, liverworts, lichens, and fungi that make a Celtic rainforest so special. The woodland is fantastic moth habitat and a superb place for foraging bats, while polecats hunt voles and field mice. Listen out for cuckoos, nightjars and wood warblers, and scan the skies for sparrowhawks and goshawks hunting jackdaws over the woodland.

We Live Here... Can You Spot Us?

Vole

Bank Vole - © Wayne Withers

Heath-Spotted-Orchid

Heath Spotted Orchid - © Bob Lewis

Tormentil

Tormentil - © Lyn Evans

Small-Copper

Small Copper - © Wayne Withers

Beautiful-Demoiselle

Beautiful Demoiselle - © Bob Lewis

Slow-Worm

Slow Worm - © Wayne Withers

Bluebells-2

Bluebells

Southern-Marsh-Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid - © Lyn Evans