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This booklet has been produced jointly by the Nature Conservancy Council and the Forestry Commission, both of which manage woodlands in the Aber valley. It introduces the visitor to the great variety of interest within the valley and provides a guide to a trail designed to highlight a range of features and aspects of the landscape, particularly in relation to nature conservation and forestry.
The Trail
The first section of the trail (Points 1-8) follows the valley floor as far as the Aber Falls. The second section (Points 9-17) is an alternative return route, which takes a higher level track through the coniferous forest and involves a fairly steep climb in the early stages. Each walk will take between 1 and 2 hours to complete. It is wise to wear or carry warm clothes and since it is often wet and slippery underfoot, you should have stout shoes or boots.
please -
Keep dogs under control; there are sheep in the valley
Keep to the footpath
A void risk of fire
Take your litter home
Leave wild plants for others to enjoy.
Land-use history
Broad leaved woodland, largely dominated by oak, once covered great tracts of the lowlands and lower mountain slopes of Wales. The early inhabitants, Middle Stone Age peoples, living here around 8,000 years ago, made little impact on the landscape. The New Stone Age peoples who followed them, however, became efficient tree-fellers, and started to till the soil and keep domesticated animals. They thus began the process of forest clearance and the development of agriculture. Now, few traces remain of the original forest, but in some areas, such as here in the Aber valley, it is probable that some form of woodland cover has always persisted. The rugged slopes of Maes-y-Gaer and the gorge of the Afon Rhaeadr Fawr in particular may well have been tree-clad since ancient times.
Evidence of early man in the Aber valley and surrounding area is provided by the Iron Age hill fort (c. 500 BC) on Maes-y-Gaer, cairns on the valley-sides and on adjacent summits, and a number of round-huts probably dating from later Iron Age and Romano-British times. These huts are situated along the valley floor and each one would have had a small cultivation clearing alongside. There is also a Roman road running from the coast to the Conwy Valley. The Aber valley has traditional associations with the Princes of Gwynedd, and the motte or large mound in Aber village may be linked with those early days.
The valley woodlands therefore have long been influenced by human settlement and agriculture: early clearance for crop cultivation and stock rearing and the felling of trees for timber were the beginnings of continuing management of the land over the centuries. During the 15th and 16th centuries, in the interests of agriculture, stones were cleared from the open ground and the now familiar dry-stone walls were built.
Timber demands in modern times have involved selective felling, mainly of the oaks, for railway construction in the mid 19th century and for use in both World Wars. More specialised uses of the woodlands in the Aber valley have been the cutting of alder wood for clog-making and the management of Maes-y-Gaer as a rabbit warren during the 18th and 19th centuries. Also in the 18th and 19th centuries, sheep replaced cattle as the principal grazing animal, and natural regeneration of the remaining woodlands became more inhibited.
Nowadays, encouragement of regeneration of young trees in the valley woodlands, by fencing out sheep, is regarded by the NCC and the FC as an important part of their land management programmes.
Nature conservation, forestry, agriculture and recreation are not always compatible. For instance, natural, deciduous woodland has the greatest interest for nature conservation, whilst conifer plantations provide the best financial return from forestry.
In this valley, all those involved have developed a good working relationship in the management of the land for different purposes.
As you start walking up the valley from the car-parks you will cross either Afon Rhaeadr Fawr (from the lower car-park) or Afon Anafon (from the Forestry Commission car-park). Both are swift-flowing, upland rivers, with a coarse rock and gravel bed. The water is very pure since the rivers have their source only a few, undisturbed miles upstream in the Carneddau. The grey wagtail, yellow and grey in colour, is frequently to be seen beside the water, where it also breeds. You may also be lucky enough to see a dipper: this is a plump, stump-tailed, solitary bird, with dark plumage and a white throat. Dippers occupy the same stretch of stream for most of the year and have the astonishing ability to plunge beneath the water and walk along the stream-bed totally submerged.
1 )At this point, paths from the two car-parks converge, and you are standingjust above the confluence of the two rivers. The track will take you up the valley of the Rhaeadr Fawr towards the Aber Falls and the beginning of the high-level section of the trail, through the coniferous forest.
The woodland around Bont Newydd is largely deciduous and contains oak, ash, hazel, alder, blackthorn, willow and birch. The interlacing branches and leaves of a woodland like this form a dense canopy in mid-summer, so that woodland flowers such as the primrose, wood sorrel, wood anemone and bluebell flower early in the spring before the canopy closes and excludes the light. Parts of the old oak woodland are being managed by the Forestry Commission to increase timber production. This is being done in such a way as to maintain the landscape quality of the area: much of the oak has been retained and amongst the plantings of conifers like Japanese larch, Norway spruce and western red cedar there are also groups of broadleaved species: beech, sycamore and poplar.
The wooded valley provides good habitat for a range of woodland birds. Look out especially for green and great spotted woodpeckers, nuthatches, tree creepers and great, blue and coal tits. During the summer you many see a redstart with its bright red tail, or hear wood warblers, willow warblers or chiffchaffs.
2 ) On your left, near the fence, balsam poplars have been planted; these are very fast-growing trees and are a hybrid between two American species. In early spring, the expanding buds emit a powerful fragrance of balsam. Further along the fence, the silvery foliage is that of the white poplar contrasting with the evergreen conifers behind. Before moving on, look at the trunk of the ash tree behind the trail post. The blotches and tufts are grey lichens indicating a relatively unpolluted atmosphere and green mosses, indicating a damp climate. Most lichens are very sensitive to air pollution and are therefore found less frequently in towns or near industrial areas. Lichens are also an excellent example of symbiosis: they are composed of a fungus living in close association with a simple green plant called an alga. Since mosses are less tolerant of drought than lichens, they are generally confined to places where water collects, such as forks in the trunk and the lower parts of the bole.
3 ) This splendid oak also has lichens growing on it, but since its bark is more acidic than that of the ash, it supports a different community of species. The age of this particular tree is about 220 years: this has been calculated from the annual growth rings on a core taken from the trunk.
Native oak trees in Britain can be divided broadly into two species: the pedunculate or English oak, which is the more common in lowland and eastern Britain, and the sessile or durmast oak, which takes over in the northern and western parts of the country. The two species do, however, hybridise, giving a range of types intermediate between the two. This tree, as it happens, shows many of the features of the pedunculate oak.
A large oak tree provides a micro-habitat for an enormous variety of small creatures, many of which depend specifically upon our two native oak species for food and shelter. Caterpillars of the winter moth and the mottled umber moth, for example, eat the leaves. In some years, caterpillar infestations occur and the oaks may be almost stripped of leaves during early summer. A fresh growth will the appear in July. The grubs and caterpillars are themselves an important source of food for woodland birds such as the pied flycatcher.
4 ) At this point the valley opens out a little and Aber Falls — Rhaeadr Fawr — come into view. Beyond these valley-head cliffs rise the peaks of Bera Mawr 794m and behind, Bera Bach 777m, the Great and Little Hayricks. These summits are part of the extensive Carneddau upland block. In the foreground, mixed woodland spreads up the valley side. On the lower slopes, where the soil is better, broadleaved trees have been planted and the existing oaks retained as an amenity measure. Higher up, the forest consists of Sitka spruce, a conifer which grows well on poor soils where broadleaved trees would produce little or no useable timber. Most of the industry's requirement is for conifer timber and Britain imports 90% of its timber requirement. The total area of this part of the FC's Newborough Forest holding is about 138 hectares. Most of the planting was done between 1959 and 1962 and harvesting will begin when the trees are 25-30 years old. When the whole area is fully productive, it is expected to produce about 1,600 tonnes of timber each year. Timber is, in fact, one of our few renewable resources.
5 ) The fenced plot here is an experimental sheep exclosure (ie an area from which sheep are excluded). It shows very well the difference between the development of an ungrazed area and that of the heavily grazed unfenced areas outside. Within the exclosure, the ground flora is comparatively dense and lush, tall grasses have developed and trees have a chance of regenerating. A number of seedling trees have actually been planted here. Certain grasses, such as the soft, broadleaved wood false-brome, present here in the plot, are characteristic of woodland and other shady places. In the oak tree above you, there is a wooden box with no holes visible in it. This is a bat box which provides a summer roosting site for these harmless, insect-eating animals. It has a slit on the under side which allows the small, flying mammals to enter. The slit is sufficiently narrow to prevent birds and grey squirrels entering. Bat species so far recorded in the valley are the pipistrelle and the larger common long-eared bat. Not far away the lesser horseshoe bat hibernates in old, disused mines. At the foot of the oak tree is a ruined sheep-dip, once surrounded by a slate fence, typical of the North Wales countryside. Modern dips may look a little different, but sheep are still dipped, nowadays in pesticide solutions, to rid them of parasites such as ticks. The cottage in front of you is Nant farmstead, last used as a farm in about 1955. The Nature Conservancy Council now owns the cottage and the old cow-byre adjacent to it is run as an information centre. Please call in if it is open.
6 ) Looking up the slope to your left from this point you will see a stand of Japanese larch. Although these trees are conifers they are deciduous, not evergreen. They thus provide an attractive contrast amongst the other conifers with a show of orange-brown foliage in winter, and the vivid green of new growth in spring. The Japanese variety of larch is more productive than the European, and does better on poor soils. The contrasting clumps of darker conifers here are cedars that are also natives of Japan. On your right, you will see a large woodland exclosure: this is Wern Goch, a spring-fed alder woodland. This species is commonly found growing on poorly-drained land beside streams and rivers, but it also colonises wasteland such as slate-tips. Before the draining of many wetlands, alder swamps like this were much more widespread in Wales. Alder timber had many practical uses, such as piling or fencing on clay soils and wood-turning for broom-heads and cotton-reels. Clogs were crafted from it and the bark was used for tanning. Even the brushwood was used, being laid in ditches to assist with land drainage. Nitrates, which are essential for plant growth, are not easily available to plants under water-logged conditions. The alder obtains its nitrates, however, by fixing nitrogen in small root swellings which work in association with certain fungi. The exclusion of sheep grazing in Wern Goch is designed to assist regeneration of the alder woodland. Just beyond the alder woodland is a marsh, dominated by common rush: the pith inside this plant's stem was once used as a wick in tallow candle-making. As you walk through the small copse of ash trees, you will see that there are no seedling trees; sheep-grazing is preventing regeneration here.
7 ) Beneath sheer crags to the left of the track are impressive screes, more than 90m in height. These screes consist of fragments detached from the solid rock above by freezing and thawing, mainly during the last Ice Age, more than 10,000 years ago. They are no longer forming (' on any appreciable scale. 'Scree-riding' should be avoided as it is extremely destructive, resulting in mass movement of the individual pieces of rock. Just beyond the wall on the right of the track are the remains of a long-house, known as Ysgubor Goch (Red Barn), one of the many pieces of evidence supporting records of long-established settlement in and around the Aber valley. From here, the track continues to the Falls. You may then wish to follow the high-level section of the trail (Points 9-17), which starts here and descends again towards the carparks. Please note that this section will take you another hour or so and is over rather steeper and rougher ground at first.
8 ) The Falls tumble 36m down the cliffs of Creigiau Rhaeadr Fawr: a band of harder rock which slowed down the backward-cutting action of the water has given rise to this impressive feature. The rock is granophyre, of igneous origin, having cooled from a molten mass from deep within the earth's crust. Granophyre outcrops only rarely in Snowdonia. The cliff woodlands bordering the waterfall are inaccessible to sheep and support a rich flora of mosses and other small primitive plants known as liverworts. Many depend on the constant damp caused by spray from the Falls. Some are 'oceanic' or 'Atlantic' species, confined to the western fringes of the country, where the air is moist and winter temperatures are mild. The British flora as a whole is poor in comparison with that of continental Europe, but our 'oceanic' plants are exceptional as a result of our Atlantic situation. You may now either retrace your steps down the valley, or continue to POINT 9 on the high-level section.
9) From here the trail is through the forest, so before going on, pause to look down at the valley-head. Extending into the valley on the other side of the river is an open grazing area known as the Waun. This is important for sheep management in the valley (and sometimes supports cattle as well), so tree regeneration is inhibited. The ground here is very hummocky due to the deposits of glacial boulder-clay. You can probably pick out a well-developed under-cut cliff, or bluff, on a bend in the river, where the boulder clay has been eroded by the flow of water. To the right of the main Falls, the subsidiary waterfall, Rhaeadr Fach, is visible. Beyond the cliffs and waterfalls, the open moorland of the Carneddau rises. Associated with this habitat and with the cliffs below are a number of upland bird species, including the raven, the largest of the British crows. Ravens can often be seen over the valley, uttering their characteristically deep, 'pruk-pruk' call. The buzzard, a bird of prey of comparable size, can sometimes be seen soaring on motionless wings and calling in its distinctively high, thin, mewing voice. Other upland birds you may encounter are ring ouzels, whinchats, wheatears and meadow pipits.As you enter to forest, please remember to take special care not to start a fire. Notice the immediate change of environment: you are no longer so exposed to the elements and, because sheep are fenced out, the effect of grazing is minimal. In place of wind-stunted thorn, with little regeneration, the plantation provides a situation where young trees can shelter each other and grow straight. The effect of wind is only significant on the forest edge and at higher altitudes. Development of deciduous seedlings is also facilitated along the forest edges. Most of the conifers you will see are Sitka spruce, natives of north-west America, from California to Alaska. The tree has pale yellow twigs with sharp, pointed needles which are bluish beneath, especially noticeable when trees are growing vigorously. Notice their colour here and compare it with those higher up. The other conifer here is Japanese larch, which has reddish-brown twigs and, in summer, needles growing in bunches, rather than singly like the Sitka spruce.
10 ) Pause at the seat before you turn the corner. The Falls and the cliffs are now behind you. The FC plantations of coniferous trees, introduced in the middle of this century, have added a new element to the woodland landscape of the valley. The ground cover of the forest fringes contains a high proportion of mosses, some of the species being those associated with a woodland. The mosses here are less varied and less luxuriant than you would expect to find in a damp and sheltered woodland. Two flowering plants to be seen along the path margins in spring and summer are the bluebell and the foxglove. Notice also the ant-hills. The friable soils and organic litter of woodlands provide an attractive habitat for certain kinds of ants. As you continue to climb, the trees become progressively smaller. This is mainly because the soil becomes shallower and drier, and the wind effect on the trees increases. You will also see that the tree species changes.
11 )Sitka spruce has now been replaced by the more hardy lodgepole pine. Spruce was planted where the ground vegetation was once dominated by grass and bracken; where bilberry and heather grew together, indicating a poorer soil, the pine was a more appropriate crop. The attractive candelabra effect to be seen in spring, is the new growth shooting. Its needles develop in pairs. The lodgepole is another tree from North America. You may see or hear a number of woodland birds in the forest: the goldcrest and the siskin are typically found in coniferous or mixed woodlands, but the more widespread jay and magpie also frequent the forest. The red squirrel and the pine marten have both been recorded and may still be present.
12 )This is the highest point of the Trail at about 290 metres above sea level. The highest part of the forest you can see is about 578 metres on the shoulder of Llwytmor Bach. At that height tree growth is severely limited by poor soils, low temperatures and exposure to strong winds. The lie of the land here means that wind speed is increased and the effects of exposure are very striking. The spruce is stunted and bedraggled — see how many have their leading shoots broken by the wind. Only a short distance further down the trail the growth is much improved. From this point can be seen evidence of some of the past land-use and settlement of the area. There are Bronze Age cairns on Moel Wnion (580m) across the valley from the Waun, and on Drosgl (758m) above the cliffs. Relict birch wood has been found amongst peat deposits at altitudes up to 610m supporting other evidence in the region that extensive woodlands once clothed these mountains. More recent signs of human influence are Iron Age hut circles both in the valley and on Llwytmor Bach (688m) and evidence of an ancient field system and settlements in the adjacent Anafon valley. In much more recent times, sheep husbandry has made its mark on the landscape: on the western side of the valley, opposite this point, it is possible to pick out old cellular sheep-pens above the mountain wall. The improved grazing land below the mountain wall is known as the 'ffridd'. The development of modern agricultural techniques involves experimental husbandry: this is illustrated here by the University College Farm's shelter-belts (the conifer blocks just to the left of the Menai Strait gap, perhaps better seen as you walk down to the next point) which have been planted to measure changes and to show the behaviour of sheep around the shelterbelts.
13 ) As you begin the gradual descent, look out for small clumps of crowberry growing on the right-hand bank amongst the shale. This is a sprawling evergreen, upland plant which produces black berries in the autumn. Turn left at the junction. On your left is a circle of stones in the clearing. This is a Bronze Age burial cairn from the period 1,600 to 1,400 B.C. It was built with a neat kerb of matched slabs retaining a round cairn of stones. Near the centre was a cist, or grave, but as this has been disturbed we do not know what, if anything, was there before the cairn was robbed. The experimental shelter belts can be seen clearly as you look ahead now. Further down the track, a prominent, wooded hill with an Iron Age hill-fort, dating back to about 500 B.C., comes into view. This is Maes-y-Gaer, part of an eroded dome, or anticline, of Cambrian grits. It is now part of the nature reserve and of interest for its steep, oak-clad slopes. In the distance, Anglesey and Puffin Island can be seen and, on a very clear day, it is possible to see the Isle of Man. There are a number of deciduous trees growing well on the forest fringes — amongst them are crab-apple, birch rowan, elder, oak and willow.
14 )A given area of land has the potential to produce a certain volume of timber over the life-time of the crop. This can be in the form of either a large number of small trees, or a smaller number of bigger trees. If the forest is not thinned the resulting crop will be trees of small girth. The coniferous trees here will soon be large enough to thin, leaving the better trees to grow to a larger size and the thinnings used, for example, to make paper-pulp. It is very dark under the trees now, but after thinning there will be enough light reaching the forest floor for more plants to grow and so diversify the habitat. The larch has reappeared, now that the environment is once more less severe As you move down towards Point 15, you may see some larch regeneration on the bank-side, but being outside the fence,the trees here are browsed by sheep.
15 ) The small landslip on your right is O an example of the active erosion which is constantly taking place in wet, upland areas or beside rivers. There is a continuing need for observation and maintenance in good land management. The woodland is now mixed once again, and Afon Anafon flows below it towards Bont Newydd 16 ) The ash-oak woodland on your right has been underplanted with Norway spruce, as a Christmas tree crop, but sheep have damaged the spruce by browsing the lower branches. The Forestry Commission now intends managing the area to allow natural regeneration of the broadleaved trees to develop.
17 ) At this point, you will be passing underneath three sets of overhead power-lines. These give an interesting insight into how rapid improvements in technology this century have eased the work-load in difficult terrain. The oldest lines (the middle set) were hauled into position by teams of heavy horses early this century; the first ones you pass were put up in the 1950s with the use of tractors; and the newest set of lines was erected with the aid of helicopters since the ground below the power-lines must be kept clear of tall trees, there is an opportunity to carry out other forms of management. At present these include the raising of Christmas trees. Follow the last section of the trail now, past the Forestry Commission's short loop-trail on your left, to the stile above the car-parks. We hope this trail has enabled you not only to enjoy the quiet beauty of the valley, but also to see how it is possible for a number of different interests to operate side-by-side in the management of land.
The Aber Valley
Ownership and management The land in the Aber valley is owned and managed by a number of different interests:
Coedydd Aber National Nature Reserve is part owned and part leased by the Nature Conservancy Council. The reserve is managed so as to ensure the well being of a wide range of native plant and animal species.
The Forestry Commission owns and manages coniferous, mixed and deciduous woodland here as part of Newborough Forest and also provides a picnic place with parking and toilet facilities.
The University College Farm, Aber, owns most of the western side of the valley, and manages much of this land and the valley floor as an upland farm unit, grazing mainly sheep, but also cattle and Welsh Mountain ponies.
The National Trust owns the high ground above the Falls as part of its Carneddau upland estate. The Carneddau also form part of an internationally important nature conservation site.
The Penrhyn Estate leases the Afon Rhaeadr Fawr to the Nature Conservancy Council, and the local Community Council is involved in the management of the river.
The Snowdonia National Park Committee (Gwynedd County Council) has provided a car-park at Bont Newydd as one of the facilities it offers within the Park. The Park Authority does not actually own any other land in the valley, but exercises planning control over certain kinds of development.
The Nature Conservancy Council is the government body which promotes nature conservation in Great Britain. It gives advice on nature conservation to government and all those whose activities affect our wildlife and wild places. It also selects, establishes and manages a series of National Nature Reserves. This work is based on detailed ecological research and survey. The Great Britain headquarters of the Nature Conservancy Council are at Northminster House, Peterborough, PE1 1UA; the headquarters for Wales are at Plas Penrhos, Ffordd Penrhos, Bangor, Gwyngdd, LL57 2LQ.
This is one of a range of publications produced by the NCC. A catalogue listing available titles is available from Dept. TA, Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough, PE1 1UA.
The Forestry Commission is responsible for promoting the interests of forestry and the production and supply of timber, having regard also to the protection of the environment and the provision of forest recreation facilities. The office for North Wales is Victoria House, Aberystwyth, Dyfed.
CYNGOR GWARCHOD NATUR NATURE CONSERVANCY COUNCIL
North Wales Region
Plas Penrhos, Ffordd Penrhos, Bangor," Gwynedd LL57 2LQ
ISBN 0 86139 138 1 © NCC 1981, 1986
Produced by the Interpretive Services Branch
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