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Hafod Elwy Moor National Nature Reserve

Moorlands of WalesNational nature reserves in WalesTourist attractions in Denbighshire
Mynydd Hiraethog. Denbigh Moors geograph.org.uk 379135
Mynydd Hiraethog. Denbigh Moors geograph.org.uk 379135

Hafod Elwy Moor National Nature Reserve, located in the moorland above the town of Denbigh in Denbighshire, North Wales, is part of the Mynydd Hiraethog Site of Special Scientific Interest, formerly managed by the Countryside Council for Wales and now under the jurisdiction of Natural Resources Wales. Established in 1999, it comprises an 82-hectare (200-acre) patch of upland moor lying between the lakes of Llyn Brenig and Llyn Alwen. A conifer forest planted by the Forestry Commission borders the moor to the south and east.With plant life dominated by heather and bilberry, the reserve provides important habitat for ground-nesting birds. Birds found in the area include the Northern wheatear, and some black grouse. The reserve is classified as a Category IV site by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, meaning that the area regularly needs active interventions to support particular species. Conservation efforts focus on increasing black grouse populations. In addition to these ground-nesting birds, the reserve is home to merlins and other small birds of prey such as peregrine falcons, kestrels, and hen harriers.The reserve is open to the public, but has no facilities; except for one bridle path, it is difficult to traverse on foot. The nearest roads are the A543 and the B4501, with access via the Brenig Visitor Centre off the B4501.The name "Hafod Elwy" references a hafod, or Welsh summer farmhouse. According to local folktales, captured in a ballad, Hafod Elwy was home to a man named Ffowc Owen in the 1770s, who could not marry his true love and froze to death on the moor. A memorial cairn for Owen is said to be present on the moor.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Hafod Elwy Moor National Nature Reserve (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Hafod Elwy Moor National Nature Reserve
B4501,

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Wikipedia: Hafod Elwy Moor National Nature ReserveContinue reading on Wikipedia

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N 53.095 ° E -3.5736 °
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Hafod Elwy National Nature Reserve

B4501
LL21 9TT , Nantglyn
Wales, United Kingdom
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Mynydd Hiraethog. Denbigh Moors geograph.org.uk 379135
Mynydd Hiraethog. Denbigh Moors geograph.org.uk 379135
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Pentrefoelas
Pentrefoelas

Pentrefoelas is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The village lies on the A5 road between Betws-y-Coed to the west and Cerrigydrudion to the east. The Afon Merddwr river, a tributary of the River Conwy, flows through it. The community had a population of 356 at the time of the 2011 census, 70% were able to speak Welsh. It has an area of 53.86 km2 and covers a large region around the village including part of Mynydd Hiraethog, Llyn Alwen and part of Alwen Reservoir. It is in the electoral ward of Llangernyw. The community includes the small settlement of Rhydlydan. The name of the village comes from pentre (Welsh for "village") and a nearby hill, Foel Las ("green bare-topped hill"). The hill is the site of a motte built around 1164 in the time of Owain Gwynedd. Old Voelas House (or Plas Foel Las), mansion of the Wynne family, was built at the foot of the hill in 1545. It was demolished in 1819 and a new site was established two kilometres to the west. The current Voelas Hall was built in 1961 and was designed by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis.Other buildings around the village include: Plas Iolyn, home to Rhys Fawr ap Maredudd, his son Robert ap Rhys (the chaplain to Cardinal Wolsey), his grandson the 16th-century MP Elis Prys (known as Dr Coch and notorious for his oppression of the district) and his great-grandson, the poet Tomos Prys. It is now a farmhouse. Gilar, built in the 16th century for the poet Rhys Wyn ap Cadwaladr (fl. c. 1600), perhaps by his father Cadwaladr ap Maurice after receiving a substantial grant of land from Henry VIII in 1545–1546, which included the land later occupied by Plas Iolyn and Old Voelas House. The village had a chapelry of Ysbyty Ifan built in 1766 and known as Voelas Chapel. The Parish Church was built on the same site in 1857–1859. The Pentrefoelas watermill (Melin Voelas) for grinding flour dates from 1815 and was restored by Clwyd County Council as part of a heritage scheme. The ironwork for the external overshot waterwheel was originally cast by the Llanrwst Foundry probably sometime in the 19th century