Big House on the hill

Journal

Wild WAles Journal

After so long using our free time to explore North Wales, we thought it about time we share some of incredible places we’ve discovered. There’s nothing quite like being a local tourist, especially when there’s so much right on your doorstep. Not all of these places are near the house, but they’re all in North Wales. For things super near the house to do please see our ‘In the Area’ page.

 

Gwaith Powdwr Nature Reserve

 

First up in the blog is the amazing Gwaith Powdwr Nature Reserve. Located on the outskirts of Penrhyndeudraeth in Gwynedd, the nature reserve site is that of a former explosives factory.

From 1865 the site manufactured nitroglycerin based explosives, and employed 500 local people. Providing millions of munitions for both WW1 and WW2, it’s past is certainly not without tragedy, and there are several memorials to the local workers who lost their lives. The factory was sited here due to the specific geography creating an ideal location for the manufacture and testing.

Explosives and wildlife are definitely not a good mix, but since the factory was decommissioned and the site handed over to the North Wales Wildlife Trust, it’s been transformed into 24 hectares of nature reserve. 100+ years of untouched land has resulted in unrivalled biodiversity, which burst into life when the factory closed.

You can walk to the reserve from the town of Penryhndeudraeth, or park at the new workshops located at the entrance to the reserve. Don’t be put off by the unassuming entrance to the reserve - we almost didn’t find it - but the effort is worth it!

There are two trails, red and black - we did the black trail to get the views from the top. At a guess the black trail was around 3 kilometres.

If you go slowly (as we had to with 7 and 8 year olds armed with nature spotting books), the level of insect and bird life is incredible. Normally the spotting books get put down after 5 minutes in favour of waterfalls, sand, icecream etc but we were amazed by how much we saw - Cuckoos, Wild (edible) Strawberries, Salamanders, a baby Freshwater Turtle, Dragonflies, Yellow Iris and Tiger Moth Caterpillars made for a game of real-life Pokemon!

Hidden in the woods the historic factory buildings dot the site, and are now home to protected bat colonies which must not be disturbed. Various signboards along the way explain their uses and the wildlife that now occupy them.

The views from the top are beautiful on a clear day and are almost 360 degrees, stretching to Harlech Castle in the South. We spent about 2 hours there doing the black trail (albeit slowly), but would love to go back armed with a picnic and sit for longer!

Notes:

  • Free Entry / Free Parking

  • No WCs or facilities

  • Distance: approx 1.2hrs from the house.

  • Ideal day out tied in with a visit to Harlech beach.

 
Emily Tyers