Clyne Valley Country Park, Swansea - 28 Feb 2016

We woke up to the sun shining through the window so we didn't want to waste time driving anywhere far and decided to go to Clyne Valley Country Park, only a few miles away.

There are a number of ways to get in and we parked at the Ynys Newydd car park in Sketty, Swansea. It is infact Swansea's only country park and within its 700 acres is a great diversity of plants and animals. There is a wide variety of landscapes, including meadow, lakes, wetland and woodland. 

We didn't spend the whole day here, but for the few hours that we did we discovered lots of nature. Check out the photos of our first time exploring Clyne Valley Country Park.

The path from the car park where you will find maps and the start of the nature trail.

The first bird we spotted was a rather large Wood Pigeon.

The path continues through deciduous woodland.

The path takes a decline and we reach a small footbridge that crosses the River Clyne.

The view of the River Clyne taken from the bridge, but we didn't cross it - instead we walked along the river.

We passed a tree full of Turkey Tailed Fungi.

To the left of the river is a swamp system, full of iris and bulrush.

It also had quite a lot of frog spawn...

...and a robin was flying in and out of the bushes.

We walked along the river.

Yellow Gorse was flowering.

We spotted a Dipper on the river (photo by Dan Turner).

We continued walking along the river, but it was getting a bit muddy and turned back.

On the way back we saw Long Tailed Tits.

Giant bracket fungi on an old tree trunk.

There were quite a few birds around including Song Thrush... (Photo by Dan Turner)

...and Blue Tits. (Photo by Dan Turner)

A mossy log with lots of different bugs in it.

Marsh Marigold is starting to bloom.

On our way back along the swamp we noticed this Scarlet Elf Cup fungi, then we noticed more...

...and more...

...and more! Beautiful bright red fungi and the first time I had ever seen them :)

A quick stop at one of the benches overlooking the pond. (Photo by Dan Turner)

A few mallard on the pond.

There are a number of walking tracks through the park including 'The Mumbles Way'.

A huge bracket fungi.

When we made our way back to the car we noticed lots of birds around including Nuthatch...

...Blackbirds...

....and a goldcrest! YES! My first spotting of a goldcrest, not the best pic in the world, but at last I saw one!

A great park, especially in the nature trail section. There are a few cycle tracks in the middle of the park, so we think we will stay away from that section next time and concentrate on the nature trails. A place I will definitely go back to in the spring - I noticed quite a few bird boxes, so hopefully we will see some fledglings in a few months time. Apparently they have kingfishers, woodpeckers, foxes and badgers, we didn't see any this time, so another reason to go back.

Another great nature place on our doorstep :)

Further reading...

• Swansea Council - Clyne Valley Country Park

Valentine's Day at Margam Park, Port Talbot

It seemed like forever since we had been out for a walk and seeing that the sun was shining on Valentine's Day we decided to go to one of our favourite places: Margam Park.

Margam Park is a 1000 acre country park situated in Margam, two miles from Port Talbot. The park is perfect for a relaxing day out offering history, wildlife and wonderful scenery. There is ample car parking and plenty of information plaques and maps to help you find your way around the park. 

We arrived at about 10.30am, parked in the main car park and paid at the kiosk (car parking is £4.70 per car). It wasn't long before we were greeted by a robin and blackbird. We made our way towards the Orangery and looked up to the clear blue sky to see what we thought was a buzzard...upon closer inspection through the binoculars we realised it was in fact a red kite. It was the first time I had ever seen a kite around these parts.

The cheerful robin.

A small section of the car park and the car parking kiosk.

Walking towards the orangery, passing an information plaque. 

A close up of the red kite (taken on Dan's camera).

Once through the gate the first thing you see is the Monastic ruins, these date back to 1147 and were once part of the Cisterian Abbey. Passing the 18th century orangery we made our way to the huge tree which was used in the TV show 'Da Vinci's Demons'. I am not sure what type of tree it is so if you know please comment at the end of this blog.

The abbey ruins with Margam Castle in the distance.

The Orangery on the left and the abbey ruins on the right.

The big tree with the abbey ruins behind.

From here we made our way up to the fish pond where we were greeted by geese, swans and mallard. There were a group of people using the lake for their remote controlled boats and I spent a few moments feeding the birds (with duck & swan feed, not bread!). 

Very rowdy white geese

A swan came to greet us, with mallard and Canada Geese.

Me feeding the swan

The birds didn't seem too bothered by the boats

We made our way back to the main path up to Castle and saw a few birds in one of the nearby trees, there were lots of chaffinches and a single nuthatch. We continued walking up to Margam Castle: a 19th Century Grade 1 listed Tudor Gothic building, built by Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot in 1830. It looked so majestic with the blue sky behind it.

Chaffinches singing in the trees (photo by Dan Turner)

Nuthatch

Beautiful Margam Castle

Once we reached the main entrance to the Castle we couldn't resist going in and admiring the Gothic architecture inside. The staircase is mesmerising, but unfortunately the upstairs is off limits to the public. I have done a ghost walk in the past and was allowed to explore more of the castle...believe me, it's a lot different at night and not for the faint-hearted.

The main entrance of Margam Castle

The regal staircase and Gothic architecture

Once outside we were treated to the sight of some fallow deer running in and out of the woodland and a buzzard was perched in a nearby tree waiting for it's dinner. We managed to get quite close to it and Dan got a great pic with his superzoom camera. We took one step too close and then it flew off.

Fallow Deer.

Buzzard (photo by Dan Turner).

We then made our way to the castle's courtyard where you will find a cafe, toilets and starting points to some of Margam Park's walking trails. Lots of sparrows were in and out of the cracks in the walls, no doubt making nice and cosy nests for breeding time. After a quick toilet break and a nice chat with a man representing the RSPB we continued our journey around the park.

Sparrows in cracks of the cafe wall.

A look back at the Castle and the RSPB stall.

Next, we headed towards the new pond, passing the narrow gauge train (it wasn't running that day). There were a number of birds on the lake: Canada Geese, Mallards, Moorhens whilst a Cormorant sat still on the jetty waiting to spot some lunch. We usually see herons here, but none today.

The path up to the lake with the train on the left.

Canada geese and mallard.

The cormorant waiting for his lunch.

Margam Park also has a farm trail, where you will find turkeys, goats, rabbits and chickens - a great little trail especially for children. There are also bigger farm animals in nearby fields like pigs, cows, Shetland ponies, etc...

The entrance to the farm.

Turkey.

A friendly goat.

From here we made our way to the small nature reserve that was created for local wildlife. We saw a few birds including blue and great tits. A lovely little walk through with plenty of things to explore including a pond.

The beginning of the nature reserve.

A blue tit.

After the nature reserve we made our way into the deer park which was just to the left and through a gate. We couldn't see any deer but we did see a stunning buzzard hovering above, we followed a path deeper into the park and once again were greeted by another buzzard. This time it was sitting on a fence and quietly we approached, managing to get a good photo.

The deer park.

Buzzard flying above (Photo by Dan Turner).

Buzzard on a fence (photo by Dan Turner).

We walked deeper into the park and saw four red deer, they looked stunning complete with fully grown antlers. They posed for a pic and then they were gone, back into the ungrowth. After a quick refreshment stop we followed the path around the park which eventually reaches the Pulpit Stone.

The pulpit stone is an observation platform with a stone monument, it was erected in 1998 to acknowledge the Princes Trust. It is the highest point of Margam Park with fantastic panoramic views of Kenfig Sands, the Gower Peninsula and even Somerset.

Red Deer herd.

The pulpit stone.

The scenery is wonderful up here.

Our walk continued heading East along the path, passing a beautiful raven along the way. The path that we followed is part of a trail called 'St Illtyd Walk' (a 64 mile walk which starts from Pembrey Country Park) - Over to the left we saw a head pop over some hedges and realised there was another herd of red deer.

Raven.

The trail from The Pulpit Stone.

A signpost with direction.

Red deer.

The path takes a left turn and we past some curious sheep, to the left we noticed the rest of the herd of deer. We decided to have another rest to see if we could spot any hares (apparently they are seen up here) and enjoyed the views.

Curious sheep.

Deer herd.

Hare watching.

Unfortunately, we didn't see any hares so we made our way through a wooden gate and down a steep path. On the way we past a huge tree that was growing through the wall, it was full of life with small birds but we couldn't get any pics as they were so fast!

The descent down.

The tree growing through the wall.

We finally got back on a main path and looked to the right to see a gate which said 'zig zag trail' and 'Cym Philips' - Cwm Phillips is a valley and I guess the Zig Zag trail is one of the cycle tracks. Instead of going through this gate we headed the other way until we got to another wooden gate that takes you back into the main park.

The gate leading to Cwm Phillips Valley.

Silhouette of trees in the fading light.

It was now late afternoon and the sun was starting to set so we decided to call it a day and made our way back to the car, passing the castle as we went. Near the car park we noticed some cherry blossom trees with some small birds flying in and out. We went to check it out and were pleased to see a number of blue tits. After a successful six mile nature walk we were pleased to see the car!

The castle on the way back to the car.

Blue tit.

What a fabulous Valentine's Day it was. Couldn't ask for more and the weather was lovely. Margam Park was voted 2nd in the nation's People's Choice for best park* (part of the Green Flag Awards scheme) and you can see why. It is a place you can visit throughout the year,,,check out theses photos from when I visited in the snow: Margam in the snow

Further Information...

* Story from the South Wales Evening Post about Margam Park winning the award.

For more info on Margam Park check out their website!