Forest Farm

Forest Farm and the local nature reserve is a designated country park that covers an area of over 150 acres. The local nature reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest ( SSSI ) it includes a section of the former Glamorganshire Canal which is now an important aquatic wild life resource, and an ancient semi natural woodland, known as Longwood.

The Nature Reserve provides a diversity of different habitats including ponds, marsh area, scrub and more recent woodlands each with their own distinctive flora and fauna. The vegetation on the canal is luxuriant in the summer and in order to prevent silting large numbers of water plants have to be removed annually. A series of ponds and scrapes or winter wetlands have also been created in recent years which can be viewed from two bird hides.

The reserve is also excellent to see other wildlife. The reserve is well known for its foxes who sometimes make themselves appear by wandering around the open grasslands and past the two reserve hides. As well as the mammals the reserve also has its variety of insect life. The reserve has a variety of Damselflies and Dragonflies, you can also see butterflies such as the Speckled Wood, Comma and Painted Lady. 

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In 2010 Forest Farm celebrated their 20 years anniversary and refurbished the Wardens Centre and education pond. Over the past 20 years Forest Farm have accomplished so much and  wouldn’t been able to do any of this without continued support from the public, local companies and Cardiff Council.

• Christmas 1991 – First proposal of Nature park.
• March 1993 – New pond at Conservation Centre
• June 1994 – New fish pass at Radyr Weir
• June 1995 – Fundraising starts for £35000 construction of wetlands
• March 1996 – Fundraising target reached!
• December 2004 – launch of website
• Autumn 2007  – new pond constructed near wardens centre
• December 2007 – new orchard started, rear of wardens centre
• Spring 2010 – Wardens centre refurbished 

Links
Forest Farm Website
Forest Farm at BBC

Places to Visit: Kenfig Nature Reserve

Kenfig National Nature Reserve is a huge coastal dune system near Porthcawl in Glamorgan, South Wales. The nature reserve has a 3 mile storm beach, rolling dunes and a mosaic of wetlands including Kenfig Pool which is the largest natural lake in South Wales. The reserve hosts a number of species and some very rare and endangered plant life.

Dunlin taken at the edge of Kenfig Pool

It can be noted for having a wide variety of bird visitors because of the variety of environments found in the reserve. In the winter birds such as the Meadow Pipit, Stonechat and Merlin can be found as well as the Hen Harrier and the Short-eared Owl. In the summer Whitethroats, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Willow Warblers are very numerous in the sand dune areas.


It has a 70 acre freshwater lake making it the largest natural lake in South Wales it is mainly rainfall fed and therefore unpolluted. The water is relatively low in nutrients and these lack of nutrients makes conditions difficult for algae to grow and the water remains clear with these conditions many of the plants that grow in the lake are rare.

How to get there: Kenfig on Streetmap

External Links:
Official Site
Bridgend Site