All walks › Rhondda and the Western Valleys
Rhondda and the Western ValleysCwm Clydach
RSPB reserve in a steep oak-wooded valley, with pied flycatchers and redstarts in spring and almost nobody there at any time of year.
- Distance
- 3.1 mi / 5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 50
- Ascent
- 140 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Waymarked trails follow the Lower Clydach river through the woods and climb the valley sides, returning on higher paths. Rough and rooty in places.
Worth knowing
- Pied flycatchers arrive in late April and the nest boxes here have a high occupancy rate.
- Wood warblers sing in the upper canopy in May, a sound that is getting rarer.
- The paths are genuinely steep in places despite the modest total ascent.
What you’ll see
Sessile oak woodland, the river, and woodland birds in numbers through spring.
Background
The valley was coppiced for charcoal and the oaks are the regrowth. The reserve was established in 1980.