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Glaslyn Osprey Project

DolbenmaenNature reserves in Wales

The Glaslyn Osprey Project is located in the Glaslyn Valley at Pont Croesor near Porthmadog in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The project has supported ospreys since 2004 when they came to the Snowdonia National Park to breed after being absent from Wales for decades. The ospreys spend every winter in West Africa and travel thousands of miles to return to Glaslyn every year to breed and raise their chicks.The project was initially run by RSPB Cymru. The RSPB Date with Nature site at Pont Croesor aimed to introduce people to the wildlife in the area, inform the public on conservation projects done by the RSPB and ensure 24-hour protection of the eggs in the nest. In 2012 the charity announced that it was looking to withdraw in order to prioritise other challenges facing Welsh wildlife. In September 2013, the Project was handed over to a Community Interest Company called Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife. The project continues successfully.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Glaslyn Osprey Project (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Glaslyn Osprey Project
B4410,

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N 52.95058 ° E -4.09684 °
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B4410
LL49 9SP , Dolbenmaen
Wales, United Kingdom
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Pont Croesor railway station
Pont Croesor railway station

Pont Croesor is a railway halt in Wales, on the Welsh Highland Railway, which runs through the Snowdonia National Park from Caernarfon to Porthmadog. It is located on the section between the stations of Hafod y Llyn and Pen-y-Mount Junction. Originally, as part of the Croesor Tramway, there was a siding at this location but no station. When the WHR was initially built in 1923 a small halt was provided; however, this closed with the railway in 1936 and all trace of this was removed when the line was lifted. The line from Pont Croesor to Porthmadog Harbour has been connected since early 2009, being available for stock transfer purposes. The station was officially opened on 26 May 2010 and was the WHR's temporary terminus, having previously opened to passengers on 22 May 2010. The previous terminus at Hafod y Llyn is now closed.It opened to timetabled passenger services on 8 January 2011.When the station opened there was a full-length platform on the west side of the loop only, but with the commencement of through services in both directions during 2011 a second platform was provided. The station site is adjacent to Pont Croesor bridge, which crosses the River Glaslyn, and is a hybrid road/rail bridge, as each uses the same piers. The bridge was extensively modified in appearance recently to feature standard safety barriers. The new loop was finally completed, for operational purposes, on 13 March 2010. During the 2010 and 2011 seasons the station has featured a staffed booking office and gift shop; however with all trains terminating at Porthmadog for the 2012 season Pont Croesor is no longer a terminus, and has therefore been downgraded to an unstaffed halt. The station building has been removed to Blaenau Ffestiniog but the waiting room remains.

Traeth Mawr Loop

Traeth Mawr Loop was a short-lived terminus during the restoration of the Welsh Highland Railway (WHR). The run-around loop was located within Traeth Mawr just the north of Porthmadog, Wales. It operated during 2007 before being replaced by the new mainline a year later. Track laying to Traeth Mawr was completed by the Welsh Highland Railway by November 2006, making it the northern limit of the WHR from Porthmadog. The terminus, which had a run-around loop, opened to passengers services on 23 March 2007. Passengers were unable to board or alight at Traeth Mawr. The last public service was on 28 October 2007. Although WHR ran push-pull services to a point just south of Farmyard Farm Crossing, for some time afterwards. After closure, the Traeth Mawr loop was removed in order to construct the WHR's new main line building southwards. On 31 August 2008, the final length of track from Caernarfon was laid at the location of the former loop. The line from Pen-y-mount to Traeth Mawr was removed from operational service at the end of the 2008 season. In 2009 construction of the Welsh Highland Railway from Caernarfon was continued through this stretch with Subscribers' trains from Caernarfon passing through the site of the loop in autumn 2009, and again through to Porthmadog Harbour on 31 October 2010. Regular passenger trains on the completed line through the former site of the Traeth Mawr Loop re-commenced from Porthmadog Harbour on 4 January 2011.

Pen-y-Mount Junction railway station
Pen-y-Mount Junction railway station

Pen-y-Mount Junction station is the northern terminus of the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (WHHR) in Porthmadog, Wales. With the opening of all three platforms, it has the most of any station in the Porthmadog area. Pen-y-Mount Junction is the only narrow gauge junction station in Britain; it is the only junction station between two Heritage Railways in Britain, and also has the largest number of platforms of any narrow gauge station in Britain along with the New Romney Station of the Romney, Hythe, and Dymchurch railway. It opened on 2 August 1980 at which time it consisted of a single platform with a run round loop and was intended to be a temporary terminus. In 1990, a siding was laid into the yard for works trains. After the Festiniog Railway Company gained the authority to rebuild the original Welsh Highland Railway (WHR), it was decided to turn Pen-y-Mount station into a representation of a typical WHR station. In 1996, a replica WHR corrugated iron station building was constructed. Its design was based upon the original Nantmor railway station. Subsequently, genuine WHR fencing, including a kissing gate, was erected along the back of the platform. In 2000, the WHHR began construction of the WHR main line, under the terms of their 1998 agreement with the Festiniog Railway Company. This included clearing, preparing the track bed, tracklaying and ballasting. The northern end of the WHHR line was also re-modelled and, in 2002, the existing headshunt was replaced with a full crossover so it could connect with the FR owned WHR main line. A new headshunt loading spur was also constructed. They also helped construct the mainline between Pen-y-Mount and the Porthmadog Cross Town Link. The WHHR finished construction work in 2007. Under the terms of the 1998 agreement, they were allowed to use the new line and retain all revenue from it until the FR had finished constructing the remainder of the WHR. During 2007 and 2008, WHHR trains terminated at Traeth Mawr Loop rather than Pen-y-Mount. In 2008, the Traeth Mawr loop was removed and WHHR trains used push-pull operation. In 2008, the Welsh Highland Construction Company (an FR Co. subsidiary) connected the two ends of the Welsh Highland Railway and took possession of the line from Traeth Mawr to Pen-y-Mount and, since 2009, WHHR trains have terminated at Pen-y-Mount. It is hoped that in future the WHHR will have running rights over the FR-owned WHR mainline and that the station will become an interchange between the two railways. The two companies, however, are still in discussion over these issues and have yet to reach an agreement. It is intended that Pen-y-Mount Junction will have three fully operational platforms, with lines to Beddgelert and both Porthmadog Termini.